Cheap theatre tickets in London

Posted on Jul 19, 2011 | By London Theatre Direct

You may not know this but it can actually be possible to get cheap theatre tickets in London. You just need a little ‘know-how’, and flexibility and you can pick up some amazing deals. Hopefully these points may be able to put you in the right direction. One thing you must be certain of is that you are buying from legitimate sources. Ticket touts are out there making illegal transactions, and you can be cheated for false or pretend tickets, while they get your money, and you get no seat!

Cheap tickets might be offered in advance through special promotions that can be found in newspapers or advertised through websites. It is a good idea to search around for deals and packages, but make sure the source you purchase from is registered with the Society of Ticketers and Retailers (S.T.A.R) This is the leading self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticketing industry across the United Kingdom, with many of the biggest names in ticketing as members; it works and operates guidelines which are supported by the office of fair trading in the UK.

Some theatres offer ’on the day’ tickets, whereby members of the public can queue in the morning and try to obtain last minute tickets for the same day performance. The tickets are normally reduced as they are needed to be sold. Please remember that it is not guaranteed you will get seats, it is whether they are available for the theatre to offer them out, and are sold on a first come, first serve basis. It is very popular among the tourists, so you would need to see which theatres offer this first, and then get there early to avoid disappointment. Most theatres open around 10am! In and around the west end, there are ticket booths, which also have a small selection of tickets for sale on the day. Take a walk around, but remember the STAR rule!

If you are more of a planner and prefer not to leave things for last minute, then a way of getting cheap tickets is to get a group of friends or colleagues together and try to benefit from some great group discounts. Some tickets can be up to half off! Most shows offer group rates in the week and some offer it on Saturday matinees. You need to check which show has group rates and what the terms are, as they can vary.
So don’t always think that theatreland is expensive, there are good deals to be had in finding cheap theatre tickets in London, you just need a little patience to browse around in the right places!