The West End may be London's crown of crowd pleasing entertainment, but with base ticket prices averaging £60 and newly introduced premium tickets reaching £90 at the upcoming Priscilla Queen of the Desert, it can be a daunting night out when recovering from Christmas bills and travel. Fortunately an evening at the theatre can be an affordable, relaxing occasion for the same price – or even less – than a trip to the cinema.
Get Into London Theatre
An annual promotion from the Society of London Theatres, Get Into London Theatre (GILT) is a West End-wide promotion offering choice tickets to all shows at a simple rate: all shows are either £15 (e.g. Stomp), £25 (e.g. We Will Rock You), or £35 (Hairspray.) While GILT offers a substantial discount, weekend performances are frequently unavailable. GILT tickets are fully bookable for performances from now until 13 February.
Online Resources for Theatre Discounts
London locals are used to seeing Lastminute.com’s hot pink and white posters advertising low price holidays in the underground, but the site also provides one of the West End’s best ticket deals. In addition to a wide variety of discount offers, including half price tickets to a number of shows, the site also offers £10 tickets to a number of West End and Fringe options.
Lastminute.com also offers deals combining a show with a meal for as little as £20 and a hotel room for £40, though the tickets are frequently in the upper circle. Customers should make sure to read the fine print in order to avoid disappointment and unpleasant surprises.
Theatremonkey.com is one of the London theatre’s most popular resources and it’s easy to see why: in addition to offering detailed commentary and grading for seating options at every West End venue, the site also indexes discount offers across the city including those from the major newspapers and online exclusives.
Making a Night of the Theatre
Theatre news site whatsonstage.com and memorabilia shop Dress Circle both offer visitors special occasion evenings for the socially minded theatregoer. Nights out include a discounted ticket, drink onsite or at a reception before the show, and frequently an autograph or Q&A session with the cast after the show. Highly anticipated shows fill their nights quickly, so be sure to book early.
TKTS Leicester Square / TKTS Brent Cross
Last, but certainly not least, the Society of London Theatres operate an official discount sales booth in Leicester Square named TKTS. Tickets are sold at either 25% off, 50% off, or at full price plus a £3 booking fee. While the most popular shows will only be available at the theatre or at full price, most shows are available for 50% off, especially during the work week.
Visitors to TKTS should be aware, however, that there are a number of ticket agencies in the Leicester Square area claiming to offer half-price tickets, but then proceed to charge extreme booking fees. Only the small hut with the TKTS sign is the legitimate half price booth.
Alternatively, a second TKTS outlet has opened at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre with identical offerings to the Leicester Square branch. Both locations open at 10AM, and the day’s listings can be found on the Society of London Theatre’s website by 11AM.
With tickets to be had for as little as £10, a night in the West End need not be a once a year luxury or relegated to overseas visitors. For the flexible Londoner, a trip to the theatre can be an affordable, entertaining, and rewarding fixture of city life.
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