UK Theatres

1. UK Information
2. UK Theatres
3. FAQs
4. Booking tickets in advance

London theatre information:
Booking tickets for London theatres
Booking tickets in advance

The popular belief is that tickets for shows in London Theatres are hard to get. This is only the case if you want the best seats and for the most popular shows. Most shows can be bought on the day, sometimes cheaper, though you may have a limited option of seats.

If your time in London is limited and you want to see a popular show, you should book in advance. How far in advance you book tickets depends on the show's popularity. The more popular the show, the earlier you need to book. For most shows a couple of weeks should be OK. If you want good seats for a popular show on a week end then you may need to book months in advance.

If you are less fussy about your seats and can go to a midweek performance then you should be able to get tickets on the day.

If you are coming from outside London we advise booking in advance to make sure you get tickets to good seats for the show you want.

Future availability of tickets
It is difficult to know about availability of tickets for London theatres. Producers are notoriously secretive and will not publicise how a show is doing unless it's a runaway hit like Phantom of the opera or the Lion King. The Theatre box offices won't give away much either. If you want to know wether to buy now or wait till later the we would recommend this simple rule. If you are coming from outside London then book as early as possible. Londoners have the luxury of being able to buy tickets and go to the show at short notice if necessary.

One particular problem for visitors planning a future visit to London is deciding on whether the show will still be running when they arrive. We have some tips on getting advance notice of show changes and openings which deals with how to get information on new shows and cancellations.