What are the best times to visit the theatre?
When are the peak and off-peak periods for shows in London, and how to get the best prices if you have to visit during the peak periods?
Contents
Time of Year
Time of Year Pricing
Relative ticket cost index throughout the calendar year (estimated).
Post New Year
By far the best time of year to see a show is after the New Year. January and February are easily the cheapest months, due to a combination of low tourist numbers, the weather, and the fact that most locals have indulged far too much over Christmas and have much less spending money. During these months, most productions face lower attendance rates, leading to significant price reductions across the majority of shows, including those that are generally in high demand.
Spring/Autumn
March to May and September to early December are your next best options to visit a show. During these months, ticket prices generally stabilize, resulting in average costs rather than the deep discounts found earlier in the year. This does come with a caveat however, as school or bank holidays can cause temporary price increases.
School Half/Full Term Holidays
UK school term dates generally follow a three-term structure — Autumn, Spring, and Summer — with 1-week half-term breaks in October, February, and May/June, plus longer breaks at Christmas, Easter, and Summer.
Ticket prices will increase during these periods, especially for the more child-friendly shows.
| Term | Approx. Date | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn Half-Term | Late Oct | 1 Week |
| Christmas Holiday | Late Dec to Early Jan | 2 Weeks |
| Spring Half-Term | Mid Feb | 1 Week |
| Easter Holiday | Late Mar to Early Apr | 2 Weeks |
| Summer Half-Term | Late May | 1 Week |
| Summer Holiday | Late Jul to End of Aug | 6 Weeks |
Specific dates vary each year. We've marked all these holiday dates in red on the Calendar pages.
Visit CalendarBank Holidays
These tend to coincide with school holidays, but will likely cause further price spikes.
| Holiday | Approximate Date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | January 1 |
| Good Friday & Easter Monday | Variable: March/April |
| Early May Bank Holiday | First Monday in May |
| Spring Bank Holiday | Last Monday in May |
| Christmas/Boxing Day | December 25/26 |
Summer/Christmas
Avoid these periods when possible, particularly during school or bank holidays.
Ticket prices increase for popular productions during these times. Lower prices remain available for shows with less demand, through annual ticket promotions, or by using daily and weekly offers (see the final section for more details on these).
Day of the Week
If you have flexibility in your week, varying your showtime can save you massive amounts. Theatres essentially run on a "weekend premium" pricing model.
Weekly Demand
The best and worst days to book a show.
| Showtime | M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matinee | No Performance | * Value / Low Demand | * Value / Low Demand | * Value / Low Demand | * Moderate Demand | High Demand | * High Demand |
| Evening | * Moderate Demand | Value / Low Demand | Value / Low Demand | Moderate Demand | Peak Demand | Peak Demand | * High Demand |
Demand Legend
School or Bank Holidays will increase prices during the week, although weekday shows will still be much cheaper than weekends. You are also much more likely to find offers or promotions for weekday shows.
Deals and Promotions GuideTuesdays & Wednesdays
These are generally the cheapest days to see a show as they fall right in the middle of a working week.
Weekday Matinees
While the occasional show will have a matinee show on Tues/Thurs/Fri, the vast majority of shows choose Wednesday for their midweek afternoon show. With the exception of holidays, matinees generally offer the best value tickets of the week.
Mondays & Thursdays
These days usually have average pricing. Many shows will actually have a deserved break on Monday, so the shows with performances that day will see increased demand. Thursday is the most popular midweek day since it's close to the weekend.
Weekends
Friday evening through to Sunday will see increased demand, peaking on the Saturday evening performances. If you are limited to seeing a show during the weekend, then either the Saturday matinee or Sunday shows offer a better value, although only a handful of productions will perform on Sunday.
Buying for Peak Shows
If you have no other choice but to book for a peak show, there are still some ways to get affordable tickets.
Book Ahead
While this doesn't work for all shows, if you are willing to book at least a couple of months in advance, you can secure tickets for much less than buying tickets a few days away from the performance date, before dynamic pricing has inflated the show's prices.
Some shows will offer bigger savings than others, so it's worth spending some time researching.
Low Peak Surcharge
Some shows, especially those with more of a party and fun vibe, are very popular at weekends, and so their prices will reflect this, with the most popular adding around 50% extra to a Saturday ticket price.
There are other shows that will add little or no peak-rate premium - you can see which these are by visiting the Show Search page and sorting by 'Best for Peak'.
Book on the Day
If you're not really bothered about which show you want to watch, then you could take a risk and see what is on offer. Even on a Saturday, TKTS will usually have a number of the less popular shows on offer.
You could also try entering as many lotteries as possible the week before you intend to visit, and even go for the Rush or Day tickets.
Resale Sites
While many ticket resale sites are places where touts tend to charge astronomical prices, there are a couple of sites you can use to secure some real bargains, even for shows on a weekend.
Twickets is an ethical reseller site that offers tickets at face-value or less. Whilst they do charge a small fee for their service, you can grab tickets at well under their original asking price, especially when the sellers are desperate to get at least something for them.
There is also AXS, which while it does have many tickets well above cost price, you can still find some bargains if you're patient (especially for ABBA Voyage).
Off-West End or Fringe
London is so embarrassingly full of theatrical talent, both in front of and behind the stage, there are so many fantastic shows you can see that aren't on the West End.
These shows are generally much cheaper than their West End counterparts, and usually don't charge too much extra at weekends. Many of the best shows we've ever seen in London have been Fringe or Off-West End shows.