Where Should You Buy Your Theatre Tickets From?
All the best websites, apps, and physical locations for purchasing London theatre tickets in person or from home.
Contents
Online
Show/Theatre Websites
If you're looking to buy tickets for a certain show, especially if you are booking ahead, then you should always first check their official website, or the website run by the theatre where the show is playing.
Unless there are annual promotions running or some last-minute deals available elsewhere, the official websites will almost always have the best available prices for that show, since there will be no commissions fees that other websites tend to add. Some will also have incentives such as early-bird or group bookings.
Additionally, if you are no longer able to attend a performance, many shows will allow you to exchange the tickets for another performance, but only if you have booked direct with them. If you have booked from an agent, while some will let you exchange for another date, they will usually charge a fee. You should allow at least 48 hours regardless of booking direct or via a third party.
Some official websites may also have incentive schemes that no other website has, and you can also buy tickets for seats not available on other sites, such as the special Juror seating available for Witness for the Prosecution.
Official London Theatre (TKTS)
The Official London Theatre website (often referred to as TKTS) is run by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), a not-for-profit organisation that reinvests all the revenue it makes back into the industry. Whilst I wouldn't necessarily recommend this site if you are purchasing tickets ahead of time (unless they have one of their annual promotions running), if you are looking for last-minute tickets, then this should be your go-to place.
The Today's Tickets page is for shows looking to fill their remaining seats on the day of a performance, and you can find some real bargains here. Some shows will have seats available with over a 60% reduction off the original face-value ticket.
This is a website we use all the time, and since they don't offer an affiliate scheme, other websites will tend not to mention this - but it's a real gold mine.
If you want to learn more about using this site, we have a dedicated page all about it.
TodayTix
Of all the non-official London ticketing websites, TodayTix is easily the best. Not only is their website easy to navigate, they also offer many incentive schemes and promotions to help people save. But it is their app where you can really find the full potential of TodayTix. Here you can be rewarded for each ticket you buy, which can subsequently be used, amongst other things, to get extra discounts off your next purchases.
Other great benefits of getting the TodayTix app are their Rush and Lottery features. Only available on certain shows, both give you a chance of getting bargain-basement tickets, never more than £30.
Rush
Rush tickets are a fastest-finger-first race at 10 am for every performance of a show. While not guaranteed, being well prepared gives you a great chance of securing a bargain.
Rush Guide →Lottery
Lottery tickets are weekly draws you enter for a specific show. Less frantic than Rush, but you still need to act quickly once you win to secure your seats.
Lottery Guide →Other Agencies
Theatre Tickets Direct is especially good for booking restaurant packages and often has deals that you won't find on other agency sites.
London Theatre Direct is one of the more established websites in London. They often have deals for shows not available elsewhere, and participate heavily in annual promotions like London Theatre Week.
ATG Tickets are the owners of many of the London theatres, and will often have their own direct annual promotions and deals which are worth checking.
Love Theatre is another solid option which often has good weekly deals and special offers during major seasonal sales.
Ticket Reselling Sites
There are many people who have previously purchased tickets for shows, and realised they can no longer make those dates. Whilst most reselling websites allow tickets to be sold above cost price, there is one website that only allows tickets to be resold at face-value or less.
Twickets is a fan-to-fan ticket resale site that is definitely worth checking, especially if you are flexible on dates and shows. We have used this site so many times, and found many absolute bargains as people are desperate to get at least something for their tickets. Also, if you are trying to get hold of tickets for a sold out show, then this is your best option since you will never pay more than the original seller paid (aside from the fee Twickets add).
AXS is another reseller website, and whilst they do allow tickets to be sold at more than face value, there are some shows such as ABBA where you can still find some bargains. Other than that, I would only recommend this site if you are desperate to see a sold out show and willing to pay anything.
Group Tickets
If you're visiting London as a group of 10 or more, then group tickets can offer huge savings compared to individual seats. Most official show websites will have an option to buy group tickets, although they usually use agencies such as Group Line.
Here you can find group tickets for almost every show, although bear in mind that shows will only ever allocate a fixed number of group tickets per performance, so once this allocation has been sold, you'll no longer be able book these. If you are willing to book ahead though, this is a great way to get top seats for a low price.
You can search for shows with group tickets by looking for the GRP pill on our Show Search page.
Package Deals
If you are visiting London and need to book a hotel or restaurant, then a package deal is an option for you. We have personally never used package deals before, so we weren't sure if they were worth adding here.
So we did some investigation to see if these are a viable option, and as it turns out, you can make some savings if you are willing to purchase your theatre tickets in a package.
Hotels
Here's an example we tried for The Lion King plus a hotel room for the night, comparing it to Great Little Breaks:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Strand Palace Hotel via Booking.com (1 night) | £304.00 |
| 2 x Lion King Tickets purchased from official website (good stalls seats) | £217.90 |
| Total (if purchased separately) | £521.90 |
| Package Price | £488.51 |
So it turns out you can actually make a decent saving. Whether or not this is true for all package websites, shows and hotels, we simply don't have to time to check, so always do your due diligence!
Restaurants
Combining your theatre tickets with a meal is another popular way to save money and complete your West End experience. Many packages allow you to add a pre-theatre or post-theatre dinner at a highly discounted rate compared to booking them separately.
Here's an example we tried for Hercules plus a meal for the night, comparing it to Theatre Tickets Direct:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| 2 x Disney's Hercules Tickets (premium seats) | £159.00 |
| Dinner at The Delaunay with Cocktails | £65.00 |
| Total (if purchased separately) | £224.00 |
| Package Price | £169.98 |
Again, whether or not this is true for all restaurant packages we don't know.
In-Person
TKTS booth
The Official London Theatre TKTS website we mentioned above also has a physical booth, located right in the heart of the West End within Leicester Square.
While it's usually easier to simply book from their website on the day, if you do happen to be in London and have the urge to see a show, then the TKTS Booth is by far the best place to grab some last-minute deals. Just ensure you give yourself enough time, as there is often a queue outside that could take over 30 minutes depending on the time and day.
The people who work here are generally very knowledgeable about the shows and which are the best seats (and the seats to avoid), so if you really have no clue about what to watch, we would heartily recommend grabbing your tickets from here.
Warning
There are dozens of other booths around the West End that also sell last-minute tickets. I would strongly advise against visiting these, as they will add a large commission.
Theatre Box Offices
Your other option is to visit the theatre box office of a show, especially if you have a specific show you intend to see. Most show box offices will open around midday on the day of a performance, and may have returns or spare tickets available.
This is especially worth trying if your show is sold out that day, as they may also release extra tickets such as standing tickets. Either visiting when the box office first opens, or around 90 minutes before a performance begins, are your best opportunities for securing some tickets. All this is done at your own risk, as this is never a guaranteed way to get tickets.