By Laura Porter
London Travel Expert, about.com
[post_ads_2]If you are in London and want to see a West End show the best place to go for tickets is TKTS London in Leicester Square. It is operated by the Society of London Theatre, the industry body that represents London theatres, and is the only official theatre ticket booth so don't go to one of the copycats nearby.
TKTS is a member of STAR – Society of Ticket Agencies and Retailers
so you can purchase your tickets at TKTS with confidence. (Society of
London Theatre recommends that you purchase tickets only from members of
STAR.)
Half Price Ticket Booth
TKTS opened in 1980 as
'The Half Price Ticket Booth'. It was a small wooden hut painted in
green and yellow stripes which stood on the west side of Leicester
Square. It moved to the Clocktower Building on the south side of
Leicester Square in 1992 and was renamed 'TKTS' in 2001, adopting the
name of its Broadway counterpart in New York.
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Nowadays, the ticket discounts can vary with some available at full-price and others at half-price or even larger discounts.
They also have deals for interval drinks and
souvenir programs so it's worth asking for all of the options on the
shows you are interested in.
How To Buy From TKTS London[post_ads_2]
Thankfully,
TKTS is somewhere you can purchase tickets from with confidence. They
offer a wide variety of London shows to choose from, both for on the day
performances and up to a week in advance.
It's best to check the shows available on the TKTS website, or at the booth itself where they put up new posters each morning and have electronic displays.
You
can't order online or over the phone so you do need to go to TKTS to
buy tickets. Customers queue from about 9.30am (before it opens at 10am)
as that often means they can get the best seats for that day. Do note,
the queue is not undercover so wet weather means getting wet.
If
you don't know what you want to see staff can also give advice. As well
as the booths to take payment, they have staff who talk to customers in
the queue who can help with what's still available, show timings,
recommendations and information about each show.
Payment Options
In person at the booth only.
Accept Visa, Mastercard, Switch/Maestro and Solo.
Also Sterling cash and Theatre Tokens.
Amex, bank and travellers cheques are not accepted.
Tips[post_ads_2]
Be
flexible and always have more than one show in mind in case your first
choice is sold out. And if you get to the front of the queue and all you
wanted to see have sold out ask for recommendations on what's still
available as you might find something wonderful you weren't expecting to
see.
There are some popular shows that TKTS never has discounted
tickets to sell so check the list on the booth (there's always a poster
with this regularly updated list).
TKTS is a not for profit
organisation. By buying a ticket here you are supporting the West End
theatre industry. Any profit generated from its operation is spent in
promoting theatre and developing new audiences.
TKTS does charge
per-ticket booking fees, and the fees are always included in the
advertised price. That means, the price you see listed is the price you
will pay. The fees are low though at just £3 on discounted tickets and
£1 on full price tickets.
So you know the discount you are getting it is OK to ask the face value price for each ticket.
Discounts
can vary daily and during busier times so just because you're friend
got half-price tickets for Billy Elliott on a Wednesday evening in
January it doesn't mean you'll find the same deals for a Saturday
matinee in July.
With over 30 years of experience you can buy at TKTS with confidence from friendly, knowledgeable staff.
Part of the fun is choosing what to see and there is no obligation to buy if you just want some advice.
Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday: 10am - 7pm
Sunday: 11am - 4.30pm
Nearest Tube Station: Leicester Square
Use Journey Planner or the Citymapper app for directions to TKTS using public transport.
