Official London Theatre

Official London Theatre: tickets and promotion of London theatre

Official London Theatre is the platform for tickets, news and exclusive interviews about London shows. It is run by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), a not-for-profit organisation that has represented theatres and producers in the sector since 1908. The website works directly with theatre owners and producers to offer access to information, events and promotions that cannot be found on other channels.

A ticket booth with history in Leicester Square

The Official London Theatre Ticket Booth, operated in collaboration with tkts, is presented as the place to buy theatre tickets in person in Leicester Square Gardens. The booth has specialised for over 40 years in same-day discounted tickets and advance bookings. Its origins date back to 1980, when it opened as The Half Price Ticket Booth in a small wooden hut painted with green and yellow stripes on the west side of Leicester Square; it was the first booth of its kind in the square. After the installation of an electricity substation beneath the gardens, Leicester Square was reopened by the Queen in 1992 and the booth moved to the Clocktower Building, where it was welcomed by the Mayor of Westminster. In 2001 it was renamed TKTS, adopting the name of its Broadway counterpart in New York, and in 2025 it adopted its current name, Official London Theatre Ticket Booth.

Annual promotions and access to theatre

The platform organises two annual ticket promotions: Kids Week in summer and the New Year Sale in winter. Kids Week, active since 1998, began as a week dedicated to children and their families experiencing live theatre and now runs throughout the entire summer school holidays, offering children the chance to attend London theatre for free. It is presented as the UK's longest-running theatre audience development initiative. The New Year Sale was launched in 2001 with the aim of encouraging people to 'Get Into London Theatre' and has become established in the London theatre calendar. In addition, the ticket booth offers discounts throughout the year.

Events and support for the sector

As part of the Society of London Theatre, Official London Theatre has access to two of the biggest events in the theatre calendar: the Olivier Awards with Cunard and West End LIVE in Trafalgar Square. The Olivier Awards are described as the most coveted awards in British theatre and have been held since 1976. West End LIVE is a two-day musical theatre festival in Trafalgar Square, organised each year together with Westminster City Council, showcasing London's musical theatre scene. The platform also supports SOLT's work to invest in the sector's future workforce, including the TheatreCraft careers fair, aimed at people aged 16 to 30, and Stage One, a registered charity that supports new producers and commercial theatre productions in the UK.

Show catalogue and featured offers

The site displays a catalogue of West End shows covering musicals, plays, comedy, entertainment and family shows. Featured titles include Beetlejuice The Musical, The Devil Wears Prada, High School Musical, Disney's The Lion King, Matilda The Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, My Neighbour Totoro and Stranger Things: The First Shadow, with ticket prices at the time of analysis starting from amounts such as £18.00, £23.00, £27.39, £28.00, £30.00 or £38.00, and advertised discounts of up to 47%. The highlighted offers section included Flamenc-Oh!! with up to 31% off for all performances and book by 10 October, and Buffy Revamped with up to 34% off for the 19 October performance and book by 12 October. The featured show of the week was The Mousetrap, with up to 49% off.

Information and services for visitors

The platform presents itself as a source of information on ticket prices, show details, accessible performances and everything needed to plan a theatre visit. It offers an in-person service where the team can advise on the most in-demand shows and recommend where to eat and enjoy free time in London. It also sells Theatre Tokens and offers editorial content about the London theatre scene.