Transport for London (TfL) is selling tickets for West End shows at a discounted price to try and urge people to visit the English capital and use the Tube.
For 12 consecutive days, 100 tickets will be available for a discounted price of £30 ($37/€35) as part of London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign.
The ‘12 Shows of Christmas’ promotion is hoping to boost sales and tourism after the arts and culture sector took a major hit during the pandemic. People will be able to book a maximum of four tickets for a date between January 1 and February 10 next year.
In partnership with Official London Theatre, the show of the day will be revealed when ticket sales go live at 10am local time each day.
Tickets, which are being sold at a discount of between 35-45%, will be available for established West End shows such as The Mousetrap, through to the brand-new production of As You Like It at Soho Place.
Once the daily allocation of tickets has sold out, people will still be able to purchase reduced tickets as part of Official London Theatre’s ongoing January sale. Tickets will be released for more than 40 of the capital’s most popular shows at discounted prices.
Claire Walker and Hannah Essex, co-chief executives of Society of London Theatre, which runs Official London Theatre, said: “The Society of London Theatre is committed to bringing the gift of live theatre to as wide an audience as possible. Making theatre accessible is at the heart of what we do, and so we are thrilled to be working with TfL to offer our valued theatregoers tickets to some of the biggest shows across the West End for great prices.”
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said: “Our capital’s West End is the envy of the world, but the impact of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills are having devastating repercussions across theatreland.
“It is more important than ever for us to champion culture in London so I am thrilled that, as part of the Mayor’s Let’s Do London campaign, we are again partnering with TfL and Official London Theatre to offer reduced-price tickets to a fantastic range of productions. This is a fabulous opportunity to enjoy a great performance while supporting the arts and helping our economy. Together, we can build a better London for everyone.”
Julie Dixon, TfL’s customer director, added: “We are really excited to partner with Official London Theatre to offer big savings on some of London’s best shows in the run up to Christmas.
“Whether you are buying tickets to give yourself something to look forward to next year, or to gift to a loved one, travelling to the West End couldn’t be easier thanks to the Elizabeth line – and use of Tottenham Court Road has increased by more than 80% since the line launched earlier this year. Off-peak travel and daily capping make it simple and cost-effective to use public transport to make the most of London.”