Now in its 18th year, the Kids Week promotion just gets bigger and better… Throughout August, Theatreland will be full of families enjoying theatre for less, thanks to Kids Week, the Society of London Theatre‘s summer promotion which enables a child aged 16 or under to see a show for free with a full paying adult, plus two additional children can go for half-price.

More than 40 shows are taking part, including The Gruffalo, Aliens Love Underpants, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Railway Children, Hetty Feather, Let It Be, Memphis The Musical, War Horse and Wicked. Even new shows in town such as Bend It Like Beckham and Sinatra at the London Palladium are participating!
Booking is now open at www.kidsweek.co.uk or you can purchase tickets by calling the dedicated ticket hotline on 0844 248 5151. There are no booking or postage fees!
Kids Week has produced a special video to celebrate the Kids Go Free offer. How many show characters can you spot?
Here are our Kids Week top tips:
- Use Kids Week as an opportunity to try something new and see a show you might not usually go for. Don’t pin your hopes on getting tickets for the most popular shows as they do sell very quickly.
- Join the Kids Week communities on Facebook and Twitter and engage with other like-minded families who love theatre. The channels are updated regularly and it’s the first place you’ll hear about new allocations for sold out shows. Throughout the year, Kids Week runs competitions to win tickets to see shows so it’s well worth getting involved.
- Bookmark www.kidsweek.co.uk so you can check it regularly.
- Make sure the show you book for is appropriate for your children. The Kids Week website helpfully lists them according to age suitability and you can always call the hotline and ask for more details before you buy tickets.
- Remember Kids Week organises lots of theatre events and show-related activities so be sure to check those out too!
- Make a day of it. Take a trip on a red double-decker bus and see the sights. If the weather’s good, visit one of London’s fabulous parks or, if it’s wet, enjoy a museum such as the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden.
- Save money on food by taking advantage of the Kids Eat Free deal at selected family-friendly restaurants.
- Download the Kids Week ‘Top Tips for Theatre Trips with Young Children’ PDFÂ before your visit. The content was generated by Kids Week bookers and offers great advice, especially for first-time theatregoers.
- Finally, look out for Critics Corner – the prize draw that Kids Week runs every year. It offers the chance for children of ages to review the shows they’ve seen and there are some great prizes to be won!
Happy Theatregoing!
If you have more tips to offer, please share them via the Comments Box at the top of this article.