The majority of people booking to see a theatre show in London choose either a Friday or Saturday night performance for their visit. There are several reasons due to the popularity of these performance times, the obvious ones being because of work commitments during the week and the influx of visitors staying for a city break, but if you have time off during the week or if you live in London, then you should consider booking a matinee or a mid-week performance to save the pennies.

There are certain times of the day and the week that tend to be much less expensive than weekend performances, sometimes by as much as half the price. As weekday and matinees are generally less popular times to visit the theatre, they are sometimes less full than weekend evening performances, meaning that if you have bought a ticket at the back of the auditorium, you may be offered a seat nearer the front, enabling you to get more from your money at the same time as paying much less than the average ticket price.

Ticket Price Analysis

We decided to choose one London theatre ticket company, one show and a couple of show dates and times to see just how much of a difference booking a midweek or matinee performance can be when compared to a showing on a Friday or Saturday evening. We chose Spamalot tickets at the Playhouse Theatre in August 2013. Tickets for a Friday or Saturday night start at £41.00 and go up to £95 in the front of the Stalls. Seeing the show during a Midweek Matinee or evening, tickets start at just £21.50, and the most expensive seats are only £45.00, meaning that you can save up to 40%!

As you can see from our research, it is possible to pay less than half the standard price if you are willing or able to book to see a show during the middle of the week, at either an evening or matinee performance. It does take some looking around however, and not all shows do this offer as there are some that are popular throughout the week. If you can find that bargain then it is definitely worth visiting the theatre on a week day.

Share Your Tips

Have you bought tickets to a matinee recently? Do you have any questions to ask? Comment in the box below!