Free Theatre Tickets for Kids During London Kids Week 2026

Kids Go Free at West End Shows This Summer. Here's How to Book.

If you had Kids Week on your radar but assumed all the best tickets would have disappeared when booking opened in June, do not write it off just yet!

I received an update from the Society of London Theatre confirming that more than 200,000 tickets were still available as the offer began on Monday 20th July 2026.

Until Monday 31 August, one child aged 17 or under can see a participating London theatre show for free when accompanied by an adult paying the full price. Each paying adult can also add up to two more children at half price, and there are no booking or transaction fees.

There are some huge productions involved, including Wicked, Matilda The Musical, Mamma Mia!, Beetlejuice The Musical, The Devil Wears Prada, The Play That Goes Wrong and The Hunger Games: On Stage, alongside shows aimed at younger children, including Bluey’s Big Play, The Gruffalo Live On Stage, Zog and The Tiger Who Came To Tea.

Availability can disappear quickly, and the offer does not apply to every performance, but with so many tickets still available, it is well worth searching again, particularly if you can be flexible about the show, date, time or seat location.

What Is Kids Week?

Kids Week is the Society of London Theatre’s annual scheme designed to help more children and young people experience live theatre. It began in 1998 as a week-long promotion, which explains the name, but it has since grown into an offer that covers much of the school summer holiday.

According to the Society of London Theatre, Kids Week has now enabled more than 2.7 million theatre visits. It is not limited to small children’s productions either, as the participating programme includes family shows, major West End musicals, plays, dance, comedy and experiences suitable for older children and teenagers.

Kids Week 2026 Dates and Offer

Kids Week 2026 runs from Monday 20th July until Monday 31st August. Tickets are already on sale and must be booked through the Official London Theatre website, although access bookings should be made directly with the relevant theatre.

• One child aged 17 or under goes free with each full-paying adult.

• Up to two additional children can attend for half price with each paying adult.

• There are no booking or transaction fees on Kids Week tickets.

• The offer applies only to selected performances and a limited allocation of seats.

• A maximum of ten Kids Week tickets can be booked, with no more than five adult tickets.

Why Do the Tickets Appear as Half Price?

The booking screen can look a little confusing because the seats may appear at half their usual price rather than showing a separate full-price adult ticket and a free child ticket. This is simply how the same saving is displayed. Select the total number of seats needed for everyone in your party and the Kids Week pricing should be applied to the eligible booking.

For example, if one adult and one child are attending, select two seats. If two adults and three children are attending, select five seats. Check the final total before paying because ticket prices vary considerably between shows and seating areas.

Which Shows Still Have Kids Week Tickets?

The following productions were listed as having Kids Week availability when the 20th July press update was issued. This is not a guarantee that every show or date will still have tickets when you search, so use the live availability calendar before making travel plans:

• Alice In Wonderland

• Arcadia

• Arthur

• Be Like Blippi

• Beetlejuice The Musical

• Bluey’s Big Play

• Brainiac Live!

• Cabaret

• Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man

• The Cat In The Hat

• Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular

• The Comedy About Spies

• Cyrano De Bergerac

• Dark Of The Moon

• Death Note: The Musical

• The Devil Wears Prada

• Dinosaur World Live!

• Disney’s Hercules

• Dog Man: The Musical

• The Enormous Crocodile The Musical

• The Gruffalo Live On Stage

• Heathers The Musical

• Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain – The Best Bits

• Hot Mess: A New Musical

• The Hunger Games: On Stage

• I’m Every Woman – The Chaka Khan Musical

• Indy!

• The Lion Inside

• The Little Mermaid: Song Of The Sea

• Mamma Mia!

• Matilda The Musical

• Mermaids & Pirates

• Ministry Of Science Live! Science Saved The World

• Monopoly Lifesized

• The Mousetrap

• My Neighbour Totoro

• Now You See Me Live

• The Paddington Bear Experience

• Pirates Love Underpants

• The Play That Goes Wrong

• The Producers

• Romeo & Juliet

• Sinatra The Musical

• Stranger Things: The First Shadow

• State Ballet Of Georgia’s Swan Lake

• Tao Of Glass

• The Tiger Who Came To Tea

• To Kill A Mockingbird

• Wicked

• A World Elsewhere

• Zog

  
  

Don't assume that every production is suitable for every child simply because it is included in Kids Week. Some shows have minimum ages, mature themes, strong language, frightening scenes, loud noises, flashing lights or restrictions on admitting very young children, so check the individual show’s Age and Content information before booking.

How to Find Tickets That Are Still Available

Go to the official Kids Week booking page and use its filters to narrow the results by age guide, matinee or evening performance, ticket price and genre. If your first choice has sold out, clear some of the filters and search more widely.

Being flexible is likely to make the biggest difference now that the promotion has started. Try weekday performances, different seating areas and shows you may not originally have considered.

The press release specifically encouraged families to try something new, and with more than 200,000 tickets available at the start of the offer, there should still be plenty of possibilities beyond the most obvious weekend performances.

Free Kids Week Workshops and Curtain Calls

The ticket saving is not the only benefit. Selected performances also have free workshops or post-show Curtain Calls, giving children the chance to learn more about singing, acting, dancing, movement, puppetry, science, stage illusions and how a production is created.

Current highlights include a Disney’s Hercules dance and singing workshop, an acting workshop linked to The Comedy About Spies, a magic workshop for Now You See Me Live, a movement and singalong session for The Gruffalo, experiments and a quiz with Ministry Of Science Live, and singing and acting workshops connected to Wicked.

Workshops have limited spaces, are divided into age groups and must be booked separately. Curtain Calls are available to all Kids Week customers attending the relevant performance. Check the current activities page before booking, as dates and remaining spaces can change.

How Access Bookings Work

If anyone in your party has access requirements, contact the relevant theatre directly rather than trying to complete a standard booking and sort the arrangements afterwards. The theatre knows its own seating, facilities and support options and can give you the most accurate information.

Official London Theatre says customers will be offered either the Kids Week price or the theatre’s own access rate, depending on which is cheaper. Its Kids Week access page contains the email address or telephone number for each participating venue.

This is particularly worth checking because an access rate can sometimes be considerably cheaper than the standard ticket price.

My daughter recently booked a seat for Beetlejuice through an access booking and paid £32.50, including fees, for a seat that would otherwise have cost £228.50. That was a saving of £196 for exactly the same performance and seat.

Can You Save More With Theatre Tokens and Cashback?

Theatre Tokens can be used to pay for Kids Week tickets online, creating another opportunity for savings!

Monitor cashback apps for bonus promotions on Theatre Token purchases, because around the time Kids Week tickets go on sale, these apps sometimes run higher cashback offers specifically targeting parents booking school holiday activities. Signing up for alerts from cashback apps ensures you don't miss these bonuses.

Remember to Calculate the Cost of the Whole Day

A free child ticket can provide a genuinely excellent saving, but the adult ticket, train fare, parking, food and drinks can still make a London theatre trip expensive. Check the total family cost before committing to a particular show, especially if travelling to London from farther away. You can often find discounted travel tickets with a Railcard or via a train travel discount site like Trainline.

Taking permitted snacks and refillable water bottles (see how to get free water refills), travelling off-peak where possible and choosing a cheaper meal deal, such as a kids eat free deal, away from the busiest theatre streets can all help.

The best Kids Week booking is not necessarily the one with the most expensive free ticket, but the one that gives your family an enjoyable day at a price you can comfortably afford; there is a difference!

Is Kids Week Worth It?

The honest answer is yes, especially if you have more than one child. Even if you only use the free child ticket (without the additional children at half price), the savings are substantial compared to regular West End ticket prices.

Adult West End tickets typically range from £20 to £100+, depending on the show, seat location, and demand. If you have two children, a free child ticket is genuinely valuable. Add the half-price offer for a third or fourth child, and you're looking at meaningful savings for a family activity that would otherwise be quite expensive.

Combined with Theatre Token cashback and restaurant discounts, a family theatre trip during Kids Week can genuinely be one of the most affordable ways to experience the West End whilst still enjoying high-quality entertainment.

You still need to compare the total price, check the age guidance and choose a performance that suits your family, but the lack of booking fees and the option to add two more children at half price make this a strong summer-holiday offer.

More than 200,000 tickets were still available when Kids Week began on 20th July, so there is no reason to assume you have missed out just because booking opened several weeks ago. Search the live calendar, keep an open mind about the show and date, and you may still find a genuinely good-value family theatre trip before the offer finishes on 31st August.

Kids Week 2026 FAQs

When does Kids Week 2026 run?

The offer applies to selected performances from Monday 20 July until Monday 31 August 2026.

Are Kids Week tickets still available?

Yes. The Society of London Theatre said more than 200,000 tickets remained available when the offer started on 20 July, although availability will reduce as families book.

Is the child’s ticket completely free?

One child aged 17 or under goes free with each adult paying the full price. On the booking screen, the saving may be displayed by showing both seats at half price, which produces the same total.

Can one adult take more than one child?

Yes. One child goes free and up to two additional children can attend for half price with each full-paying adult.

Does the offer apply to every performance?

No. Each production provides a limited allocation for selected performances, so check the live calendar before planning your journey.

Can I use Theatre Tokens?

Yes. Theatre Tokens can be redeemed online when booking Kids Week tickets.

How do I make an access booking?

Contact the participating theatre directly using the details on the Official London Theatre access page. You should be offered whichever is cheaper: the Kids Week rate or the theatre’s own access rate.

Are workshops included automatically?

No. Free workshops have limited spaces and must be booked separately, while Curtain Calls are open to Kids Week customers attending the linked performance.

Can Kids Week tickets be refunded?

Tickets are refunded if the performance is cancelled. Exchanges depend on the individual theatre’s policy and are not guaranteed.