The little-known scheme that lets all British families take kids to top shows for free
SCHOOL is out, which means parents have the tough job of finding ways to entertain their kids without breaking the bank.
But there is one scheme that saves thousands of families a packet each summer – Kids Theatre Month.
For the rest of this month, August, a child 17 and under can go free to London theatres when accompanied by an adult paying full price on select performances.
Not only this, but two additional children can go for half price, too.
There are stacks of well-known shows involved in the scheme, including Cinderella, Frozen, The Dream, Grease The Musical, Horrible Histories, Wicked and The Wizard of Oz.
Meanwhile, for those on the younger side, there’s The Tiger Who Came To Tea, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Fireman Sam Saves the Circus, and Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!”.
Prices for the younger audience start from £15 for an adult and child – which means you get a ticket for as little as £7.50 to a West End show.
While the scheme is called ‘Kids Week’, it’s actually running from 17 July – 31 August this year.
In a date in June each year, the tickets go on sale for the period, but even this late in the season there are still plenty of shows available.
Children can also participate in an performance-based activity, including dance workshops and Q&As.
Kids can learn their favourite moves from an iconic number of a show or learn a backstage secret about their favourite performance.
From storytelling to music and acting workshops, there’s a little something for children of all ages.
Plus, the London Theatre group has teamed up with a variety of different restaurants in the area for kids to eat completely free.
Americana, Bills, Cento Alla Torre and Pivot Bar & Bistro all offer free dining to kids whose parents hold a ticket.
Meanwhile, Inamo, The Curry Room, The English Grill and The New York Bar give kids free dessert.
Tips for getting the best out of the scheme from the founders of Kids Theatre Week include: “All performances with attached Kids Week activities have a star next to them on the calendar.
“Some of these are open to all attendees to a performance, like Q&As and post-show talks.
“With other activities, there is limited capacity so booking this performance doesn’t guarantee an activity space. Once you’ve booked your tickets, we’ll be in touch via email with details of how to book on to the free activity.”
Also, if one of your preferred shows doesn’t have any half price tickets left, keep checking as many add dates later in the month.
However, savvy bargain hunters have shared some of their top tips on TripAdvisor, with one saying: “Select the ‘best available seats’ option rather than particular prices.
“Consider shows that you might not have thought of seeing – there are still tickets available for quite a few shows.”
If you’re looking for other things to do in London this year, one attraction has has thousands of free films and TV shows to watch.
Meanwhile, a huge new Disney attraction is opening in the capital this autumn, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company.
And tickets for London’s Winter Wonderland went on sale last week, for those already thinking about how they want to spend Christmas.