Every Monday at noon, Disney releases a number of £29.50 seats for that week’s performances of The Lion King. They sell quickly, and they are the cheapest published way into the show.
Magical Mondays: tickets for participating Disney shows at £29.50, released every Monday at midday through the Disney Tickets website. Their own advice is to log in early.
What makes this worth knowing is that it is not unusual. It is part of a pattern across the West End that nobody sets out in one place.
The £29.50 West End, on four different days
Four of London’s biggest musicals run a cheap release, all at a similar price, all on different schedules. If you are flexible about which show, you can have a cheap seat almost any day of the week.
Monday noon: The Lion King, £29.50. Magical Mondays, for that week.
Wednesday 10am: Wicked, £29.50. Twenty-four Front Row seats for the following week.
Daily 10am: Wicked again, £29.50. The TodayTix Daily Dozen, that day only.
Daily 10.30am to 5.30pm: Mamma Mia, £30. Day tickets.
Friday 12.01am to Thursday 1pm: Hamilton, £10. A weekly lottery draw, and the cheapest of the lot if you win.
Moulin Rouge publishes no equivalent at all.
So £29.50 is the de facto floor price for a big West End musical, and the only question is which morning you are free to be online.
It is the shortest of the big musicals
Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes including an interval.
Against the others: Mamma Mia 2h35, Hamilton 2h45, Wicked 2h45, Moulin Rouge 2h45, Les Misérables 2h50.
So The Lion King gets you out twenty minutes earlier than Les Misérables, which matters if you have a train or a young child.
The matinee is on Wednesday, not Thursday
This catches people who assume the West End runs to a single timetable.
Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm, with matinees at 2.30pm on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Two things follow. There is no Monday performance. And Sunday is a matinee only, with no evening show.
The midweek matinee being Wednesday puts it out of step with Les Misérables, Mamma Mia and Moulin Rouge, which all use Thursday. Wicked also uses Wednesday, so the two Wednesday matinees clash with each other.
The age rules are stricter than the recommendation
Recommended for ages 6 and over.
Children under 3, including babies in arms, are not permitted in the theatre.
All guests aged 16 or under must be accompanied by an adult and may not sit on their own within the auditorium.
Everyone attending needs a valid ticket regardless of age, so there is no lap option even for a child old enough to attend.
That last rule is worth reading carefully alongside the seating one: a 16 year old cannot be seated separately from their adult, so a split pair of cheap seats will not work for a family.
The show contains theatrical smoke and fog effects and strobe lighting.
Booking and who to call
Phone bookings: freephone 0333 009 6690.
For a problem with an existing booking, who you contact depends where you bought it, which is the usual West End trap:
Booked through Disney Tickets: Disney Guest Services, help@disneytickets.co.uk or 0800 640 8101, open seven days a week from 10am to 7pm.
Booked through ATG Tickets or the Lyceum box office: ATG.
Booked anywhere else: your point of purchase.
Groups of 9 or more save on each ticket.
The calendar carries a note that more dates go on sale regularly, so a date beyond the current window is a case of checking back rather than a sell-out.
Where it is
Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7RQ.
It is unusually well connected even by West End standards. Covent Garden on the Piccadilly line, Charing Cross, Embankment, Temple, Leicester Square, Holborn, and Waterloo and Waterloo East are all within reach.
There is a self-hire bike docking station directly outside the theatre, which no other big musical can claim.
The Lion King has been at the Lyceum since performances began in 1999 and is now in its 27th year there.
How to plan it
Cheapest: Monday at noon, £29.50, for that week’s performances, through Disney Tickets.
Flexible on show: check Hamilton’s £10 lottery first, then the Monday and Wednesday releases.
With children: ages 6 and up, nobody under 3 at all, and every child needs their own ticket and an adult beside them.
Short on time: this is the 2h30 option, twenty minutes under Les Misérables.
Sunday: matinee only, 2.30pm. Monday: closed.
The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre
- Address
- Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7RQ
- Nearest
- Covent Garden, with Charing Cross, Embankment, Temple, Leicester Square, Holborn and Waterloo all within reach, and a cycle hire dock directly outside
- Hours
- Tuesday to Saturday 7.30pm, with matinees 2.30pm Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. No Monday performance and no Sunday evening. Running time approximately 2 hours 30 minutes including an interval
- Booking
- Online, or freephone 0333 009 6690. Disney Guest Services on help@disneytickets.co.uk and 0800 640 8101, seven days 10am to 7pm
- Price
- Magical Mondays release seats at 29.50 pounds every Monday at noon for that week, through Disney Tickets. Groups of 9 or more save per ticket
- Standing
- In its 27th year at the Lyceum, where it has played since 1999, and the shortest running time of the big West End musicals
How to get in
Magical Mondays put 29.50 pound seats on sale at noon every Monday for that week. Recommended for ages 6 and over, with under 3s including babies in arms barred entirely, and anyone 16 or under needing both an adult beside them and their own ticket. Theatrical smoke, fog and strobe lighting feature.
Where to go next
Wicked runs the same £29.50 price on a Wednesday, and Hamilton undercuts them both at £10 by lottery.
The West End page covers the rest, and pre-theatre dinner covers eating nearby.
Questions we get asked
How do you get cheap Lion King tickets in London?
Magical Mondays. Every Monday at noon a number of tickets for that week's performances go on sale at £29.50 through the Disney Tickets website. They sell quickly, and the production recommends logging in early.
How long is The Lion King?
Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes including an interval, which makes it the shortest of the big West End musicals. Mamma Mia is 2h35, Hamilton, Wicked and Moulin Rouge are 2h45 and Les Misérables is 2h50.
What time is The Lion King in London?
Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm, with 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. There is no Monday performance and no Sunday evening show.
What age is The Lion King suitable for?
It is recommended for ages 6 and over. Children under 3, including babies in arms, are not permitted in the theatre. Everyone aged 16 or under must be accompanied by an adult and may not sit on their own in the auditorium, and every guest needs a valid ticket regardless of age.
Does The Lion King have special effects?
Yes. The show contains theatrical smoke and fog effects as well as strobe lighting during parts of the performance.
Where is The Lion King playing in London?
The Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7RQ, where it has played since 1999 and is now in its 27th year. Covent Garden is the nearest Underground station and there is a cycle hire docking station directly outside.
Who do you contact about a Lion King booking?
It depends where you bought it. Disney Tickets bookings go to Disney Guest Services on help@disneytickets.co.uk or 0800 640 8101, open seven days 10am to 7pm. ATG Tickets or Lyceum box office bookings go to ATG. Anything else goes to your original point of purchase.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 273 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
