London Coliseum: The Cheapest Seats Are the Widest, and the Access Pass Is Free

If you have an access requirement, the London Coliseum will sell you half-price tickets to most shows. The pass you need to do it is free, and it sits on the website next to one that costs £15.

“Our Access scheme gives audiences with access requirements the ability to buy half-price tickets to most shows (subject to availability).”

Half price. Then the bit worth reading twice:

“To book access discounts, you will require either a free London Coliseum Digital Access Pass or a £15 Access Card. The application process for both the pass and the card is the same, however, with the pass, you’ll only get a confirmation email with your Digital Access Pass number. They both last for three years.”

Same application, same three year validity, same half-price tickets. The only difference is that the £15 Access Card is a physical Nimbus card you can use at other venues, while the free Digital Access Pass works here and gives you a number by email.

So if the Coliseum is where you are going, take the free pass. The £15 is only worth paying if you want a Nimbus card for venues across the country.

Once linked to your account, the discount applies automatically when your seats are in the basket, with no phone call needed.

There is no dress code, and the theatre does not pretend otherwise

The London Coliseum publishes no dress code anywhere on its visitor pages. For an opera house that is a deliberate silence rather than an oversight: people ask because they picture black tie, and the answer is that the building sets no requirement at all. Wear what you would wear to any West End theatre.

What the theatre does ask about is timing and food. It is a cashless venue, so every bar and shop purchase is by card, and it does not allow hot drinks, food or alcohol bought outside to be brought in.

The cheapest seats are the widest seats

The Coliseum publishes its seat widths, and the result is the opposite of what you would expect.

Stalls: 42 to 45cm, fixed armrests.

Dress Circle and Upper Circle: 40 to 42cm, fixed armrests.

Balcony: 45 to 50cm, fixed armrests.

Box seats: 40 to 42cm, and these are the interesting ones, because “these are not attached to the floor and can be removed for seats without armrests. To arrange in advance, please contact us.”

Read the first three again. The Balcony, the cheapest level in the house, has the widest seats in the building, by up to 10cm over the Dress Circle. The Dress Circle, which costs considerably more, has the narrowest fixed seating.

If you are a larger passenger, or simply want room, the economics here are inverted. And if fixed armrests are the problem, the boxes are the only seats where they come out, arranged in advance.

Leg room is not published. You have to ask.

There is no step-free access to the Upper Circle

The exact rows are given, which is rare and makes booking straightforward.

For step-free access, book: Stalls Row O. Dress Circle Row K. Balcony Row K.

“There is no step free access in the Upper Circle”, which is 11 steps up from the closest lift.

Note what that means: the Balcony, above the Upper Circle, does have step-free access at Row K, while the level below it does not. The lift reaches it; the Upper Circle it skips.

The rest of the picture:

The stalls and some stalls boxes are level access from street to seat.

There is a dedicated ramp entrance to the foyer, next to the main doors.

The lift is in the foyer by the Box Office and reaches all levels of the auditorium and all bars and restaurants. Its published specifications: it carries up to 1050kg, and the smallest lift door width is 87cm.

For transfers: there is one step per row in the auditorium. Wheelchair spaces sit in the stalls, stalls boxes and dress circle, marked online with a black wheelchair symbol and a black star for the companion seat beside it.

The Coliseum asks you to say at the time of booking whether you will remain in or transfer out of your wheelchair, so the seats can be prepared. Wheelchairs are available on site to borrow, subject to availability.

Unisex accessible toilets are on all five levels, each one located precisely: lower ground next to the main toilets, Stalls opposite Stalls Box H auditorium right, Dress Circle auditorium left behind the lift, Upper Circle next to the main toilets auditorium right, and Balcony auditorium right.

Every performance has a dedicated Access Supervisor, and they are easy to find: “They will be wearing a turquoise t-shirt.”

Sensory bags at every performance, not just relaxed ones

Worth knowing because most venues restrict these to designated dates.

“At all performances, the Access Supervisor can provide sensory bags that include: Ear defenders. Fidget toys. Other sensory items.”

Any show, any night, just ask the person in the turquoise shirt.

Relaxed performances run separately, and the Coliseum describes what they change: noise and movement in the auditorium are accepted, re-entry is allowed as and when needed, there is a chill-out space outside the auditorium, and house lights and sound levels may be adjusted.

Some seats cannot see the surtitles

A specific trap when booking an opera, and the ENO uses surtitles even though it sings in English.

“For English National Opera performances, even though they sing opera in English, they use one screen above the stage to display English surtitles so that your eyes can pick up what your ears might have missed.”

Then: “There are some seats in the London Coliseum where the view of the surtitles screen is restricted (this is marked by the ‘i’ symbol).”

So check for the ‘i’ symbol on the seating plan before booking an ENO night. The screens are black with yellow writing, and the access page adds a caveat: some spoken dialogue may not be surtitled.

For visually impaired audiences, audio introductions are available for all ENO operas and play through your headset 15 minutes before the performance starts, with headsets collected from the Access Supervisor. Where there is a Touch Tour, it usually begins 90 minutes before the performance and must be booked.

Large print and braille cast lists and synopses are usually available on request.

Children under 16 can pay only the booking fee

On specific performances, and it is the best family offer at this address.

At English National Ballet’s Family Friendly performances, the published terms are: “Children under 5 are allowed in the auditorium. Children under 16 only pay the booking fee (max 2 per full paying adult).”

So up to two children per paying adult, for a booking fee rather than a ticket price. These are specific dated performances rather than a standing offer, so watch the listings.

One warning for families on any night: “there are no booster seats available for Under 16s.” At a theatre with a deep auditorium, that matters for a small child.

Guide dogs can be minded during the show

“Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome inside the auditorium, please book an end of row seat for your comfort.”

Or: “our team would be delighted to look after your guide or assistance dog during the show, to arrange this, please contact us at time of booking.”

And “We can provide your dog with a water bowl.” Both the Coliseum and the London Palladium offer to mind the dog, which seems to be a West End norm nobody advertises.

The cloakroom is £2 flat, and closes 30 minutes after the show

Simple pricing, with a tight window and a specific list of refusals.

“Our cloakroom fee is £2 per item, whether it’s a bag or a coat.”

One price for everything, which is simpler than the Palladium’s £3 for clothing and £5 for bags.

It opens 75 minutes before the performance and stays open for 30 minutes afterwards. Outside those times, nothing can be stored.

A small bag means “standard rucksack size or smaller or a standard handbag.”

What it will not take: large bags or suitcases, perishable goods, and e-bikes, e-scooters or similar and their batteries.

If the cloakroom is full, they point you to left luggage at Charing Cross Station, run by the Excess Baggage Company, pre-bookable online or drop-off on the day. Charing Cross is a few minutes’ walk.

Arrive 75 minutes early, sit down 30 minutes early

Three separate times govern the start of your evening.

The theatre and the bars open 75 minutes before the show.

The auditorium opens 30 minutes before.

Arrive no later than 15 minutes before the performance starts.

There are security checks at the entrance, which is the reason for that last one.

If you miss it: “if you are late, you will be able to view the performance on a TV monitor while our staff wait for an appropriate point in the performance to allow you to enter the auditorium.” And honestly: “in some cases you may be asked to wait until the interval.”

So a late arrival at the opera may mean watching act one on a screen in the foyer.

Cashless, and no outside alcohol

“The London Coliseum is a cashless venue. All catering and shop purchases must be made by credit or debit card.”

On what you can bring: no hot drinks, food or alcohol bought outside, and “due to licensing any alcohol will be confiscated.” Confectionery and bottled drinks are tolerated, but they ask you not to open them in the auditorium.

The useful exception: “We have water stations across all main levels of our theatre and welcome you to bring in and refill any reusable bottles you may have.”

Free water on every level, and you can bring your own bottle. There are four bars, ice creams on every level at the interval including vegan options, and interval drinks can be pre-ordered to skip the queue.

Tickets are e-tickets and need no collecting.

Where it is

London Coliseum, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES. Box Office 020 7845 9300, box.office@londoncoliseum.org, access@londoncoliseum.org.

It is the largest theatre in the West End and the home of English National Opera and English National Ballet, with four seating levels: Stalls, Dress Circle, Upper Circle and Balcony.

Charing Cross and Leicester Square are both a few minutes away, which matters for the left luggage option.

How to plan it

Access requirement: get the free Digital Access Pass, not the £15 card, unless you want Nimbus elsewhere. Half-price tickets on most shows.

Want a wide seat: book the Balcony, 45 to 50cm, and the cheapest level.

Need the armrests out: book a box and arrange it in advance.

Step-free: Stalls Row O, Dress Circle Row K, Balcony Row K. Not the Upper Circle.

Booking an ENO opera: avoid seats marked with an ‘i’, which cannot see the surtitles.

Sensory bag, ear defenders or a hearing loop: ask the Access Supervisor, in the turquoise t-shirt, at any performance.

With children: look for ENB Family Friendly dates, where under-16s pay only the booking fee.

Doors 75 minutes before. Seats 30 minutes before. Be in by 15 minutes before.

Cloakroom £2 an item, closing 30 minutes after the show.

Bring a refillable bottle. Water stations on every main level.

London Coliseum

Address

St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES

Nearest

Charing Cross and Leicester Square are both a few minutes’ walk

Hours

The theatre and bars open 75 minutes before the performance, the auditorium 30 minutes before, and visitors are asked to arrive no later than 15 minutes before curtain up. The cloakroom opens 75 minutes before and closes 30 minutes after

Booking

Online, with access discounts applied automatically once an Access Pass or Access Card is linked to your account, or by phone on 020 7845 9300. E-tickets need no collecting

Price

By performance. Half-price tickets on most shows for audiences with access requirements holding a free London Coliseum Digital Access Pass or a 15 pound Nimbus Access Card. Cloakroom 2 pounds per item. At English National Ballet Family Friendly performances, under 16s pay only the booking fee, maximum two per paying adult

Standing

The largest theatre in the West End, on St Martin’s Lane, home to English National Opera and English National Ballet, with four seating levels

How to get in

Half-price access tickets require either a free Digital Access Pass or a 15 pound Access Card, both valid three years with an identical application, so the free pass is usually the right choice. Published seat widths invert the pricing: the Balcony, the cheapest level, has the widest seats at 45 to 50cm against 40 to 42cm in the Dress and Upper Circles, and only box seats have removable armrests. Step-free access is at Stalls Row O, Dress Circle Row K and Balcony Row K, with none at all in the Upper Circle, which is 11 steps up from the lift. Some seats cannot see the ENO surtitle screen and are marked with an i symbol. Sensory bags with ear defenders are available at every performance from the Access Supervisor, who wears a turquoise t-shirt. The venue is cashless, outside alcohol is confiscated, and water stations on all main levels allow refills.

Where to go next

Cheap theatre tickets covers the schemes across the West End, and the London Palladium is the other big house with published access detail.

Pre-theatre dinner covers eating first, and the West End shows page covers what is on.

Questions we get asked

Can you get cheap tickets at the London Coliseum?

If you have an access requirement, yes: half-price tickets on most shows, subject to availability. You need either a free London Coliseum Digital Access Pass or a £15 Nimbus Access Card. The application is identical and both last three years, so the free pass is the better choice unless you want a Nimbus card for other venues. Separately, English National Ballet runs Family Friendly performances where under-16s pay only the booking fee, up to two per paying adult.

Which seats are biggest at the London Coliseum?

The Balcony, which is also the cheapest level. Published widths are 45 to 50cm in the Balcony, 42 to 45cm in the Stalls, and 40 to 42cm in both the Dress Circle and Upper Circle, all with fixed armrests. Box seats are 40 to 42cm but their armrests are not fixed to the floor and can be removed if arranged in advance. Leg room is not published, so ask.

Is the London Coliseum wheelchair accessible?

Largely. There is a ramp entrance to the foyer next to the main doors, the stalls and some stalls boxes are level access from street to seat, and a lift in the foyer by the Box Office reaches all levels and all bars and restaurants. The lift carries up to 1050kg with a smallest door width of 87cm. For step-free access book Stalls Row O, Dress Circle Row K or Balcony Row K. There is no step-free access to the Upper Circle, which is 11 steps up from the nearest lift. Accessible unisex toilets are on all five levels.

Why do some London Coliseum seats have an 'i' symbol?

It marks seats where the view of the surtitle screen above the stage is restricted. English National Opera sings in English but still uses English surtitles, displayed in yellow on black, so a restricted view matters. Some spoken dialogue may not be surtitled at all. Check for the 'i' before booking an opera.

How much is the cloakroom at the London Coliseum?

£2 per item, whether a bag or a coat. It opens 75 minutes before the performance and closes 30 minutes afterwards, with no storage outside those times. A small bag means standard rucksack size or smaller, or a standard handbag. Large bags, suitcases, perishable goods and e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries are all refused, and the theatre points visitors to left luggage at Charing Cross Station if the cloakroom is full.

What time should you arrive at the London Coliseum?

The theatre and bars open 75 minutes before the performance, the auditorium opens 30 minutes before, and you should arrive no later than 15 minutes before curtain up because there are security checks at the entrance. If you are late you will watch on a TV monitor until staff can seat you, which in some cases means waiting until the interval.

Can you bring food and drink into the London Coliseum?

No hot drinks, food or alcohol bought outside, and alcohol will be confiscated because of licensing. Confectionery and bottled drinks are tolerated but should not be opened in the auditorium. You can bring a reusable bottle and refill it free at water stations on all main levels. The venue is cashless, so catering and shop purchases need a card.

Are guide dogs allowed at the London Coliseum?

Yes, inside the auditorium, and the theatre asks you to book an end of row seat for comfort. Alternatively staff will look after your guide or assistance dog during the show if arranged at the time of booking, and they can provide a water bowl.

Is there a dress code at the London Coliseum?

No. The theatre publishes no dress code on any of its visitor pages. Despite being an opera house, it sets no requirement, so normal West End theatre clothes are fine.