Save Your Pennies And See a Play for Less

London is a theatre capital at its best. We have the world famous West End, but there are also hundreds of plays running in the smaller theatres around the town. Here are my tips on how to catch a play in London without breaking the bank.

Buy tickets on the day. There are countless “half price tickets booths” around Leicester Square, but the official is the white one in the middle of the square called TKTS. They sell half price tickets for the same day shows. Do keep in mind though that the cheapest ticket gets you the cheapest seat in the often huge West End theatre. Get there early for as the best tickets sell out fast.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is the funniest musical
in London but you don't have to break the bank to see it. 

See previews. You will quickly learn which theatres are your favourites. Sign up for their newsletters to find out about the new shows. The preview tickets are sold at reduced price as the play may still be tweaked. Or browse for a preview show in www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk. I've recently been to see the previews of Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales (easy & good fun) at Hammersmith Lyric and Vernon God Little (fantastic) at Young Vic. 

Book through lastminute.com. The famous website offers deals, but to be fair, the value & quality of the offers varies. They often sell tickets based on “best available seats” and that can really be anything from a top price seat to something on the balcony. It’s still worth checking what’s on offer. Shop around online for best deals.

National Theatre – the National Theatre in partnership with Travelex is offering £10 tickets to most of its shows. Book early.

Book as a group. Make a night out of it with a group of friends. Put together a group of 10+ and save up to 50%. The bigger the group, the lower the price and if not, negotiate.

Opt for a non-commercial and off West End theatres instead of the biggest productions in central London. Often with more demanding and / or edgy plays with an affordable ticket price, these are a good option for a West End production. 

London Cheap Frills (part 2)

Gone are the times when London was one of the most expensive cities in the world. There are tons of cheap or even free things to do in our wonderful city. Below are my favourites (see part 1 for more cheap stuff to do in Ldn). 

Take a walk along the South Bank. One of the most beautiful places in London and scattered with things to see and do. Make a day out of it: take in the view over Thames, count the historic bridges, have a drink at the National Theatre bar, visit Tate Modern, have lunch at Borough market, stop to watch the street performers amaze the crowd, and if still feeling like it, catch a Shakespeare play at the Globe (£5 for standing tickets) or a film at the British Film Institute. The place to take your date.

See free films, music, theatre or some random activities at The Scoop. Open during summer months, it’s got seating for 800. Works on a first come first served basis. Film screenings are on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and last summer’s films included titles such as Up, Hurt Locker, Pretty Woman, Up in the Air, Invictus and Dirty Dancing.

See free comedy. There’s plenty of comedy clubs and pubs around town with free comedy nights. They can be a bit hit and miss at times but usually the sets are short and you are likely to enjoy at least some of the comedians. Check TimeOut for listings. 

Toilets. And I’m not talking cottaging here (or am I?). But having travelled in most of the European capitals, I can tell you, the free loos are a treat. The only toilets you have to pay for can be found from the railway stations.

Street Markets. This is controversial choice as even though taking a stroll on a Sunday market can be a cheap or indeed a free activity, it can also set you back several days' salary. To play it safe, take only small amount of cash that you’re willing to spend with you. The vendors rarely take cards and the cash points close by are often out of cash anyway. For real food bargains, head for the food stalls an hour before closing time. For best markets, try Spitalfields (every day, busiest on Sun), Portobello (Sat), Camden Markets (best on weekends), Borough (food only, Thu-Sat), Greenwich Market (best on weekends) and Columbia Road Market (flowers only, Sun) .

London Walks. Guided walking tours are good fun! The best guides love their work and can keep a group of 40 easily entertained for an hour and a half. A walk costs about £8 per person. Start with a London classic Jack the Ripper Walk. More info here http://www.walks.com/

Keep track of the local and ethnic festivals. They are usually free and good fun (although sometimes unintentionally). The ethnic festivals usually have cheap food and drinks stalls and various cultural activities. Local festivals often offer guided tours, talks, plays, music and you can normally visit weird little museums for free. Some of the best ones include Brick Lane Festival, Notting Hill Carnival, Bloomsbury Festival, Japanese Festival, Latin American Festival and Thai Festival. Check TimeOut for details. 

Cuban festival in London. Would you buy a mojito from these guys? I did.  

London Cheap Frills (part 1)

Gone are the days when London was one of the most expensive cities in the world. There are tons of cheap or even free things to do in London. Below are my favourites.

Catch a film. The old favourite Prince Charles Cinema is showing new films, recent releases and classics with prices starting from £1.50. It’s worth getting the yearly membership (£10) to save more in tickets.

Orange Wednesdays offer two for one cinema tickets in most of the cinemas across town. All you need is a friend with Orange. 

Museums. Almost all London museums are free of charge, apart from some temporary exhibitions. The labour scrapped the entrance fees from all national galleries and museums in 2001 and they have remained free from then on. Nobody knows  what the tories are planning but it doesn’t take much to make an educated guess.

Some of cultural gems include Tate Modern, Tate Britain, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. 

See a play in a local theatre. London’s theatre world doesn’t end in West End. The local theatres often have great quality productions, even with some well known names, with a fraction of the price of a West End musical. Admittedly, it can be a bit of a hit and miss but during all my time in London I have only walked out once during the interval. Check Off West End for more information and tips.

People watching. Head to Bricklane on Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of people come there just to be seen. Who can spot the most pretentious creature?

Old Compton Street. Try to snatch a window seat / table on the street in one of the cafes of London’s number one gay street. Spot the latest trends, fittest bodies and the most flamboyant queens. You won’t find bad B.O here. 

Get tipsy. Samuel Smiths Brewery has got several pubs in London and they are famous for their independence. The beers are all produced by the Tadcaster brewery and no large-corporation spirits or soft-drinks are available. Prices are low, with a pint of lager only setting you back around £2. Try The John Snow in Soho, The Angel in Bermondsey, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Holborn, The Champion in Fitzrovia or The Earl of Lonsdale in Notting Hill. 

Free gigs. There’s always plenty of free gigs on offer in London, this is after all the promised town of wannabe rock stars. Be warned though, if you haven’t heard of the band, there might be a reason for it. The record shop gigs are also now part of the bands’ marketing strategy. Check Rough Trade East and TimeOut for listings. 

Westminster Abbey – where kings and queens are coronated, is really an impressive piece of British history. The Abbey usually charges for the entrance but it’s free during services. Get there for Evensong. The Abbey choir, educated at  Westminster Abbey Choir School is singing at 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, plus at 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Park yourself. London is filled with fantastic parks. Pick a sandwich and a bottle of wine from a nearby shop and enjoy the greenery and fresh air. If you like more excitement in your life, bring along a frizbee. The best parks for picnic are Greenwich (South East), St. James’s Park (Central), Hampstead Heath (North), Regent’s Park (North) and Holland Park (West). 

I've parked myself. 

More Cheap Frills coming soon!

  

Get Your Cargos On

Everyone’s favourite Swedish fashion warehouse H & M is having Jeans Days with £10 off all jeans (http://www.hm.com/gb/#/fashion/, until 15 September). And as the prices are not massive to begin with, this is a good chance to bag yourself a bargain. I finally jumped on the skinny cargo jeans trend. They’re super comfy and cheap at £19.90 and my answer to  J Brand’s Houlihan cargos, sported below by everyone.