SOLT and UK Theatre push back against ‘headline-grabbing claims’ about ticket prices

Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre have refuted claims that ticket prices have experienced “dramatic increases” over the last five years.

The statement comes as part of their landmark The State of British Theatre in 2025 report, unveiled yesterday.

According to the report, a common perception of costliness has emerged amongst the UK theatregoing public, with a survey of 20,000 regular theatregoers finding that “62.5 per cent believed prices had risen faster than other goods, with 26.2 per cent feeling they had increased exponentially.”

However, official SOLT and UK Theatre data, collected from scores of member venues and thousands of performances, found that in real terms the average West End and regional ticket prices have fallen by 5.3 per cent and 9.8 per cent. This comes at a time when organisations and venues are being forced to absorb additional costs like increased energy bills and reduced public subsidy.

According to the report, over a quarter of West End tickets are priced under £35, with fewer than 4 per cent of tickets sold priced above £150, and fewer than 0.4 per cent exceeding £250. Outside London, 99.9 per cent of tickets were priced below £100.

It can be easy to see why audiences may consider tickets more expensive, in a time when disposable income is decreasing year-on-year (a drop of 2.5 per cent in 2023) during a cost-of-living squeeze.

SOLT and UK Theatre have acknowledged that many venues do raise their top-price tickets in order to allow more lower-price tickets to remain available. They said: “With rising costs and finite capacity, theatres must adapt pricing structures to protect their viability.

“Paradoxically, raising top-end ticket prices is what enables theatres to keep the lowest-priced tickets affordable – safeguarding access for the many while ensuring the sector’s long-term future.”

According to the report, 90 per cent of SOLT & UK Theatre members offer discounted tickets to targeted groups.

Despite concerns about ticket prices, of the 20,000 theatregoers that were surveyed, 66 per cent stated they planned to see the same number of musicals (with 68 per cent for plays) in 2025, with 22 per cent hoping to see more of either. West End attendance grew by 11 per cent to 17.1 million in 2024 (five million higher than Broadway), at a time when cinema attendance has dropped by 28 per cent and Premier League football attendance has grown by one per cent.

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