‘Ticket Bank’ to offer 1000 free tickets a week to shows at major London venues

As part of a major new initiative, 1000 free tickets will be made available to those who would otherwise not be able to afford to engage with culture during the cost-of-living crisis.

In a new scheme from the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation and Cardboard Citizens, venues including the Almeida Theatre, Barbican, Bush Theatre, Gate Theatre, the National Theatre, Roundhouse and Tara Theatre have pledged tickets for theatre, comedy, live music and dance performances at a donate-what-you-can rate.

The “Ticket Bank” will also work with major charities including Centrepoint, the House of St Barnabas, the Longford Trust, Positive Action in Housing, and a network of foodbanks in order to reach those most likely to benefit from the initiative.

The project has major ambitions, with further venues set to become involved across 2023. Chris Sonnex, artistic director and joint CEO of Cardboard Citizens, said: “Access to art and culture are essential to the human condition, a human right. If people can’t afford these riches, society is poorer off.

“I’m incredibly proud of the London arts and culture community coming together to offer tickets city wide to people who, through no fault of their own, are on or under a poverty line. It is a real act of change, and it will give many people, who couldn’t otherwise, the opportunity to be entertained, to see other worlds, to escape and most importantly to dream.”

The Ticket Bank is also asking for donations for those able to do so – find out more.