Our guide details the Royal Festival Hall's nearly 2,800 seats, including front stalls, rear stalls, balcony, and box seats, explaining their placement and the views they offer.
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Guide to Royal Festival Hall seating plan
- Navigating the Royal Festival Hall seating plan
- Best Recommended seats - Stalls & balcony
- Where can I get discounted Royal Festival Hall Theatre tickets?
- Which seats offer the best view?
- Which seats offer the best value for money?
- Royal Festival Hall reviews
- Frequently asked questions about Royal Festival Hall seating plan
Navigating the Royal Festival Hall seating plan
Availability and Prices
Royal Festival Hall - Recommended seats
?Value for money seats
Front stalls - Rear row seats
Rear stalls - Middle row seats
Balcony - Middle row seats
?️Best views of the stage
Depends on the show (play/musical). If the show is a play, front row seats would be recommended.
Front stalls - Central seats in the middle rows
Balcony - Front row
??Sufficient legroom
Stalls - Aisle seats in all sections
Front stalls
The front stalls, like the name suggests, make the first seating section in the theatre. Two parallel aisles separate the seats into blocks of three, each with a different seat count. There's a decent rake in this section, allowing patrons in the last rows to get a pretty decent view of the stage. There are two rows on either side of the section, labelled side stalls. These seats, while close to the theatre, aren't really the best since patrons have to turn sideways to view the show. The seats across all rows also curve slightly towards the end of the rows, though that doesn't affect the view all that much. With 17 rows in total, the stalls are labelled in the range of A to T. There's an additional row in the end titled AA which has wheelchair accessible seats. Seats in this section are numbered in the range of 1 to 43 with the first row being the shortest.
Rear stalls
Next up is the second level on the ground level, the rear stalls. Unlike most theatres and performance venues which feature at least two elevated seating sections, the Royal Festival Hall divides the stalls into two major sections and has only one elevated level. Unlike the front stalls, where seats curve towards the end, the rear stall seats are placed in a perfect rectangle. Again, two parallel aisles separate the section into three subsections. The rear stalls feature 19 rows in total from BB to XX and these seats are numbered in the range of 1 to 51, moving right to left. In terms of the view offered, the front and middle rows of this section are serviceable but you must avoid opting for a seat in the rear rows since they are too far off from the main stage and offer mediocre views of the show.
Balcony
The final and only elevated section of the Royal Festival Hall, the balcony section is divided into three main subsections with two mini subsections on either side. There are two additional rows of seating in front of the section which offer the best view of the stage. The rows are labelled in the range of A to N, bringing the total to 17. Seats in this section are numbered from 1 to 52 moving right to left. There are five aisle separating the seats, making for a free-to-move section that is not cramped. As far as the view is considered, the balcony offers a mixed bag. The front few rows are quite decent while the rear rows end up being too far from the main stage.
Where can I get discounted Royal Festival Hall Theatre tickets?
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Have further questions about Her Majesty's Theatre West End? Need details about specific seats? We’ve got you covered with all the info below!
Which seats offer the best view?
Watching a show on West End is a special experience and what makes or breaks the whole thing is the seat you pick to watch the show from. The Royal Festival Hall isn't structured like a regular West End theatre making the selection of the best seats here slightly different. Also, the best seats depend on the show you're watching. For instance, for a quiet, sombre play you would want to get front row seats to fully appreciate the actors. On the other hand, a big splashy musical calls for the central seats in the middle row of the front stalls to be your pick. The front row of the balcony also offers a pretty stellar view of the stage, especially for big productions.
Which seats offer the best value for money?
Don't want to overspend on West End tickets? We have got you covered. The Royal Festival Hall is a huge theatre and there are many seats to choose from. If you're looking for something more value-for-money, opt for the rear row seats in the front stalls or the middle row seats in the rear stalls. The central seats in both these groups of rows offer a distinctively clear view of the stage and don't cost quite as much as the front row seats. If you don't mind an aerial view of the stage, the middle row seats in the balcony section aren't that bad.
Royal Festival Hall reviews
Been to this venue many, many times over the past 20 years. London doesn't have a truly world class concert hall, but this one is the best of them, ahead of the Barbican and, ahem, Royal Albert Hall. The main hall for symphony concerts has a fairly decent acoustic no matter where you're sitting, and always with a good view of what's going on on stage. The bars for the intermission drinks are well-equipped and not hideously expensive, and the staff are generally friendly and very helpful. Toilets could be larger and more plentiful. Plenty of eateries and cafés in the immediate vicinity, 6 mins from Embankment tube station (on the other side of the Thames). Great location for an evening concert.
- Thomas M, Tripadvisor, February 2023
The Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre is a wonderful auditorium.
No matter where you sit you get a good experience with great acoustics.
Have been several times.
- Michael, Tripadvisor, May 2023
Frequently asked questions about Royal Festival Hall seating plan
How many sections does Royal Festival Hall have?
Which seats offer the best view of the stage in Royal Festival Hall seating plan?
Which seat offers the best value for money in the Royal Festival Hall seating plan?
How many stalls sections are there in the Royal Festival Hall seating plan?
What is the best way to enter the Royal Festival Hall?
More West End Guides
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