Does anyone know the UK’s theatre seats better than our critics? We doubt it. Between them, Clive Davis and Dominic Maxwell spend most nights of the week in the stalls — so if you want to know which theatre is the comfiest (clue: it’s not in London’s cramped West End), they’re the ones to ask.
For tips on beating the ladies’ loo queue, however, you’ll have to ask a woman … which is exactly what we’ve done in this definitive guide to the critics’ secrets — including the best way to exit the O2 after a mega gig and how to get your hands on free tickets to concerts and comedy gigs.
We’d love to hear your tips for getting the best out of culture, whether it’s a beloved local venue more people should know about or a hack that works wherever you are — please do share them in the comments below.
1. If you are a woman at the theatre, go to the loo at the end of the interval. Go at the start and you will spend the whole time standing in the queue. Spend it with your friends in the bar instead, and go as soon as they ring the bell. They’re not going to leave women in the loo. ND
2. Book big exhibitions on a Tuesday. Nobody goes then. Pretend it’s a holiday, take at least half the day off and treat yourself to a late lunch. ND
3. Take an empty water bottle to gigs: liquids aren’t allowed but a bottle with the top off is. Water can cost up to a fiver at the bigger venues — use the drinking taps instead and beat the boring bar queues. LV
4. If you’re going to a festival this summer, fire upsetlist.fm to plot your ideal schedule and turn up for the songs you want. Artists tend to play the same set list for months on end, meaning that if, say, you’re more an Oasis than a Noel Gallagher fan, you can skip 45 minutes of recent work on his solo tour and turn up for the last 20 minutes of Oasis classics. JD
5. The infamous dress code for opera is much less observed these days, even at country-house festivals. At least 30 per cent of the men at Glyndebourne and Garsington don’t wear black tie now, but most still make an effort to look smart. In any case, dress for all seasons — that floaty summer dress might be a mistake at 11pm. RM
6. If you’re at a stadium gig always leave before the last song of the encore. Do you really want to spend the next hour waiting on a crowded platform with a few thousand drunken fans? (Again, use setlist.fm to make sure you don’t miss your favourite.) WH
7. Take affordable risks. You’ll never know if you love contemporary classical, ballet or spoken-word unless you try it. Sign up to discounted ticketing sites such as Central Tickets, TodayTix and Friday Rush at the National Theatre (£10 tickets released every Friday at 1pm). Specialist sites such as Theatremonkey and TheatreBoard are great for early reader reviews as well as tips on cheap tickets and the best sightlines. PN, CD
8. Never have a pint of beer or too much tea before a 19th-century opera. A 90-minute (or more) first act can test the strongest bladder. RM
9. Go to the Venice Film Festival (Aug 27–Sep 6). It’s the most beautiful in the world and, unlike the Cannes Film Festival, the public can get tickets relatively easily from the festival website. Just don’t stay on the Lido — it’s wildly expensive. Mestre, on the mainland, 15 minutes from Venice by bus or train, is about half the price. KM
10. Alternatively, if you are a film buff aged 18 to 28 (or know one), apply for a Three Days in Cannes film festival pass. The festival is keen to encourage a new generation of film critics, handing out junior 25E passes with relative generosity. Applications for this year have closed but start honing your required “love letter to cinema” and you’re in with a chance for May 2026 (as well as an early start on affordable accommodation). KM
11. Take advantage of free trial periods from streamers to catch up on the TV everyone else is talking about. Now has a seven-day free trial, meaning you could binge-watch series three of The White Lotus in time for its final episode on April 7. Apple TV+ also has a seven-day free trial — long enough to try Severance if you like tech dystopia, Slow Horses if you want critically acclaimed spy drama or Ted Lasso if you need a laugh. TG
12. A lot of music critics have tinnitus, and regrets. Invest in your hearing and wear a pair of Loop earplugs (from £16) to noisy gigs: they look like chic jewellery and have great (and adjustable) sound quality.
13. Eat before, not after. There’s nothing worse than being hungry in a long ballet or interval-less play. If you’re going to a country-house opera plan for the long interval. Don’t pay a premium for steamed asparagus at the fancy restaurants: bring a picnic, reserving a nice spot with furniture (often free) and borrowing glass flutes from the bar (they won’t mind). DC, NF
14. The comfiest theatre seats in London? At the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. However challenging the new writing on the stage, the dark leather seats are plush enough for even the most demanding theatregoer. Outside London, it’s hard to top the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon — which is handy since the house playwright is not known for being brief. DM
15. The best cinema seats in the UK? The Odeon Luxe recliners in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow and beyond. Huge business-class armchair vibe, with tons of space between you and your neighbour. The worst cinema seats in the UK? The Odeon Luxe recliners. Huge business-class armchair vibe, with far too much space between you and your neighbour. Once your elbow is set more than, say, 2ft from anyone else’s the atmosphere dies. KM
16. Queuing to get the Tube home from the O2 arena in London can take the shine off a great show. Beat the crush by circling around to the left of the station and entering by the doors on the far side. EP
17. Visit commercial galleries to see free art: in the cities you might catch intimate, crowd-free shows by giants like Egon Schiele and Richard Serra (both have shows in the West End of London next month).Who cares if they’re a bit snooty sometimes? ND
18. Get free tickets to BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers concerts or be part of a live recording of a BBC Radio 4 comedy, panel show or debate. Events are held in Belfast, Glasgow, Salford, Bradford, Cardiff and London. Live-recorded shows tour nationally (bbc.co.uk/showsandtours). PN
19. Alexandra Palace is a divisive music venue: all the way up a hill in north London and nowhere near the Underground. But one persistent complaint about it — that the sound is bad — is easily fixed by standing middle-left as you face the stage. Niche, yes — but most venues have a similar sweet spot, where everything sounds crystal clear. Get advice from box-office staff, who are usually lovelyand an underused resource: it’s easy to forget in the digital age that you can still phone or pitch up in person with a query about sound, sightlines or discounts. JD, PN
• Why are UK music festivals so dull and predictable?
20. When going to a gig, wear something you can tie around your waist or stow under a seat. You want to avoid the cloakroom queue wherever possible. EP
21. The £5 groundling tickets at Shakespeare’s Globe in London are one of the best deals in theatre. You do have to stand and there’s a chance you might be behind someone tall — but beyond that, you get the best view and it’s better for your back than a bench. DM
22. Reviews of shows by influencers and celebrities on social media aren’t worth the paper they’re not written on. RM
23. Listen to your kids’ music, or your nieces’ and nephews’ — in the car is best. Everyone thinks music was better in their day, but few things are more dispiriting than always opting for the same acts. LV
24. Look out for mobile phone deals to grab streaming services for nothing. The network provider EE offers Discovery+ within the cost of monthly bills, while O2 offers a free subscription to Disney+ for up to six months with certain tariffs. Vodafone gives away Prime Video and Three bundles Paramount+.
Several high street banks also offer subscriptions as part of their reward accounts: qualifying Lloyds customers can get Disney+, while Barclays offers Apple TV+ as part of its Blue Rewards scheme. TG
25. Big museums get all the air time but many smaller galleries and museums punch big and are worth travelling for. Check out forthcoming shows at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, Jupiter Artland in Edinburgh, the People’s History Museum in Manchester, Pallant House in Chichester and the Pitt Rivers in Oxford. PN
26. After any big pop concert walk at least a quarter of a mile away before ordering an Uber.At a recent Paul McCartney concert in Manchester, “official” black cab drivers wanted £50 to get to a hotel less than a mile away. Ten minutes down the road you could get an Uber for £8. WH
27. A festival— be it Glastonbury, Hay or Edinburgh — is essentially a walking holiday with culture thrown in. Carry a power bank, refillable water bottle, an extra layer, even an extra pair of socks (there’s nothing worse than 12 hours with cold, soggy feet). PN
28. It’s not all better in the capital. London’s two big concert halls — the Royal Festival Hall and the Barbican — are badly maintained and acoustically ropey. The Glasshouse in Gateshead is stunningly situated and lovingly crafted to favour an intimate orchestral sound. Not a Geordie? Make a weekend of it with a Royal Northern Sinfonia concert.
29. Since energy costs went through the roof many venues (especially those run by local authorities) have been turning down the heating — fine if you’re at a sweaty gig, but worth wearing that extra vest in the winter if you don’t want to shiver through a long play or opera.
30. Give a teenager a gallery or theatre membership. The Lowry in Greater Manchester has great deals for under-30s, while Young Barbican (14 to 25-year-olds)is one of many schemes offering very discounted tickets for exhibitions — usually just £5 — as well as junior late-night openings. English National Opera tickets are free if you’re under 21; sign up on its website. MD
31. Nothing beats live music and opera, but you’d be foolish to disregard the bounty available online, especially when it comes from great houses and orchestras you would need to fly to see. Keep an eye on what’s free at arte.tv, medici.tv or marquee.tv (the first two are especially good for European events), or consider a trial subscription. NF
By Sunday Times and Times critics
Dominic Maxwell (theatre and comedy), Nancy Durrant (art and theatre), Clive Davis (theatre), Richard Morrison (culture), Will Hodgkinson (music), Lisa Verrico (music), Blanca Schofield (music), Ed Potton (music and film), Jonathan Dean (music and film), Kevin Maher (film), Tim Glanfield (TV), Debra Craine (dance), Neil Fisher (classical), Patricia Nicol (audio), Melissa Denes
