We tell you the seats to buy, which to avoid, and how to get them at the best prices

 

Barbican Centre Hall Concert Venue

Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS 020 7870 2500

  • Where to buy tickets
  • Best seat advice
  • Seating plan/s
  • Getting to the theatre

Buying tickets online

www.barbican.org.uk, run by the venue itself, provide the service for this theatre.  A brilliant box office system lets you select the actual seat you require from those available.

 

Booking fees per ticket:
Online is cheaper than booking by phone. A mere £3 per transaction, not per ticket, fee applies.

 

 

Other Online Choices (with genuine S.T.A.R ticket agencies): 
For some productions, some STAR members may offer seats. 

Ticket agencies offer an alternative way to buy tickets, with booking fees differing from those charged by the theatre box office itself. They may have seats available or special offers when theatres do not.

Ticket agency prices vary in response to theatres implementing “dynamic pricing”  - which alters prices according to demand for a particular performance. Current prices are advised at time of enquiry.

ALSO SEE Tickettree.com for great value "hotel and theatre ticket" packages.

Box office information

Telephone: 020 7638 8891. Operated by the venue's own phone room.

Booking fees per ticket for telephone bookings:
Online is cheaper than booking by phone. By telephone, a £4 administration fee is added to the total TRANSACTION cost for telephone bookings. 

For personal callers or by post: 
Box Office, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London. EC2Y 8DS
No booking fee for personal callers.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BOX OFFICE NO LONGER ACCEPTS CASH PAYMENTS.
Postal applicants pay a per transaction fee for use of a Barbican envelope, or can include their own, with stamp and pay nothing. 

Special Access Needs Customers: 
Wheelchair users and other registered disabled theatregoers can book their seats and enquire about concessionary prices that may be available to them on 0207 638 8891.

www.barbican.org.uk is the official venue website.

Please remember that cheaper seats often do not offer the same view / location quality as top price ones, and that ticket prices are designed to reflect this difference.

  • Stalls
  • Dress Circle
  • Upper Circle

Stalls

Layout

Five rows of seats are in front of the stage, flat on the ground.

The rest of the stalls is divided into a central and two side blocks on raised steps. The central block faces the stage, the side blocks are at shallow angles to the centre block, focussed on the stage.

Legroom

Good in all seats, best in row G with nothing in front of it.

Choosing seats in general

Row C at a lower price than the rest of the stalls offer best value, followed by rows D and E felt the monkey, but you do have to look up.

In the rest of the stalls, you pay for the angle you view the stage from. Frankly, the cheapest seats are best value here though paying for central row G does give you a super view and legroom. 

Those seats with a restricted view are a bargain when at orchestral concerts, as it matters not a jot - take these seats as a bargain. For soloist performances, these seats are a bargain if seeing the performer all the time is unimportant.

Wheelchair spaces are at the rear of the two side blocks. The view and sound are excellent.

General hazard notes

The view of the stage is restricted in row G seats 4 to 7 and 71 to 74, H 3 to 6 and 72 to 75, J 2 to 5 and 73 to 76, and K 2 to 5 and 73 to 76. This is due to the angle of the seats preventing viewing of one third of the recessed stage.

There can be underlying noise of wood vibrating during loud passages of music.

Changes for the current production

None reported.

Readers comments

"Rows B and C: I agree about the stalls Rows B and C normally, but the other night we were at an ENO concert performance and there is no doubt that we were too close to the soloists. Such concerts are rare but when the front of the platform is heavily populated I recommend D and E." 

"Rows B and C: tend to be lower priced as they are too close to the stage and so the view is not as good. From Row D backwards the view is much better and they are better in value."

"G 31: "Music Of Bond Concert" (December 2018). If you have long legs then row G is the one for you. It is the sixth row of floor seating(after which the rows start to rake), but between rows F and G there is a walkway. You can therefore stretch your legs out as far as you like as the seats in front are a few feet away. I did wonder if, being next to a walkway, the view would be constantly obscured due to people popping out, but no-one did; although with the concert I attended being in two halves of just under an hour each, it was easier for patrons to keep their bladders in check during the performance.

Seat 31 was fairly central and offered a very good view of the stage. The fact that the row in front is further away also reduces the risk of the dreaded ‘stuck behind a really tall person and obscured view’ experience."

Dress Circle

Layout

Called the Circle in this auditorium.

This is split into central and two side sections by aisles. Central section faces the stage, the other two are angled towards centre stage.

Legroom

Good in all seats.

Choosing seats in general

The centre block offers the best views, the side blocks better value for money. Allow your pocket to decide.

General hazard notes

None reported.

Changes for the current production

None reported.

Readers comments

None.

Upper Circle

Layout

Called the Balcony in this auditorium.

This is split into central and two side sections by aisles. Central section faces the stage, the other two are angled towards centre stage.

Legroom

Good in all seats.

Choosing seats in general

In the centre section, Theatremonkey likes row D. This row has a wide ledge behind it which is handy for storing stuff not stowed in the cloakrooms. The view is clear, if distant from the stage, and sound is good too. Normally these seats are well priced offering great value for money. Choose these if the front stalls are more expensive or unavailable.

The side blocks offer good bottom price value in rows A to D seats 13 to 25 and 60 to 72.

Beyond these seats the viewing angle is poorer for the same money though sound is not affected. Just take the named seats first.

General hazard notes

Safety rails in front of the aisles affect views from aisle seats.

Wide front wall may mean having to lean over to see the front of the stage from row A.

Changes for the current production

None reported.

Readers comments

"Row A: will always be a restricted view unless you lean forward to look over the edge. The seats adjacent to the two aisles are likely to have safety bars partly obstructing view."

"Row D: We tried seats in the balcony in the middle of row D on Theatremonkey's recommendation but I would disagree they are good value. They are too far away from the stage and also the brass section of the LSO sounded almost tinny from up there. There are baffles on the ceiling which felt a bit low; this may account for the poor sound quality. Not a good experience for my very musical partner or for me." (The monkey notes that it recommends these because they are cheap, and feels price is in proportion to sound)."

Notes best seat advice

Total 2026 seats.

Air-conditioned auditorium.

Sennheiser radio network. Dogsitting facility. Adapted toilets available. Easy access through centre for wheelchairs from car park. Wheelchair users get free parking in centre.

Wheelchair users and other registered disabled theatregoers can book their seats on 020 7638 8891 and enquire about concessionary prices that may be available to them. The wheelchair users line connects directly to the venue box office in London. Wheelchair hire bookings on 020 7382 7021.

Bar, Restaurant, Café and Toilet facilities shared with the rest of the complex. Note that a comedian designed the basin taps in the toilets. It looks like they are "break beam for water" types. HOWEVER: a sign on the water spout indicates you should tread on something nasty. It actually means you need to tread on the black rubber pads on the floor below the basin to get water out of the spout. The monkey felt like it had "won a crystal in the Crystal Maze" for figuring that one out...

General price band information

Theatres use "dynamic pricing." Seat prices change according to demand for a particular performance. Prices below were compiled as booking originally opened. Current prices are advised at time of enquiry.

Based on paying FULL PRICE (no discount!) for tickets, site writers and contributing guests have ALSO created the colour-coded plans for "value for money," considering factors like views, comfort and value-for-money compared with other same-priced seats available.

For a full discussion, opinions, reviews, notes, tips, hints and advice on all the seats in this theatre, click on "BEST SEAT ADVICE" (on the left of your screen).

On the plans below:
Seats in GREEN many feel may offer either noticeable value, or something to compensate for a problem; for example, being a well-priced restricted view ticket. Any seats coloured LIGHT GREEN are sold at "premium" prices because the show producer thinks they are the best. The monkey says "you are only getting what you pay for" but uses this colour to highlight the ones it feels best at the price, and help everybody else find equally good seats nearby at lower prices.

Seats in WHITE, many feel, provided about what they pay for. Generally unremarkable.

Seats in RED are coloured to draw attention. Not necessarily to be avoided - maybe nothing specific is wrong with them, other than opinions that there are better seats at the same price. Other times there may be something to consider before buying – perhaps overpricing, obstructed views, less comfort etc.

Please remember that cheaper seats often do not offer the same view / location quality as top price ones, and that ticket prices are designed to reflect this difference.

By value for money:

Notes

Click to enlarge plan if required: 

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Barbican Hall

The Dress Circle is called the CIRCLE in this auditorium. 

The Upper Circle is called the BALCONY in this auditorium.

 

Please note: The seating plans are not accurate representations of the auditorium. While we try to ensure they are as close to the actual theatre plan as possible we cannot guarantee they are a true representation. Customers with specific requirements are advised to discuss these with the theatre prior to booking to avoid any confusion.

-0.0959751, 51.520211

Nearest underground station

Two choices; Barbican - Circle Line (yellow), Hammersmith and City (light purple), Metropolitan (dark purple). Theatremonkey prefers Moorgate - Circle Line (yellow), Hammersmith and City (light purple), Metropolitan (dark purple) and Northern (black).

Buses

8, 11, 22B, 25, 26, 56, 133, 141, 214, to Barbican / Moorgate. Follow yellow lines from Barbican, or directions above from Moorgate. Be aware that no buses stop outside the centre or close to it.

Taxi

Worth booking in advance. Hail one if you can by walking to Moorgate - chances are low.

Car park

Within the centre. Make careful note of the car park number and bay numbers before leaving or you will probably still be searching for your car until next year. Also note the public foot exits from the car park to the centre are hard to find and narrow. This feature amuses theatremonkey as it seems the builders were embarrassed about having a car park linked to their nice arts centre. Strange.

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