Kids Week is back for 2014 with an incredible 36 top London shows on board to offer free tickets and amazing exclusive activities to children throughout the whole of August.
Now in its 17th year, our annual ticket initiative has become the most popular date in the family-friendly theatre calendar. From 1 to 31 August, one child aged 16 or younger can go free for every adult ticket purchased to a participating show, plus a further two children’s tickets can be purchased at half price.
Handily organised into age guidance categories, this year sees everything from hilarious page to stage adaptations to dramatic long-running musicals take their place in the Kids Week line-up.
For the littlest of theatregoers aged three and older, acclaimed picture book stage adaptations Aliens Love Underpants, The Elephantom, The Tiger Who Came To Tea and What The Ladybird Heard are on the menu.
For all ages aged five and older, there is an eclectic mix of comedy, musicals and gross-out theatre on offer. Falling into the latter camp, Horrible Histories Barmy Britain Part 2 is back, while musical favourites on offer include Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Disney’s The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Matilda The Musical, Les Misérables, The Pajama Game, The Phantom Of The Opera, Top Hat and Wicked.
For something different families can try the fast-moving The 39 Steps, innovative favourite Stomp or a page to stage adaptation with War Horse author Michael Morpurgo’s latest West End arrival I Believe In Unicorns or Sally Cookson’s take on Hetty Feather. Music lovers have Beatles concert extravaganza Let It Be or Michael Jackson tribute show Thriller Live on offer.
For slightly older children, Billy Elliot The Musical, The Bodyguard, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, The Mousetrap, War Horse and The Woman In Black all return to take part in Kids Week. Making their Kids Week debuts are more recent West End arrivals The Importance Of Being Earnest and Jeeves And Wooster In Perfect Nonsense, and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s production of the iconic The Gershwin’s Porgy And Bess.
Finally, in the 15+ category, thrills come in the form of Ghost Stories and Let The Right One In, while Avenue Q, Jersey Boys and Once offer their unique musical talent and National Theatre comedy A Small Family Business brings laughs to the South Bank.
While the age categories are a handy starting point, they are offered as a guideline only and more information on every show to help you make your decision on what is the right show for your family can be found on the Kids Week website.
As always, this year’s Kids Week will offer far more besides free tickets. As well as many Kids Eat Free meal deals and travel and hotel offers listed on the website, ticket holders can also explore life on stage or behind the scenes with a host of fantastic activities. From attending a tea party with The Tiger Who Came To Tea to taking a Billy Elliot ballet class, there is something for everyone.
Tickets will be available to book from 10:00 on 17 June at www.kidsweek.co.uk or by calling the 24 hour ticketline on 0844 248 5151, with no booking or postage fees.