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.
Royal Festival Hall seating plan
Which seats should you choose?
💸Value for money seats
Seats in rows L to T in the rear stalls section, and rows F to J in the balcony are a great bargain. Seats at the back of rear stalls and balcony can also be grabbed at much lower prices.
🎟️If money were no matter
Seats down the middle section of Rows F to T in the front stalls offer an immersive experience.
🎭Best views of the stage
Seats in the front rows of each of the three sections are popular for providing great views at a reasonable cost. Pick seats in rows B to D for an expansive view of the stage.
Now Playing at Royal Festival Hall Theatre
Guide to Royal Festival Hall seating plan
Front stalls
The front stalls make the first seating section in the theatre. Two parallel aisles separate the seats into blocks of three, with a decent rake. The seats across all rows also curve slightly towards the end of the rows, though that doesn't affect the overall view. 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.
Rear stalls
Next up is the second level on the ground level, the rear stalls. Unlike most theatres, the Royal Festival Hall divides the stalls into two major sections and has only one elevated level. The rear stall seats are placed in a perfect rectangle. Two parallel aisles separate the section into three subsections, featuring 19 rows in total from BB to XX with seats numbered in the range of 1 to 51 from right. The front and middle rows of this section are serviceable but you can avoid opting for a seat in the rear rows since they may be too far off from the main stage.
Balcony
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,with seats numbered from 1 to 52 from the right. There are five aisle separating the seats, making movement around the section comfortable. The front few rows offer an expansive view while the rear rows may be too far from the main stage.
Which seats offer the best view?
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?
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
For more West End information, here are some helpful quick links!
