Will Olympic Visitors Do More than Watch the Games?

The debatable question arises of whether the Olympics are set to upstage London theatre. For the most ardent games fans, the answer is probably yes, however, the multitude of visitors lucky enough to have Olympic Games tickets and a London hotel room during this period, will want much more than just the games to entertain them.

London theatres should certainly be able to cope with any mass onslaught for West End show tickets. The challenge of the many musicals and other excellent stage productions will entice them to take in as much as they can while the city is full to bursting with visitors.

According to a survey by The Guardian newspaper, Londoners intend going to the theatre as often as they usually do, and some are thinking about taking in more shows than normal because they think tickets for London theatre will we less in demand for the duration of the games.

This may be a false hope, however. The same survey showed that people from the UK visiting London for the Olympics, intend to cram in as much as they can of the delights of the capital, and having gone through the pain of getting Olympic tickets, have probably already got their tickets for West End shows they want to see.

There are a few people however, who feel they would rather stay at home during this time. Good luck to them, the probability is that they will simply miss all the excitement and fabulous vibe that London will be offering.

If you dig deeper into the results of the survey – and hopefully those responsible for promoting London theatre tickets have done so – there’s some definite points of interest. Of course it depends on how much store your set by survey that had 1600 adult respondents – especially as they are a tiny proportion of the 5.8 million visitors expected in the capital during the course of the Olympics.

Some 66% of those asked said that going to a museum or London theatre was on their list of London experiences. It looks like tickets for West End musicals are going to be hotter than hot potatoes, as 52% put it top of their wish list. The others listed as the top five were: pop or rock concerts (54%), comedy club/stand-up comedy show (52%), drama and plays (46%) and museums (51%).

Another thought for those wanting London theatre tickets thinking they won’t get them, is the missed performance results in the survey. Of the 1600 people surveyed, more than 500 (33%) responded that in the last twelve months they wished they had tickets for a performance event, but had failed to acquire them. Citing reasons such as forgetfulness, assumption that the event would be sold out, time pressure and being unable to decide which of the many events to go to, those who get their act in gear will be one step ahead of these Johnny-come-latelys – or not-at-alls.