London beats New York as a leading city for theatre: 2 in 5 top shows originate in UK capital

London beats NYC for affordability, number of shows and search volume

The news comes as London is ranked above New York City as one of the best cities to visit for a theatre break, based on the number of shows, theatres and price of a theatre ticket.[i] London offers visitors a total of 164 theatre shows to choose from, beating the 59 currently running in New York City.

Four of Broadway’s top 25 musicals – Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Mamma Mia! and Miss Saigon – started in London, with two of these ranking among the highest-grossing musicals globally.

London also wins for affordability: with the average theatre ticket starting at £29.75, while New York comes in at just under £60. Visitors looking to book a weekend break will also find London almost three times cheaper than New York City when it comes to accommodation and spending budget.

London and New York City are both home to over 230 theatres, with New York taking a slight lead

New York City takes the global lead for most theatres per square mile (235), with London following closely behind with 233 for visitors to choose from. Both theatre capitals are followed by Paris, which has 158 theatres, but only 31 shows currently available to book.

London’s theatre scene continues to innovate and expand, with new projects such as the Olympia Theatre set to open in 2025 – a 1,575-seat auditorium and the largest new theatre in London since the 1970s.

London is set to welcome new venues and shows for 2025

London is also in high demand for new theatre shows and experiences, with searches notably high for 2025 productions such as Here You Come Again (the Dolly Parton musical), Clueless: The Musical and The Creakers: A Magical Musical Adventure.

Laura Citron, CEO of VisitLondon.com, said: “My favourite thing about London’s theatre scene is its diversity – visitors can see a classic West End favourite like Les Miserables one night, and check out the fringe theatre scene the next.

With 164 shows to choose from and more to come next year, London is definitely one of the best places in the world for theatre-lovers to find one-of-a-kind experiences. We’re really excited for 2025 as we welcome new venues including the Saville Theatre, as well as highly-anticipated productions like Hercules and Just For One Day - the latter celebrating 40 years since the Live Aid concerts.”

[i] Methodology

To determine which city is the best for a theatre break, we sourced a targeted list of nine cities renowned for theatre shows including plays, musicals and performances. We then analysed these cities using multiple data points to create a weighted index. We collected data on six key metrics, including: 

1. Number of shows currently playing in each city.  
2. The average ‘starting from’ price of theatre shows tickets (in GBP £).
3. Number of theatres in each city per square mile.
4. Google search volume for theatre related keywords for each city per capita (for example, musicals in [city], theatre (& theatre) in [city], performances in [city], plays in [city] and shows in [city]. 
5. The average cost of a two-night weekend break for two adults in a 3-star hotel in each city.
6. The average mid-range spending budget for two days in each city (including the average cost of transport, food, entertainment and sightseeing and the minimum cost of alcohol).