fbpx

What is Family First Nights (FFN)?

Offering disadvantaged families the opportunity to see the best of London's theatre for just £8 per ticket.

The Family First Nights programme runs throughout the summer holidays. Families can include parents, foster parents, grandparents, carers, guardians, etc., but at least half the group must include children aged 3–17.  

Over 12,000 families have participated in Family First Nights since the programme began in 1998, and it continues to play a vital role in making London’s theatre and arts scene accessible to families living below the poverty line or those facing challenging circumstances. 

Important Upcoming Dates:  

  • FFN Applications open: Friday 14th June 
  • FFN Applications close: Friday 28th June at 6pm
  • FFN Programme dates: Monday 29th July – Saturday 31st August 2024 (over 5 weeks)

FAQ

The programme is a collaboration between each participating organisation and us, Go Live Theatre Projects, to reach a targeted group of hundreds of families within London. You know which families would benefit from the experience best, whilst we subsidise the ticket cost and organise the logistics. We need your help to support these families in their first theatre-going experience and guide them through the process of booking tickets and attending.  

Family groups with limited resources, support or access, who would never otherwise be able to attend theatre productions. Each family can book up to 6 tickets, but at least half of the family group must be aged 3-17. If a young person in a family has a Special Educational Need or Disability, they can be up to 25 years old. 

Organisations can refer a maximum of six families. If you are referring fewer than four families, please indicate this on your application so we can allocate more spaces to other organisations. 

Please attend one of our launch events on Tuesday 11th or Thursday 13th June for more information about this year’s programme. For those who are not able to attend, a recording of the presentation will be uploaded to our website after the events. 

There is no fee for an organisation to enrol in the programme. Once organisations have selected their families to take part, each theatre ticket will cost £8 (+32p booking fee).  

We want to reach as many families as possible and provide them with the chance to take part, so we will only be accepting new families. Repeat families are only accepted in the event of a foster family wishing to take new children to the theatre.  

Once applications are open, you will be sent a link to the online application. We ask that organisations complete applications with the families present. An in-depth information pack will be available soon on our website with further details. 

The deadline for applications is Friday 28th June at 6pm and we will not be able to accept applications received after this date. We will contact you if additional places on the programme become available.  

A selection of musicals, plays and children’s shows including access performances. More information will be announced at our launch events. 

Terms & Conditions

  • Once tickets are confirmed, they cannot be exchanged or refunded. 
  • There must be a referring organisation contact available for the duration of the programme to answer and support any family queries. 
  • Any cancellations made after the tickets have been booked with the theatre are still liable to be paid for (up to £15 per ticket, which is what we pay). Organisations should only refer families who can definitely attend their requested dates. 
  • Organisations can refer up to 6 families and submit 1 application per family. 
  • At least half of the group must consist of young people between the ages of 3-17 (except with single child families, where two adults can take one child). If the young people attending have Special Education Needs and Disabilities, they can be aged up to 25 years old. 
  • Family contact name, email and mobile number will be required and used by the FFN team and the box office to send ticket confirmation details. 
  • After the theatre visit, we can keep in contact with families by email about additional FFN offers. If your family does not wish to receive these offers, please inform the FFN team or unsubscribe at any point. 
  • All information will be kept securely and will only be used in line with our Privacy Policy. 
  • Children under 3 will not be admitted to most London theatres, unless stated. 
  • We have a limited allocation of tickets for each performance. To manage expectations, we urge families not to tell their children unless they have received their confirmation to avoid any disappointment if we are unable to accommodate them. 
  • Please ensure your families are available for all dates selected on their applications. 
Skip to content