School trips

Simply contact our dedicated booking team by phone or email.

• Phone: 01962 840 440
• Email: groups@playtothecrowd.co.uk

We are very happy to reserve ticket blocks for your school group while you finalise your permissions and student numbers.

Once your initial reservation is made, we will email a direct invoice straight to you.

If your group size changes or needs an amendment during this reservation period, simply let us know and we will update your booking and send a revised invoice.

Please remember to inform our team of any wheelchair spaces or specific access requirements right at the time of your reservation so we can allocate the best possible seating configuration.

For the majority of our performances, full payment must be received at least 28 days prior to the show date.

Please note that this payment window may vary for certain specialised productions and our popular annual festive pantomime.

Payments can be settled securely via BACS transfer or over the telephone using a credit or debit card.

In alignment with our terms and conditions, tickets are completely non‑refundable once payment has been processed.

If your payment deadline is approaching and you are still collecting permission slips or final funds from parents, please contact our team immediately so we can discuss how to best support your situation.

To make your arrival as organised as possible, we typically issue school group tickets in the form of a comprehensive digital seating plan emailed to you ahead of time.

On the day of the performance, our dedicated team of ushers will use this plan to help guide your students quickly and smoothly to their correct rows.

However, if your school group is traveling independently and arriving at the venue individually, please let us know in advance and we will happily issue individual physical tickets for you to distribute.

If you need to scale your booking numbers or adjust details regarding a student's changing access needs, please contact our Box Office team as soon as possible at 01962 840 440 or via email at groups@playtothecrowd.co.uk

You can pre‑order interval ice creams for your entire class at a special discounted rate directly through the Box Office. These must be paid for prior to your arrival. Our front of house team will bypass the public queues and bring these treats directly to your assigned auditorium seats during the interval.

Students are welcome to purchase drinks, snacks, and ice creams directly from our cafe bar upon arrival. Kiosks inside the auditorium during the interval accept cash payments only.

Important youth prepaid card warning: Please be aware that our venue systems cannot accept youth or vulnerable adult prepaid debit cards (such as GoHenry, Nimbl, or similar brands). Because Theatre Royal Winchester operates a licensed bar, card providers automatically classify our entire retail profile as an adult venue and block the transaction. To avoid disappointment at the counters, we strongly advise instructing students to bring a small amount of physical cash for any personal snacks.

If your school is travelling a long distance and needs a space to eat packed lunches, we can arrange a designated area within our foyer. To ensure safety and comfort, we can only accommodate one school group's lunch per performance. Please let us know your requirements during the booking process or contact groups@playtothecrowd.co.uk early to secure your slot.

Our theatre is located at 21‑23 Jewry Street, Winchester, SO23 8SB. Please plan to arrive at the venue at least 30 minutes before the performance begins. This ensures your students have ample time to use the facilities and get settled into their seats without feeling rushed.

Coaches and minibuses can safely pull in to drop off student groups directly outside The Arc on Jewry Street, which sits immediately next door to the theatre.

For all school group bookings, a member of our Front of House team will come out to meet your vehicle and help escort your students safely inside the building via The Arc's paved square, keeping them safely away from the main road.

Coaches can return to this exact drop‑off point immediately after the performance for dismissal.

Long-term parking for coaches is available at the Worthy Lane Coach Park (SO23 7AB), which operates on a pay-and-display basis.

For staff cars or accompanying parents, the closest city centre options are Jewry Street Car Park (44 spaces, 2‑minute walk) and Tower Street Multi‑storey (515 spaces, 5‑minute walk).

If you are attending a morning or afternoon school performance, we strongly recommend utilising the Winchester Park & Ride service. Please note that while the Park & Ride parking lots are accessible 7 days a week, the connecting bus service currently operates Monday through Saturday only. For complete local parking maps and up‑to‑date fees, please consult the Winchester City Council website.

Dedicated disabled parking spaces are available within all local city centre car parks. Vehicles transporting students with limited mobility are welcome to briefly pull directly flush beside the theatre doors to let passengers alight safely before moving to a permanent parking space.

All children and vulnerable adults visiting the theatre as part of your school group must remain accompanied and directly supervised by your staff at all times. In instances where individual students are being collected directly from the theatre by a parent or independent carer post-show, it remains the school's absolute responsibility to monitor and supervise them until they are safely handed over to their guardian.

Please emphasise punctuality to your party, as latecomers or anyone needing to be re‑admitted cannot be guaranteed immediate access to the auditorium. Late entry is permitted only at a convenient, natural break in the production and students may be re-seated in alternative rows to minimise disruption, entirely at the discretion of the touring performance company. If you know a member of your party is running late, please alert the Box Office immediately.

Your students are in completely safe hands. Fully qualified First Aiders are on active duty for every single public performance at our venue. If a student requires medical attention or feels unwell, please speak directly to the nearest member of our Front of House team and they will contact the duty first aider for you immediately.