Events with spaces.
Theatre Trips Essex – Events Calendar 2026–2027
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If you have an event booked and the date is not showing then it's likely to be full.
email any questions to: nicola@theatretripsessex.co.uk
or nicolahaynes@yahoo.co.uk
Coach Routes
Route 1
Southend · Westcliff · Leigh · Hadleigh · Benfleet · Basildon · Grays
Route 2
Canvey · Benfleet · Pitsea · Basildon · Grays
All events before April are now fully booked.
Events in April are full.
May 2026
Sat 23 – Chelsea in Bloom – £22.50
Sat 30 – Traitors Live Experience – £79.50
June 2026
Wed 10 – The Lion King – from £79.50 (Route 2)
Wed 17 – Steam Train Ride & Cream Tea – £72.00
Tue 30 – Mousetrap – from £79.50 (Matinee)
July 2026
Sat 4 – Wroxham & Broads Boat Trip – £46.50
Mon 6 – Bath & Bristol Mini Break – £299.00
Sat 11 – Brighton Free Time / North Weald Market day from £23.50
Tue 14 – Hever Castle in Bloom & Afternoon Tea – £69.50
Sat 18 – Brighton Free Time – £29.50 (Route 2)
Sat 18 – Battle Proms – £69.50
Wed 29 – London Southbank Free Time – £22.50
August 2026
Sat 1 – Day Trip to Le Touquet, France – £115 (£60 deposit / £55 balance due end of June 2026)
Sat 8- Marlow £24.50
Sun 9 - Broadstairs Festival £29.50
Thur 13- Moulin Rouge £79.50 (Matinee)/ Trainspotting £79.50 (Matinee)/ Mamma Mia £77.50 (Matinee)
Sat 15 – Eastbourne Airshow or Free Time – £42.50
Sat 22 - Herne Bay /Whitstable £35 (Canvey route)
September 2026
Tue 1 – Comedy of Spies / Matilda From £69.50 (Evening)
Wed 2 – Hercules /Now you see me From £79.50 (Evening)
Thu 3 – Sinatra – £79.50 (Matinee)
Sat 5 – Wicked / Lion King From £69.50 (Matinee)
Mon 7 – York Mini Break – £459.00
Fri 11 – Moulin Rouge/ Oliver – £89.50 (Evening)
Tue 15 – Phantom – £79.50 (Evening)
Wed 18 – Beetlejuice / Oliver – from £85.00 (Evening)
Sun 20 – Lion King / Wicked – from £69.50 (Matinee)
Tue- 22 Cotswolds day trip £39.50
Wed 23 – Sinatra / Mamma Mia the Musical / Cabaret – from £69.50 (Evening)
Thur 24 Chaka Khan £89.50 (Matinee)
Sun 27 Paddlesteamer (via Tower Bridge) £75
Tue 29- Into the Woods £89.50 (Evening)
Wed 30 – The Lion King – from £69.50 (Evening)
Wed 30 – Burlesque, Cliffs Pavilion – £49.50 (Matinee – No Coach)
October 2026
Thu 1 – Les Misérables / Moulin Rouge – from £85.00 (Matinee)
Sat 31st - Tullys Farm Pumpkin Festival £49.50
November 2026
Potters early Christmas break coming soon.
Thur 12 Les Miserables £89.50 (Matinee)
Mon 23 – Elvis Tribute (Stationary London boat with Christmas lunch & entertainment) – £85.00 (Matinee)
Fri 27 - Christmas Lights London & Covent Garden £23.50 - Canvey route
Sun 29 – Canterbury Christmas Market – £29.50
December 2026
Thu 3 – Sinatra / Les Misérables – from £79.50 (Matinee)
Sat 5 – London Christmas Lights – £25.50
Sun 6 – Thursford – £99.50
Thu 10 – Christmas Lights Tour – £25.00
Fri 11 – Mamma Mia! The Party – £165.00
Sat 12 – Snow White Panto – £49.50
Sat 12 – Windsor Castle at Christmas – £65.00
Sat 12 - South bank Christmas markets/ Borough market £23.50
Fri 18 – Thursford (Matinee) – £99.50
Sat 19 – Hever Castle Christmas Lunch – £75.00
Tue 22 – Polar Express, Spa Valley Railway – £95.00 (Deposit to hold)
January 2027
Sat 2 Panto London Palladium, French&Saunders, Julian Clary £120 (Evening)
Sun 3 Derren Brown £50 dep/ £80 balance due end of July (Matinee)
Wed 13 Blood Brothers, Tickets Only, No coach £50 (Matinee)
Thur 14 Harry Potter £79.50 (Evening)
Mon 18 – Paddington – £99.50 (Evening)
Sun 31 - Abba Voyage (Seated) £92.50 (6pm)
February 2027
Thu 4 – Paddington – £99.50 (Matinee)
Sun 7 – Chinese New Year Celebrations – £25.00
Sun 21 - Birmingham Tattoo, £40 deposit/ balance £55 due end of July 2026 (Matinee)
Sun 28 – Alan Carr, Cliffs Pavilion – £65.00
March 2027
Thu 11 – Paddington – £79.50 (Evening)
Sat 13 - Thriplow £42.50
Wed 17 – Paddington – £89.50 (Evening)
Wed 24 – Billy Elliot – £99.50 (Matinee)
April 2027
Fri 16-Mon 19 - Potters all incl resport at Hopton £539 (incl mini break)
Thu 22 – Billy Elliot – £99.50 (Evening)
Mon 26 - Paddington £95 (Evening) - Canvey Route
May 2027
Fri-Sun 7th -9th Winchester Spa Hotel 3 days, 2 nights bed & breakfast with spa facilities and an option day trip to Portsmouth £49.50 dep/ £249 total (sorry all singles are reserved)
Sat 22 Ypres, Belgium, Wargraves, Ferry, Coach Bed and Breakfast
Sat 29 Oxford day trip £38.50
June 2027
Mon 7 - Paddington £89.50 (Evening)
Wed 9 - Miss Saigon, London £99.50 (Matinee)
Thur 17 Miss Saigon, London £99.50 (Evening)
Fri 18 - Sun 20 Mini Break to Stratford upon Avon, The Swans Nest Hotel £99ppdeposit / Full price £309pp
Oct 2027
14 - Paddington £92 (Matinee)
Nov 2027
Potters - Christmas break to be confirmed
Dec 2027
Wed -Fri 1-3 Bruge at Christmas coming soon Bed & Breakfast MiniBreak, Christmas Market £99 deposit. Balance due end of June 2027 total £339pp
Wed 8 Paddington £89.50 (Evening)
Contact
Email: nicola@theatretripsessex.co.uk
Website: www.theatretripsessex.co.uk
Theatre Etiquette & What To Do If Others Spoil the Show
Sadly, two of our lovely customers had their Les Misérables experience spoiled yesterday by disruptive audience members behind them—talking, singing, and generally forgetting they weren’t in their own living room.
It’s always disheartening, especially when people have paid alot of money for their seats and have been looking forward to the show for months. A theatre is a place to watch a performance, not perform one yourself.
If this ever happens during one of our trips, please don’t suffer in silence.
Speak to an usher at the theatre during the performance—they are there to help and can often discreetly resolve the issue.
We always want you to have the best experience, and we’ll continue to do our part by booking excellent seats and travelling in comfort—but we kindly ask all attendees to respect others around them.
Let’s all help keep the magic of live theatre alive—for everyone.
I would add the disruptors were not part of my group!
What seats do you have in the Theatre?
Theatre Seating & Ticket Info – What You Need to Know
I’m often asked what kind of theatre tickets and seats I offer – so here’s a quick guide to help clarify things!
For nearly all shows, I offer Band A seats, which are just one step down from premium seats for groups, but at fantastic group discounted rates. For some brand-new shows, especially early in the run, I might offer Band B seats – still great views and value.
Theatre Layout Basics:
Most London theatres are arranged as follows:
-
Stalls (ground level) - often steps to access your seats
-
Royal Circle / Dress Circle (first tier – known as either “Dress” or “Royal” depending on the theatre) (I find better for mobility).
-
Upper Circle / Grand Circle
- Balconies
I do not offer Upper or Grand Circle seats for London Musicals as we find these can be a little too high for comfort. My focus is always on ensuring you have a great view and a comfortable experience.
Arenas are very different to theatres — the whole layout is completely unique. You’ll really notice the difference when you take your seats. Unlike the intimacy and tiered structure of a traditional theatre, arenas are designed for scale, with vast open spaces and often a central or end-stage setup. It creates a whole new atmosphere and dynamic for the performance, you will have steps to your seats.
Seat Preferences:
Most customers tend to prefer either Stalls or Royal/Dress Circle. I mainly offer Stalls, but when I do provide seats in the Royal /Dress Circle, I will always specify that – and rest assured, these are never in the high seats - you just may have your own preferences!
As a group booker, I’m allocated specific blocks of seats in the theatre, and I use those allocations to create your all-in-one package, which includes your theatre ticket and luxury coach travel.
GROUP SEATS UPDATE
Seats offered are usually stalls or first circle seating group rates as a package with travel and in Band A. Band A is one seating level below premium seats.
I am offered seats in certain parts of the Theatre in the stalls or the circle. The circle seating are one level above the stalls.
The seats are know as either the Royal or the Dress depending upon the Theatre (they are the same, one level above the stalls).
Refunds, Customer booking errors, Cancelled performances please read.
Our events have always been non refundable unless a show is cancelled by the Theatre.
The website charges me a fee for each booking as STRIPE looks after your money and whilst I am not requesting any admin fees for errors you may make when you book (eg, I booked in error, I can no longer make the date or find someone to take my place etc.) the fee STRIPE charges me will be requested by me to you (it's not usually a huge amount but I am sure you would realise these amounts all add up). Same process applies for double bookings, eg ' I only wanted 4 for Brighton but I clicked twice so it looks like I have 8' ! the addtional 4 incur a stripe fee for your error.
Due to admin volume I am unable to resell or readvertise your events if you can no longer make the date, however, you can resell (at no additional cost and not on social media) and advise me who is taking your place and where they are boarding the coach.
If we arrive in London and the show is cancelled I still have to pay for the coach. I will adjust the refund accordingly to offset the coach payment I have to make (that's if the show has been cancelled and we've arrived in London or wherever the show may be).
For me to be able to offer these events going forward the less admin burden I have then the more time I have to find shows and days out for us all to enjoy.
Stripe's payments platform lets me accept credit cards, debit cards, and popular payment methods around the world—all with a single integration.
Love to you all, N x
Just a reminder refunds are not available once you have booked.
Restaurant ideas close to the Theatres - helpful? I hope so...
I hope this list is helpful ....
Shatesbury Theatre Area:
Da Mario Italian Restaurant
Kanada Ramen Restaurant
Customer recommendation
Prix Fixe Brasserie - W1
French, ( customer saw Les Miserables with me).
Prince Edward Theatre Area
Café Boheme French Restaurant
Balans Restaurant
Maison Bertaux – Fantastic cake shop
https://www.maisonbertaux.com/
Sondheim Theatre Area (Shaftesbury Avenue)
Picturehouse Central for great salads and cakes
https://www.picturehouses.com/cinema/Picturehouse-Central
Zedel French Brasserie
https://www.brasseriezedel.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=GoogleMyBusiness
Dumplings Legend
https://chinatown.co.uk/en/restaurant/dumplings-legend/
London Palladium Area
Aqua Kyoto Japanese Restaurant
Pontis Italian Restaurant
Faros- Ive been here, we all really enjoyed . (Oxford Circus)
www.farosrestaruarant.co.uk
In general.
The Wellington Pub - Close to the Covent Garden
The Real Greek - All over London
The Royal Opera House - Covent Garden (roof top bar)
The Theatre Cafe - Strand/ Covent Garden
The Theatre Diner - Tottenham Court Road
Bar Codes and updates 13th October 2023
Good Morning, it appears the new website maybe be issuing bar codes on bookings - these are not your tickets so just ignore please.
Last night the group enjoyed The Choir of Man and Matilda, two equally brilliant shows.. thank you all for your positive feedback particularly the sweets on the coach, more Banana Toffees (noted) !
Next we have Abba Voyage on Sunday - loved by everyone each time we go!
Have a super lovely weekend everyone. Please do share the website with friends and family , invite anyone to join my private facebook group 'theatre trips essex' where you will hear all about upcoming events first.
Love N x
Harry Potter tour ready to book now
I have to tell you it's taken months and months to source group tickets for the Warner Studios Harry Potter Tour and finally I have these on sale now for Saturday the 16th of March 2024 ... The tour starts fairly early at 09.30am so I thought it would be nice to make a full day and stop on the return in the stunning St Albans which I hope you will enjoy as much as I have in the past on coach trips.
It's always made so much easier for us to travel by Coach, sit back, relax and enjoy the travel stress free from driving/ trains/ tubes and the like.
So we head to the venue on Saturday the 16th of March 2024.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour
Studio Tour Drive
Leavesden
WD25 7LR
The tickets are ready to book on the website, just search Potter and you will be able to find all the details. I think this would make a lovely gift idea for someone special. I wasn't really a Harry Potter fan until I saw the shows (matinee and evening show on the same day at the Palace Theatre , London) and absolutely loved it. Any questions - email me, nicolahaynes@yahoo.co.uk and I'll reply as super fast as I can Love N x
Good afternoon Theatre fans...
Good afternoon, I do hope your week is going well.. I've enjoyed the lovely weather as have the dogs.. Not too many walks as a tad too warm for them.
I'm planning lots of new trips and events for you - exciting having so much to look forward to. Mamma Mia the Party at the 02 is always a massive hit for the group and I hope to be able to offer these very soon for you.
I had two guest / group organiser tickets last night for 'Dear England'. Dad enjoyed the show - we managed to park outside the Prince Edward Theatre as he has the badge now - driving into the West End still far better than using Tubes/ Trains.Last week we enjoyed ' Old Friends ' another brilliant show.
This week we have Matilda and The Choir of Man.. next week we are off to Abba Voyage, Magic Mike and the Time Traveller's wife, what a mix which works perfectly for the group having so many choices.
I have some spaces on the mini break next year to Stratford upon Avon £40 is the deposit to hold the room. We had such a lovely time in June many customers rebooked as soon as I advertised.
Facebook group is where I often advise what's coming soon, so do join me there at theatre trips essex.
See you on the coach Love N x