Cultural activities

My husband and I enjoy walking and discovering the back streets of London as well as outside London as we are fortunate to have Freedom Passes. We often take a train to the last railway station we are allowed to use on the outskirts of London and then jump on a bus. We treat it as a challenge to see how far we can travel. In central London we think that peaceful streets and parks are preferable to busy streets full of tourists. Museums, especially in the school holidays, may be free but are full and noisy. Travel in to London and on the Underground is not what it used to be. We were taught to respect older people and give up our seats to them on public transport. It seems to be foreign folk who still do this while often small children do not sit on the lap of their parents but occupy a seat themselves. On the Underground the other day it was my husband who gave up his seat to a younger person with
crutches while parents with children occupying a seat just looked on.

24/7 opening of shops and night clubs open all night, especially during the working week, must be noisy for those living nearby.

We believe in supporting outer London theatres as they too have good shows. We also support local operatic groups and choirs.

I love to go to art galleries and museums but although most are free entry you have to pay to get into special exhibitions. As a pensioner the price is prohibitive and I think also for most people especially families and people on low incomes. In other countries and cities local people pay nothing or a reduced price to access exhibitions. Why doesn't this apply to Londoners?

I used to go to the West End theatre regularly but now I am priced out, even though I don't consider myself poor. Ticket prices are astonishingly high. I would support a move to have London residents (by a residency qualification, including people who are not necessarily British nationals) to have a percentage discount.
On the positive side, the over-pricing of the West End stage has led to the development of excellent fringe theatre which is often as good as the West End. Locally to me I would name the Brockley Jack Theatre, London Theatre New Cross and the Bunker Theatre.
These are professional, but another development from over-pricing is the growth of really excellent amateur productions which rival professional productions. My local amateur group is the Dulwich Players. Their recent production of The Compleat Female Stage Beauty was flawless.
On a similar theme, the excellent transport links across London now mean I can get to the Hampstead Theatre as quickly as I could get tot the West End in a journey (south-east to north-west London) which used to take hours. I think it is local theatre which will save the London stage.

I think London has a great deal to offer but I do think the theatre needs to be more affordable especially for those who find prices too high. The National and other theatres do have a number of special offers but there needs to be more especially in the West End. Of course there are commercial considerations but it is an area that needs a wider discussion so theatre is available to a wider audience

I have to agree that the price of theatre tickets is becoming outrageous through the marketing and selling strategies being implemented by the theatres. I recently sought tickets and discovered that it was going to be £80 for restricted view seats which is just not affordable when you go as a couple and add travel. That's almost £200 before you eat or drink anything. My children enjoy the theatre too but sadly i and my family have been priced out of one of the best sources of cultural education and entertainment.

Poetry events. Museums, ones that are slightly different like museum of childhood. Like the variety of short course on offer around London. But the cost of those prevent me. Like going to vegan festivals for bargains and new products. Love BFi especially it's African Odyssey showings. Love PeckhamPlex! Films at a great price. No longer like Brixton - it has become one huge eatery. Love going to talks at unusual venues like Institute of Psychiatry. Like local Film Festivals - Camberwell Free Film Festival for example which needs funding to keep going!! Like record shops. Like independent bookshops - New Beacon and Housman's are my faves. Archives and archivists - an unplanned visit to Southwark archives got me back on with my family tree! The emphasis on night culture is not healthy.

We finally have a 24 hour tube, at least for two nights of the week. Yet the number of music and dance venues (particularly those that stay open late), both in central London and in the periphery, has greatly reduced. Licensing rules need to be reviewed to ensure that well-run venues can exist to boost the night-time economy.

I love all kind of cultural activities, and London is one of the best cities in the world in this sense. However, the problem for a lot of people is the prices they have to pay, from transportation to any cultural show. In short each time you would end spending around £100.00 each time you want to go to a cultural event in London. I support the idea that the people in London should get some kind of support to enjoy the culture.

I think young people are getting a raw deal these days - so many youth clubs etc have been closed; there is so much stress within families and at school. This does contribute to crime. It's well known that arts and cultural activities can ameliorate stress and mental health issues which many youngsters suffer from. Also they can be a channel for youngsters to express their feelings form friendships and develop skills.They love dance, music and acting and will enjoy their spare time.

Older people can work with them on this as well.
So whatever money is available should be spent on encouraging young, disadvantaged and lonely people to get together to perform and share their talents. Whatever they produce could be performed in public and the funds collected go towards their expenses.

I enjoy theatre, opera, film, ballet, museums, art galleries. I usually attend theatre matinees because, being over 65, it costs less; but theatre prices are so high that I have to be very selective and can't afford to go to the large, more commercialised venues. Still, that means that I catch great plays at smaller theatres such as the Finborough, the Royal Court and the Young Vic, which offer incredibly good value for money. The opera, needless to say, is mainly out of reach - although seats are cheaper for new and less popular works. Sadly, the arts are grossly underfunded (except, of course, the Royal Opera), which means that they remain closed for very many Londoners.

I go to theatres, galleries, restaurants, museums, pretty well the lot. I'd like to go to more concerts, but that's simply a matter of me deciding to do that.

There are few limits to what I feel I can do in this wonderful city. Perhaps the most insidious and threatening limitation is the way that people with fewer resources are less able than they were to live and work in the city and so contribute to and participate in all its cultural richness.

I go to local music nights on a regular basis, there are hundreds of such events in London but with the demise of Time Out it is difficult to know what is going on outside local area apart from well known venues.
In terms of theatre and West End prices are generally exhorbitant.
Too many tickets bought by agencies and resold at higher prices.

Regarding the comment about opera: this activity already disproportionately receives more public (i.e. taxpayers') money than ballet and other art forms. It should not receive more but less. That way there would be more for other art forms, including traditional folk music. This has outlasted "all our lifetimes" far longer than opera which is really an upstart in music's history.

Circus!
More accessible companies like Ockham’s Razor please that offer workshops and let the audience have a go would be amazing. The biggest problem there is not more on offer is space. How about a dedicated creation and workshop space for circus like we have for other artforms?

There is a lot of emphasis on the West End. I would like to see some funds to support cultural stuff in the local areas where people live. Some councils still fund to a very limited extent, but to get high quality activity it needs funding for workers to do the legwork setting it up as ticket sales rarely cover the cost of a venue, artistes and the admin needed to ensure it's a good safe accessible venue.

There is so much to do in London that you would need to live forever to see it all. Theatre and all cultural arts are high on my list and I love doing the London walks- they are fun and informative and add to just walking around on your own, You learn things you would never ever learn from a guide book

I am surprised that so many comments say that price is a factor. A large proportion of the art on display at the two Tate galleries is free, and to judge from the length of queus for the special exhibitions the price is not dissuading art lovers. If the price were lower the queues would be longer. West end theatres are expensive but many small local theatres (Stratford East for example) have tickets for £10 if you book early. Many boroughs do have arrangements for their residents to get discounts. Islington has a deal with Sadlers Wells, Tower Hamlets with the Tower of London, for example. Going local would also avoid the cost and hassle of travelling to the centre.
And on the subject of local, an evening at the pub is surely a cultural event.