Your visit

We have a strict no refund policy on our tickets but, where applicable, we can exchange your tickets for an alternative performance of the same event up to 24 hours prior to the original performance date (subject to availability). There is an administration charge of £1 per ticket exchanged.

For more information on refunds or exchanges, please see our full Terms & conditions.

We are pleased to offer ticket refund protection with Secure My Booking. You can now add on ticket refund protection at point of purchase for £1.95 per ticket.

With Secure My Booking ticket refund protection, you can apply for a refund in the event of:

• Accident, injury, or illness including COVID-19
• Severe weather preventing travel to the venue
• Travel delays due to breakdown or public transport breakdowns & strikes
• Plus much more!

For full terms & conditions please visit: https://securemybooking.com/terms/uk/

When purchasing tickets you will be offered ticket refund protection at the time of checkout. Please note that it is not possible to add ticket refund protection after you have purchased your tickets.

Our Box Office is open for you to collect your tickets Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm, or from two hours before all shows.

If you chose e-tickets when you booked, search for box.office@boxoffice.hackneyempire.co.uk in your inbox to find your e-tickets!

Don’t worry if you can’t find them, they’ll also be resent to you the day before the show!

We can scan your e-tickets directly from any phone or device, or you can print them out if you’d prefer.

Please note that we cannot accept screenshots of tickets.

You can book online or pay in person or over the phone using major credit and debit cards. Please note that we cannot accept American Express.

Our Box Office and theatre bars are now card-only.

For most of our shows, the running time will be listed on the webpage of the show that you booked for.

However, some of our shows are still in development, and so we don’t know the running time immediately. In this case, we always aim to include the running time in the pre-show email that goes out the day before the show.

To find out if there's a specific age guidance for the show you're looking to come and see, please check on the webpage itself. If there is one it'll be listed inside the black box.

For all of our shows, we don't allow unaccompanied children under the age of 14 into Hackney Empire and all under 14's must be accompanied by an adult (18+).

Our Gallery has unreserved bench seating and is not recommended for under 14s.

Hackney Empire is a 5-minute walk from Hackney Central Overground station.

Hackney Empire does not have any parking on site but check out JustPark to see where you might be able to pay to park locally.

There are a few accessible car parking spaces around Hackney Empire for blue badge holders.

Our doors open between 45 and 60 minutes before the show starts. Join us when they do and enjoy a drink at one of our theatre bars.

There is no dress code at all at Hackney Empire. Please come in whatever makes you feel comfortable!

If you have a ticket in the Stalls or the Dress Circle, then please enter via the Main Entrance on Mare Street. If you have a ticket in the Upper Circle or the Gallery, or are using the Step-Free Entrance, then please enter via Wilton Way.

Please click on the map below for more information about where your entrance is.

Map of Hackney Empire

Our Gallery has unreserved bench seating and is not recommended for under 14s. We advise getting to Hackney Empire when doors open if you want a seat at the front of the Gallery.

We take the safety and security of all of our visitors very seriously. If you’re coming to the venue, please make sure you arrive in plenty of time to pass through our security checks.

There will be bag checks in operation at the doors of Hackney Empire when you arrive and our security team may do random spot checks for your safety and to comply with our policies.

We don't allow large bags into the auditorium but you may bring small bags & handbags in with you.

If you have to bring a large bag with you to Hackney Empire, you can leave it at our free cloakroom. All bags will be checked before being accepted into the cloakroom.

The cloakroom closes after the end of the show, so you must collect all items before you leave.

You may bring in bottled water, but we don't allow any other external food & drink to be brought into Hackney Empire.

But don't worry, we have a bar on every level selling a range of drinks and snacks.

Yes, you can join the free Hackney Empire WiFi to get online and tell all of your friends about us!

The maximum capacity of Hackney Empire is 1268 (seated shows), 1631 (standing gigs), and this is split across four levels: Stalls, Dress Circle, Upper Circle and Gallery.

For most of our shows, we will try to admit latecomers at a suitable point in the show. However, for some shows, this will not be possible, and in these cases our pre-show email will make it clear that latecomers will not be admitted.

Babes in arms (children 12 months and under unless otherwise stated at the time of booking) are only permitted at family and children's shows that are specifically aimed at them. Where babes in arms are permitted, they will be admitted free of charge.

For our pantomime only, children aged 3 and under do not need a ticket if they sit upon a parent’s or guardian’s lap for the performance. Children aged 3 and under who require a seat of their own must have a valid ticket.

For all of our family shows, we have a limited number of booster seats available for children to use. Please arrive when doors open and ask a member of our Front of House team for one.

We aren't able to have buggies inside the auditorium for health & safety reasons. We have a buggy park which is usually in Empire 2 at the back of Hackney Empire. Please head round to the back of the building to drop off your buggy and then come back round to enjoy the show.