Empress Museum Seating Plan

Four seating banks around a central ring, one tier, no levels. No Stalls, no Circle, no balcony above you, so none of the usual warnings apply: no overhang, no pillars, no safety rail across your view. The banks are Yellow, Purple, Blue and Empress, and every one runs rows A to L with no row I. Row A is ringside, row L is the back.

The one thing to understand before you pick a seat

The back rows are good seats here. At most venues the back is the compromise. Here it is a choice. The aerial acts happen above the ring, and from rows J, K and L you see the shape of them properly instead of craning up at them. The operator says the same: the front row for being close, the back rows for the flying.

Where we'd put you

• Ringside, row A of any bank, if you want to be in it. The closest you can get, a few metres from the performers, with the most legroom in the Big Top. It's the top price for a standard ticket, and the only step-free row
• Rows B to F, for most people. Close enough to feel part of it, high enough to see across the ring, and the widest rows in each bank sit here
• The back rows, J to L, if somebody in your group is coming for the trapeze rather than the ringside atmosphere. You see the aerial work whole

The four banks

The banks are close in size and they see the ring equally well, so which colour you are in matters less than which row you pick.

• Yellow, 210 seats, the biggest bank. Two wheelchair spaces in row A
• Purple, 168 seats, the one bank with no wheelchair space
• Blue, 168 seats, the mirror image of Purple. Two wheelchair spaces in row A
• Empress, 161 seats, VIP only

Your ticket will have a colour, and that is how you find your seat on the night: head for your colour, then your row and number. There are four entrances, one for each colour, so it's much easier than finding your way round a normal theatre. Because this is in the round, there is no left or right. Every seat faces a different way, which is exactly why the colours exist.

The widest row in each bank is row F. Behind it the banks narrow, because those outer rows stop short of the full width of the section.

The Empress bank and the VIP package

You cannot buy a seat in Empress as a normal ticket. It is sold as the Showman Package, which bundles priority entry, drinks in the Sky Terrace, hot food, photo opportunities with the performers and a gift to take home, and those seats come with small side tables for a glass. If you are looking at a seating plan and wondering why a quarter of the seats are unavailable, that is why. Ask us on 020 7193 9050 if you want to book it.

Where we'd spend less

Ringside is the dearest standard seat. The rows behind it cost less, and for the aerial acts the back rows see more, so if the trapeze is the draw, a back-row seat is the better buy as well as the cheaper one. The day of the week does not change the price here, so put the money into the row rather than the night.

Where to think twice

• The top rows, if you're unsteady on stairs. Row L means climbing twenty steps with nothing to hold on to. Book row A, or as close to it as you can, and see the access page for every row's count.
• The outer corners at the very back. From there you miss a little of what happens right beside you. It's a small loss, and the only one in the Big Top.

Step-free seating

Row A of every bank is step-free. The wheelchair spaces are in row A of the Yellow, Blue and Empress banks, and the Empress one carries VIP pricing. The access page has the detail.

The seating plan

The plan shows all four banks around the ring. Tap a bank to see what's left on your date and what it costs, then pick your seat from there.

Call us on 020 7193 9050 if you'd rather talk it through with someone.