Upper Tier at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Rows K to U, where most of the cheaper seats are. Behind row O the rake gets noticeably steeper again. Row U is the back row, added in 2023.
Do not book row K
A high rail runs across the front of the whole of row K and sits in the view. It is the first row of the tier, so it is not priced as a cheap seat, and you would be paying a full price to look through a rail. Every other row in this tier is a better buy at the money, and if the gap to the back of the Lower Tier is small on your date, that is better still.
Where to sit
Rows L to N, towards the middle. Clear of the rail, not yet into the steepest part of the rake, and still inside the range we would send anyone to. The centre of these rows is usually top price, so they are a good seat rather than a cheap one. For a lower price with a clear view, go further out towards the ends of rows L to R, as near the aisle as you can.
Behind that the seats climb hard, and by rows S and T the rake has carried you a long way up. The sound is fine there, but the performers are small. Row U is the back row and sits partly under the lighting gantry, which pigeons use. Two single seats in it, U36 and U73, have very little legroom and suit nobody much over 5ft 5.
The stairwell seats
A handful of seats sit against the stairwells with rails that cut across the performers, and in the worst of them you lose heads. They are O 20 to 25 and 62 to 66, P 20 to 25 and 67 to 72, and if you are fussy about it, Q 22 to 26 and R 68 to 72.
The theatre sells most of that first group, O 20 to 24 and 62 to 66, at the cheapest price because of it, and those seats are central. O 25 has the same rail without the lower price, so leave that one alone. If budget decides it, the rest are a fair swap: a cheap central seat with a rail in the way.
If heights bother you
The theatre is one long slope, so the seats towards T and U are high up. It is an extreme case rather than a general warning: at the extreme edges and right at the back you may notice it, and anywhere else in this tier you should not.
If you know that about yourself there is a route as well as a seat. Walk up the centre aisles rather than the side ones, and book towards the middle of a row rather than the outermost seats.
The trees
The far ends of row T can catch overhanging foliage and falling leaves, depending on how recently things have been pruned! It is a park, and by the end of the season it shows.
Getting up here
The steps are steep, and the theatre says plainly that these rows do not suit anyone with limited mobility. If steps are a problem, row J at the top of the Lower Tier is level.
The weather from up here
The back rows are the coldest seats in the theatre once the sun goes down, so bring a jumper to an evening performance up here. The weather route has the rest.
Upper Tier FAQs
Which Upper Tier seats should I avoid at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre?
Row K, which has a rail across the front of the whole row at a price that does not reflect it. After that the stairwell seats in rows O and P, where rails cut across the performers. If heights bother you, the seats to think twice about are the extreme edges and the back rows, T and U, and the centre aisles are the ones to walk up.
Where is the value in the Upper Tier?
Towards the ends of rows L to R rather than the middle. The centre of the Upper Tier near the front is usually sold at top price, while the outer seats cost less and still see the whole stage. The cheapest central seats are in row O by the stairwells, if you can live with a rail in the view. Price breaks change with each production, so check the plan for your date.
How many steps are there to the Upper Tier?
The theatre does not publish a count. Expect steep steps all the way up, with a handrail at the end of each row.