In this guide
The Olivier Awards are British theatre’s top honours, handed out by the Society of London Theatre at the Royal Albert Hall. The 2026 ceremony, the 50th, was on Sunday 12 April 2026, hosted by Nick Mohammed and broadcast by the BBC.
The Society’s pages do not sell ceremony tickets. What the public can do is stand at the green carpet, which is free, or enter a sponsor’s prize draw. Both routes are below, with the one catch each carries.
💡 The Short Version: The way in is the green-carpet fan pens, a free standing area outside the Royal Albert Hall where you watch the nominees and guests arrive. Places are free, limited and drawn at random, and are booked through Applause Store, not the Society of London Theatre. They do not include the ceremony. The viewing area is outdoors with no shelter or chairs, opens at 3pm, and anyone selected should arrive at least an hour earlier. The ceremony is on the BBC.
Places are free. Anyone selling one voids it, so never pay for a green-carpet invitation.
The green carpet fan pens
The green carpet is the Oliviers’ red carpet: guests and talent walk it into the Royal Albert Hall before the ceremony, and the BBC broadcast includes footage of the arrivals. The fan pens are the public viewing areas outside the venue.
The Royal Albert Hall on Kensington Gore, with the Albert Memorial reflected in the entrance arch. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to get a place. The Society of London Theatre’s green-carpet page sends everyone to Applause Store, the free audience-ticket agency that also handles BAFTA and film-premiere fan pens. Register an account, then use Register Interest on the Olivier Awards page and Applause Store emails you when places are released. The Society says successful applications are selected at random.
The catch is the weather and the wait. The pens are standing areas, outdoors, with no shelter. The Society says it does not provide chairs: wheelchair users can be accommodated, and anyone who needs a seat should bring a small folding chair of their own. If you are selected, be there at least an hour before the viewing area opens at 3pm.
The rules. Applause Store’s page for the 2026 green carpet set a minimum age of 5, with under-18s accompanied by an adult. Applause Store’s general rules for its free places say:
- Tickets are over-allocated, so admission is not guaranteed, and entry is first come, first served.
- Your whole party must be present before you join the queue, and you cannot save a place for anyone.
- Photo ID rules vary by event and are printed on the ticket, so read that line. A photo or scan of an ID is not accepted.
Access pens. The Society says Applause Store also manages the access area for disabled guests, with applications made on the same site.
The prize draw
The title sponsor, Cunard, ran a prize draw for the 2026 ceremony. The Ultimate Olivier Awards with Cunard Experience was open to UK residents aged 18 or over, with one entry per person and no purchase needed. It ran through cunard.com and closed on 5 February 2026.
The prize covered the Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April 2026. It included:
- a behind-the-scenes tour of the Royal Albert Hall
- a photograph with an Olivier Award
- two nights at The Londoner, a five-star hotel in Leicester Square
- arrival by chauffeur and a walk along the green carpet with the nominees
- the ceremony, watched live
The draw included seats at the ceremony itself, which the fan pens do not.
The Society’s own guide to getting tickets, written for the ceremony on Sunday 2 April 2023, said tickets were available exclusively to Mastercard cardholders through priceless.com. Cunard was the title sponsor for the 2026 ceremony.
Judge the Oliviers
The Society of London Theatre recruits public panellists each year to judge categories, which is a way to be part of the awards rather than outside them.
- There are five panels: theatre, affiliate (smaller and non-West End London theatres), opera, dance and family.
- Panellists see every eligible production in their category, and normally receive two free tickets to each show plus a programme. The role is unpaid and lasts a year, and expenses are not covered.
- Theatre, dance, opera and affiliate panellists must be 18 or over and apply with a 150-word review of a production they saw in the past year, plus a list of the other productions they have seen.
- The family panel takes an adult with a child under 14, who judges Best Family Show with them.
The Society announced the 2027 panel round on 3 December 2025, and applications have closed. It publishes the 2028 round on officiallondontheatre.com.
Watching from home
The Society lists the 2026 ceremony on BBC iPlayer, and a special Radio 2 show hosted by Jo Whiley on BBC Sounds. The Society puts ceremonies and performances from the last decade on the Official London Theatre YouTube channel. The 2026 performances included Evita, Into the Woods, Paddington The Musical, Phantom of the Opera, The Producers, Shucked, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Wicked.
The shows that win are the shows to book. Our London theatre guide covers how to choose one and pay less for it, and dinner and a show pairs a booking with the meal beforehand.
Where the Royal Albert Hall is
The hall is on Kensington Gore, in South Kensington. Our South Kensington area guide has the stations and what is nearby. For the other nights the hall hosts, see Award Ceremonies and Galas in London, which covers the Fashion Awards and the Royal Variety Performance, and the Last Night of the Proms.
Continue planning your London trip
- 🏆 Award Ceremonies and Galas in London — every event the public can get into, and the ones it cannot
- 📺 National Television Awards Tickets — seats from £25 at The O2, and the red carpet
- 🎬 BAFTA Red Carpet — the other free fan pens, booked through the same agency
- 🎭 London Theatre: How to Choose a Show and Pay Less for It
- 🍽️ Dinner and a Show in London
- 🏛️ South Kensington Area Guide
Common questions
Can the public buy tickets to the Olivier Awards?
The Society of London Theatre's pages for the 2026 ceremony name two public routes: free green-carpet fan-pen places through Applause Store, and a prize draw run by the title sponsor, Cunard. Neither is a ticket for sale. The fan pens are outside the Royal Albert Hall and do not include the ceremony.
How do I get Olivier Awards green carpet tickets?
Register a free account with Applause Store, the audience agency the Society of London Theatre points to, and use Register Interest on its Olivier Awards page. Places are free, limited and allocated at random.
Are Olivier Awards green carpet tickets free?
Yes. Applause Store describes them as free and says anyone found selling a place has it voided. Do not pay anyone for one.
When are the Olivier Awards in 2027?
The Society of London Theatre publishes the date on officiallondontheatre.com. The 2026 ceremony was on Sunday 12 April 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Nick Mohammed.
How old do you have to be for the Olivier Awards green carpet?
Applause Store's page for the 2026 green carpet set a minimum age of 5, with anyone under 18 accompanied by an adult.
What time does the Olivier Awards green carpet open?
The Society of London Theatre's green-carpet page gives 3pm as the time the viewing area opens, and asks anyone selected to be there at least an hour before. The viewing areas are outside, with no shelter.
Can I be in the audience at the Olivier Awards?
The Cunard prize draw for the 2026 ceremony included green-carpet access and seats at the ceremony, with a night at The Londoner and a behind-the-scenes tour of the Royal Albert Hall. Entry was through cunard.com, for UK residents aged 18 or over, and closed on 5 February 2026.
Can I judge the Olivier Awards?
Yes. The Society of London Theatre recruits public panellists to judge categories. The role is unpaid, open to anyone 18 or over, and comes with two free tickets to each eligible show. Applications for the 2027 panels have closed.
Where can I watch the Olivier Awards?
On the BBC. The 2026 ceremony was on BBC iPlayer, with a special BBC Radio 2 show on BBC Sounds. The Society also puts earlier ceremonies on the Official London Theatre YouTube channel.
