LSE Events FAQ

LSE hosts a public lecture programme featuring hundreds of events each year, where some of the most influential figures in the social sciences can be heard. Upcoming events are all featured on the LSE events website. To receive updates about the programme you can sign up to receive our e-newsletter, or follow us on X (twitter).

In addition to the public lecture programme there are a large number of other events taking place at LSE hosted by academic departments, research centres or student societies - many of which are also listed on the Public Events web pages.

The LSE events programme - with information on LSE public lectures, talks and seminars - is published three times a year and a copy of the PDF is uploaded on our website. If you would like to be notified of when it becomes available, sing up to our mailing list here.

No! While LSE does not teach arts or music, there is a vibrant cultural side to the School, from weekly Thursday lunchtime free music concerts in the Shaw Library and an LSE orchestra and choir with their own professional conductors, to various film, art and photographic student societies and the annual LSE Literary Festival. See LSE Arts and for more information.

The vast majority of events are free to attend, including those which require a ticket.

No, all events as part of the public lecture programme are open to anyone to attend. There will be occasionally events open only to the LSE community, but this would be made clear on the event weblisting.

You should visit the individual event weblistings for full details on entry information as these can vary from event to event. See below for further information.

Many LSE events are full and so we do encourage people to turn up in good time to avoid disappointment. If there is space in the room, and the event will not be disturbed by late arrivals, then we will allow people in after the start of the event.

Please note, admittance to any LSE event is always at the discretion of the event organiser.

Because our events are free to attend, we don't have the resources to ticket all the events taking place at LSE, so we only ticket events where we expect the interest to be significantly higher than the capacity of the venue. For most LSE events entry is on a first come first served basis, and events are on average 70% full.

We recommend that you arrive at the venue 25-30 minutes before the event is scheduled to start to maximise your chances of gaining entry to the event, although for the majority of events those arriving 10-15 minutes before the start time are still very likely to get a seat. Please note, however, that no guarantees can be made.
Doors usually open around 30 minutes before the advertised start time.

For very popular events, it is possible that you will have to queue. We aim to open the theatre doors around 30 minutes before the start of the event, and fill the seats as quickly as possible to avoid unnecessary queuing. Your cooperation in being seated where you are directed by the event stewards is much appreciated.

There is no standing allowed for health and safety reasons, we cannot exceed the legal capacity of the venue so once all the seats in the venue are full we unfortunately have to turn people away.

Yes, but it is not possible to book a space, so for any large groups attending we recommend arriving in good time, at least 30 minutes before the start of the event, to give you the best chance of gaining entry and being seated together.

Entry is on a first come, first served basis, so it is not possible to save seats once inside the venue. If you are waiting for a friend, we ask that you wait outside and then take your seats together.

Please check the individual weblistings for details for each event. There are different arrangements in place for members of the public and for LSE staff and students. If you are an LSE staff of student, please see the question below.

Tickets for the annual Christmas and Spring concerts can be booked via the LSE Online Store. Tickets for the LSE Festival can be booked via the

An allocation of tickets for LSE staff and students is usually made available for via the online ticket registration link. Please ensure you use your LSE email address to ensure you have the best chance of getting a ticket.

For some of the most popular events, LSE Alumni are given an allocation of tickets to distribute to alumni of the School. To hear about these opportunities please ensure that your contact details are up to date with the alumni office, by emailing alumni@lse.ac.uk or logging onto your alumni account at www.alumni.lse.ac.uk.

Admission is on a first-come-first-served basis for those with tickets. Not everyone who books uses their ticket, so, to ensure a full house, we allocate more tickets than there are places. We also run returns queues at the events and fill any empty seats with those waiting outside the theatre shortly before the start of the event. This usually means we have a full house without having to turn people away, but there may be occasions when we do have more people than seats available. Please ensure you arrive at least 15 minutes before the start time to avoid disappointment. Please note, tickets are not transferable- if you can't make it, and this means an empty place, then this would be allocated to someone waiting in the returns queue.

It is not possible to get a ticket once the event is fully booked, but for the majority of events we run returns queues- a physical queue of people waiting outside the venue. If any seats are left empty by ticketholders, we will fill those seats with people waiting in the returns queue on a first come, first served basis. Entry via the returns queue is not guaranteed. Please see individual weblisting for more details.

The returns queue begins from the point when the first person arrives, which can be over an hour before the start of the event. Clearly the nearer to the front of the queue you are, the better your chance of getting in, and we would certainly recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before the start of the event.

For most ticketed events some people from the returns queue do get in, but there is no guarantee of entry and the numbers vary from event to event. Where possible we try to run a live videolink of the event to a venue close by, so those unable to gain access to the event via the returns queue can watch it live. We always try to keep the returns queue updated on chances of getting in as it nears the start of the event.

Please contact the Press Office if you would like to request a press seat or have a media query about this event, email LSE.Press.Events@lse.ac.uk. Please note that press seats are usually allocated at least 24 hours before each event.

Unless otherwise stated, audience members are allowed to bring bags into LSE events, but LSE reserves the right to make a search of bags a condition of entry to its venues.

For some of the most high profile ticketed events, for the safety of the speaker and the audience we are required to implement a no bag policy. This will be made clear to you via email in advance of the event. Small handbags may be allowed in at the discretion of LSE security staff, subject to a search. There would usually not be a cloakroom facility, so please ensure you don't bring bags to the event if you are advised not to do so.

Please refer to the individual event weblisting for the exact location of the event. The vast majority of our events take place on the LSE campus in Central London. Once you know which venue the event is being held in, you can look at the to see where it is on campus.

Located in central London, LSE is easily accessible by a range of public transport including tube, rail and bus. Cycling and driving to LSE are also options. Please see for full details.

LSE offers great value accommodation in our central London halls of residence that can be booked online at www.lsevacations.co.uk.

No, but for the majority of events you can take your coats and bags in with you.

Our events last for an hour and a half. The speaker or speakers will present for the first half of the event before we open up to questions from the audience. You are welcome to ask a question or make a comment but please try to be concise and to the point so other members of the audience can get involved in the discussion too.

Many of our events are either live streamed, audio or video recorded and are made available on our website to watch and listen to again. Please be aware that by attending our events you may be visible in the audience in photos or in the video of the event, and if you ask any questions these are likely to feature in our podcasts

If you are a social media user, you could post during the event using #LSEEvents.

LSE has wireless Wi-Fi for guests and visitors in association with 'The Cloud', also in use at many other locations across the UK. If you are on campus visiting for the day or attending a conference or event, you can connect your device to wireless. See more information and create an account at Join the Cloud.

Visitors from other participating institutions are encouraged to use eduroam. If you are having trouble connecting to eduroam, please contact your home institution for assistance. The Cloud is only intended for guest and visitor access to wifi. Existing LSE staff and students are encouraged to use eduroam instead.

You are welcome to take photos at the event but please do not use flash photography as it is very off-putting for the speaker and disruptive for other members of the audience. If you take a good one why not tweet it using the event's Twitter hashtag?

No food or drink, with the exception of water, is allowed to be consumed in LSE venues.

There are a range of LSE catering outlets on campus. To see the different venues and their opening times see Restaurants and Cafes.

If you have any access requirements, please contact the event organiser as far as possible in advance of the event you are planning to attend so that arrangements, where possible, can be made. For ticketed events, please make sure you get in touch in advance of the ticket release date. Details of the event organiser can be found on the event listing, or email events@lse.ac.uk and we can forward on your request if applicable.

Accessibility guides for all LSE building and venues can be viewed on the Disabled GO website.

The larger venues at LSE are fitted with hard of hearing support systems.

The Sheikh Zayed Theatre, Wolfson Theatre and all teaching rooms in the Cheng Kin Ku Building have a wired induction loop, which requires a standard hearing aid, set to T-loop position.

The Peacock Theatre, Old Theatre, Hong Kong Theatre and TW1.G.01, as well as the teaching rooms in Clement House and the Old Building have an infra-red system, which requires a headset. Please contact the event organiser to book this in advance of the event. Hearing loops should be collected from and returned to the organiser of the event.

If this does not meet your requirements, please get in touch with the event organiser in advance of the event to discuss what else can be arranged.

The large venues at LSE have at least one wheelchair space. Wheelchair spaces should be reserved in advance of the event. Where an event is ticketed, it is not necessary to apply for an audience ticket, please get in touch directly with the event organiser to book a space.

Yes, please get in touch directly with the event organiser in advance of the event, so that a space at the event can be reserved for you.

The majority of our events are also hybrid now so audience members can pre-register to watch the event via LSE Live. Please see individual weblistings for further details.

We aim to make all LSE events available as a podcast subject to receiving permission from the speaker/s to do this, and subject to no technical problems with the recording of the event. Podcasts are normally available 7 working days after the event. If the event was live streamed, you can also watch the event immediately after at the LSE YouTube channel. See the for a full list of podcast recordings.

The pages list events by date. If you are not sure of the date, or if the event didn't take place in the last week or so, then it can be easier to search for the event via the LSE events homepage and access the recording from the event weblisting, where there will be a direct link.

Speakers are encouraged to provide a transcript to place on the website after the event, however for various reasons this is not always feasible. If we do have a transcript, this will be uploaded on the event's individual weblisting.

You can email us at events@lse.ac.uk or leave a message on 020 7955 6043. If you think there is an important questions missing, let us know, so we can add it in and try to help as many people as possible.

We are always happy to consider suggestions, though we do receive a large number and we are unfortunately not able to accommodate them all. Please email your proposal to events@lse.ac.uk.

The facilities available to hire at LSE range from the Peacock Theatre , a 1,000 seat West End Theatre, through tiered lecture theatres for 400 and 200, our two innovative Harvard-style theatres for 60, six modern flat-floored teaching rooms for 120 to a range of smaller seminar rooms for 20-50 people and more traditional committee style meeting rooms. See Hiring space at LSE for further information or contact event.services@lse.ac.uk.

We recruit LSE students to act as event stewards at our events about twice a year. Vacancies will be advertised via the LSE careers hub. We cannot accept speculative applications.