Festival Theatre Stratford Ontario
55 Queen Street, Stratford, ON
This is the big house, north of downtown at the edge of the park. The stage comes out into the room. You are never looking at a picture frame; you are looking across a platform, and the seat you choose decides whether you see a face or a profile.
See the official seating chart & buy tickets
We don't sell tickets. Buy only from the official box office.
- Seats
- 1,833
- Stage
- Thrust — audience on three sides
- Since
- Tent in 1953; this building in 1957
- Box office
- In the building. 1-800-567-1600
Map
Parking
You are not in the metered downtown core. The Festival's own map is the one to trust for the current lot. This guide does not restate a Festival Theatre lot price. Accessible parking should be pre-booked.
Nearest lots
FreePaid cityFestival
Accessibility
Special-access seating is on the orchestra level. Book it when you book the ticket. The company cannot provide one-on-one physical help, so come with a companion if you need that.
Seating, without the chart
- Centre, a few rows back, is the straightforward view of faces on the thrust. Extreme side seats watch the play in profile.
- Centre orchestra is the close, expensive picture. A centre balcony seat is the usual better-value choice when you want the whole stage rather than the front row.
- The aisles are ordinary theatre aisles, not the climb at the Studio.
- There is no seating chart on this page. The official chart is the only one that knows which seats are actually on sale tonight.
Best seat for your budget
The stage is a thrust, so the audience sits on three sides. Side seats and balcony seats still see the play. You are choosing an angle, not a view of the back of a set.
Festival discount zones: Play On covers Bravo, B, A and A+. Rush is not sold in the Globe Ring, Founders' Row, Spotlight or Bravo zones. The prices and the 2027 terms are on Ways to save. Those zones are Festival tickets, not a price list for every room in town.
See the official seating chart & buy tickets
We don't sell tickets. Buy only from the official box office. This page does not copy a seating chart.
Parking and intermission
Nearest lots: the Festival and Tom Patterson lots, $20 if you pre-book with the tickets, or $25 on the day. Lots open 2 hours before the performance. Special-access parking is limited, so reserve it.
The Cooper and Downie lots are free for 24 hours.
Pre-order interval drinks in the Festival's StratFest OnSite app.
Picnics can be pre-ordered 48 hours ahead and collected within 2 hours of the show at the Festival Theatre or the Tom Patterson Theatre.
Café hours: from 2 hours before the show until the end of intermission. At the Tom Patterson, hot food goes until 2:30 on matinee days.
Current plays here
These are the shows in this guide's file for the Festival Theatre. Curtain times still have to be read on your ticket.
Guys and Dolls
2026 · final performances · 2026-10-01 to 2026-11-14
Frank Loesser's Broadway fable, in its final performances at the Festival Theatre after the 2026 season was extended.
Something Rotten!
2026 · final performances · 2026-10-01 to 2026-11-15
A musical comedy about two brothers trying to out-write Shakespeare, extended through November 15, 2026.
Mary Poppins
2027 · 2027-04-29 to 2027-11-06
The practically perfect nanny, as a musical on the thrust stage.
Chicago
2027 · 2027-05-24 to 2027-11-07
Roxie, Velma and the jazz-age trial, as a musical.
Hamlet
2027 · 2027-06-20 to 2027-10-30
Directed by Des McAnuff, with Thomas Duplessie as Hamlet. Opening night is the anniversary of the Festival's first performance in 1953.
Where to eat nearby
Walking minutes are planning estimates. Menus and hours belong to the restaurant. We do not book a table.
Menus and hours are on each restaurant's own site.
Stratford Festival cafés
55 Queen Street and 111 Lakeside Drive
Walk. In the building Planning estimate, not a measured Festival time.
The reliable pre-show meal: a sandwich, a light plate, a drink, or a picnic you ordered ahead. Do not assume the counter is still open after the bows.
Open Monday: —
Their site only. We do not take a reservation, copy the menu, or quote a price.
The Restaurant at The Bruce
89 Parkview Drive
Walk. The hotel says it is steps from the Festival Theatre Planning estimate, not a measured Festival time.
A reserved dinner before an evening show at the Festival Theatre, if you are seated early. Don't count on a table at 7:10 for a 7:30 curtain.
Open Monday: —
Their site only. We do not take a reservation, copy the menu, or quote a price.
The Starlight
64 Wellington Street
Walk. About 22 minutes each way Planning estimate, not a measured Festival time.
Dinner from late afternoon, and the kitchen stays open late. Ideal after a matinee, or after an evening show. A pre-show table only works if you are already downtown and seated early.
Open Monday: —
Their site only. We do not take a reservation, copy the menu, or quote a price.
Bentley's Bar, Inn & Restaurant
99 Ontario Street
Walk. About 22 minutes Planning estimate, not a measured Festival time.
Open late, so it is the straightforward after-show stop downtown. Fine before the Avon or Studio if you sit down with time to spare.
Open Monday: —
Their site only. We do not take a reservation, copy the menu, or quote a price.