Royal Albert Hall 2026

Royal Albert Hall 2026

A wide-angle view of a grand concert hall filled with a large orchestra and the Merton Music Foundation choir, arranged in colorful sections on tiered seats, while dramatic purple stage lighting illuminates the scene.

Tuesday 10 March 2026

On Tuesday 10 March 2026 the Royal Albert Hall will burst with the sound of over 1,500 young musicians from Merton schools and MMF Music Centres.

Every Merton child deserves a chance to perform at the Royal Albert Hall

An unforgettable event

‘Lookin’ Up’

The theme of this year’s concert is ‘Lookin’ Up’, featuring a specially commissioned suite of music called ‘Lookin’ Up – The Story of Flight’.

The evening will feature performances from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, London Vocal Project, Derek Paravicini alongside some extraterrestrial surprises. Expect many astronomical favourites and the premier of new works from composers Pete Churchill, Olivia Murphy, Raph Clarkson, Lulu Vallejo and Adam Cracknell as well as MMF pupils.

A truly unforgettable event – Merton music making at its finest!

Tickets

Order online from RAH

Tickets go on sale from 10am on Tuesday 13 January and can be purchased from the Royal Albert Hall’s website and the MMF office.
Seat availability at the Hall comes in waves, particularly for the Stalls and Boxes due to many of these being privately owned. If the tickets you want aren’t available, please try again later as more are released on an ongoing basis – don’t worry there is plenty of space for everyone. (NB: you don’t need to buy a ticket for children that are performing in the show).
A large choir of children in bright green shirts sings on stage at a concert hall, with other groups in black and yellow attire seated behind them and an audience watching. Banners read Merton Music Foundation and Music is for Life.

Tickets returned to MMF

Some privately owned seats, mainly in the stalls and boxes, are donated back to MMF to sell directly.
We have had very high demand for returned tickets and are no longer accepting requests for tickets purchased directly from MMF. Please visit the RAH website to buy your ticket.

Ticket Prices

Ticket prices if purchased directly from MMF

(NB: tickets purchased from the Royal Albert Hall website are subject to a 10% booking fee plus £2 restoration levy).

Please contact: tickets@mmf.org.uk / 020 8640 5446 to request.

Area Price per seat Price (Under 16s) per seat
Grand Tier Box (each box seats up to 12) £48.00 £24.00
Loggia Box (each box seats up to 8) £43.50 £21.75
2nd Tier Box (each box seats up to 5) £39.00 £19.50
Stalls £35.00 £17.50
Arena £30.50 £15.25
Front Circle £26.00 £13.00
Rear Circle £16.20 £8.10
Restricted View £8.00 £4.00
Companion £0.00 £0.00
BSL user + their companions 50% fee each 50% fee each

Admin & Postage Fees

All tickets purchased directly by MMF are subject to a one-off transaction fee of £2.50

There is also an additional £2.50 fee for postage, if required (no postage fee if you collect directly from Merton Music Foundation South Wimbledon Music Centre, Merton Abbey Primary School, High Path, SW19 2JY).

School Seating Map

If your child is singing with their school, make sure to look at our school seating map so you can decide where to sit for the best view.

Ticket prices if purchased from RAH website

Area Price per seat

(inclusive of 10% booking fee and £2 restoration levy)

 Price (Under 16s) per seat

(inclusive of 10% booking fee and £2 restoration levy)
Grand Tier Box (each box seats up to 12) £54.80 £28.40
Loggia Box (each box seats up to 8) £49.85 £25.93
2nd Tier Box (each box seats up to 5) £44.90 £23.45
Stalls £40.50 £21.25
Arena £35.55 £18.78
Front Circle £30.60 £16.30
Rear Circle £19.82 £10.91
Restricted View £10.80 £6.40
Companion £0.00 £0.00
BSL user + their companions 50% fee each 50% fee each

School Seating Map

If your child is singing with their school, make sure to look at our school seating map so you can decide where to sit for the best view.

We are running a ticket bursary scheme, ensuring affordable tickets for all visitors and targeted free tickets for families who would otherwise struggle to attend. Free tickets will initially be limited to 1 per family.

Tickets have been allocated to schools to distribute to families directly, MMF has a limited number of tickets available for members of its ensembles.

If you aren’t offered a free ticket by your school, you could contact them to ask if there are any available.

If there are none available and you would be unable to attend otherwise, please contact: tempo@mmf.org.uk to be added to the waiting list for any unallocated tickets.

The Royal Albert Hall is an accessible venue.

There are tickets available on the wheelchair viewing platform, to book please contact the RAH’s dedicated access number: 020 7070 4410

This show will be British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted. Tickets for BSL users are half-price, and BSL users can also purchase companion tickets at half-price. The BSL seating area is in Stalls H – please select this option under ‘discounts’ when booking online via the RAH website. NB: to purchase a standard price ticket seated beside a BSL user / companion ticket, please contact RAH Box Office directly to request this: click here to visit the box office page of the Royal Albert Hall’s website (opens in new tab).

There are free companion tickets available for visitors with access needs.

If there is anything else that we can do to support your visit, please don’t hesitate to contact us: inclusion@mmf.org.uk / 020 8640 5446 – we’re here to help.

Concert start time

Doors will open at 6:15pm.

Live music taking place in the hall as a curtain raiser from 6:30pm and the concert starts at 7pm.

There will be a 30 minute interval, the concert is expected to finish at 10pm.

Commemorative Hoodies

Our parents’ association, FMYM, are selling commemorative hoodies for pupils and families involved in the concert.

Hoodies are a wonderful memento of the day, however please note performers don’t have to buy one and will not be able to wear them whilst performing at RAH.

A drummer sits at a drum kit, wearing a black hoodie with LOOKIN UP, the Royal Albert Hall logo, and the date 10-03-26 printed on the back. Sheet music and drums are visible in the background.

Performer Information

MMF Ensemble & Soundwave Pupils

Photo of MMF's Music is for Life concert at the Royal Albert Hall with a xylophone player holder his beaters aloft.

Merton School Participants

Children taking part in a music workshop, smiling and doing 'jazz hands'

Merton Music Foundation is grateful to the Royal Albert Hall for their support of this event through a charity discounted let. This is one of the many ways in which the Hall, which is an independent registered charity, supports others in the charitable sector.