How to attend London Film Festival for free or £6: every BFI discount checked

The 70th BFI London Film Festival runs in London and around the UK from 7 to 18 October. Its programme contains 251 titles — features, shorts, series and immersive works — from 88 countries. Standard London screening and event tickets start at £10, but official BFI rules provide several ways to pay £6 or nothing at all.

Who can buy a £6 ticket?

Anyone aged 16 to 25 can open a free BFI 25 and Under account and buy available £6 tickets, including selected red-carpet premieres and Screen Talks. Numbers are limited, the discount cannot be applied after purchase, and each person may buy one discounted ticket.

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More £6 tickets are released at 1pm every Friday until 16 October. During the festival, BFI also advises checking the website after 10am each morning, when returned and newly available seats go on sale for that day's screenings.

Can benefit recipients get £6 tickets?

Yes. People receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit or Jobseeker's Allowance can buy £6 on-the-day tickets, subject to availability. You must first register in person at the BFI box office and bring two documents proving eligibility. Once registered, you can book the ticket online on the day.

What other concessions are available?

Concession tickets for many screenings cost £10 on weekdays before 5pm and £12 at weekends before noon. They are available to people aged 60 or over, students with valid ID, unwaged people, benefit recipients and disabled visitors. Family strand tickets are £10 for adults and £6 for children; relaxed screenings are always £6.

At BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX, Curzon Soho, ICA, Prince Charles Cinema and Vue West End, standard tickets are £13 for weekday matinees before 5pm and £18 for evenings or weekend screenings before noon. Gala premieres cost £21–£30, while opening and closing nights cost £40.

What can you attend for free?

LFF for Free includes talks, panel discussions, short film screenings, family workshops and DJ nights at BFI Southbank. Announced guests and subjects include Cate Blanchett and the Displacement Film Fund, screenwriter Andrew Davies, actor and disability advocate Adam Pearson, filmmaker Mark Cousins, Girls on Film Podcast, documentary, disability on screen, internet culture, podcasting, gaming and film criticism.

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The free Displacement Film Fund programme runs for 133 minutes and contains five shorts by filmmakers from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and Iran. Cate Blanchett and guest filmmakers introduce the programme. It carries an LFF15 certificate and BFI advises that it contains themes of self-harm.

Families can attend Build A Bug and The Mermaid Parade. Free DJ nights cover 1980s New York, Latin American music, the sound of The Haçienda and chart hits from 2016.

Free events require booking and are limited to two tickets per person. A ticket does not guarantee admission because BFI over-allocates to account for no-shows. Doors open 15 minutes before the advertised time and admission is first come, first served. If tickets have gone, try the standby queue 15 minutes before the event.

What access provision is available?

The programme identifies screenings and events with descriptive subtitles, BSL interpretation, audio description, relaxed presentation, closed captions through WatchWord smart glasses and live captioning. English-language LFF 2026 shorts available on BFI Player have closed captions and audio description.

For access bookings, call 020 7960 2102 or email access@bfi.org.uk; BFI welcomes text relay calls. Check the access symbol on the individual event before booking.

What if a screening is sold out?

For BFI Southbank and Royal Festival Hall, join the standby queue at BFI Southbank 30 minutes before the screening; released tickets become available about 15 minutes before it starts. At other London venues, BFI recommends trying the standby queue 15 minutes before the advertised time.

Money-saving tip: check online after 10am first, then try the official standby queue. This is safer than paying a reseller. BFI bans resale at more than 20% above face value and may cancel the original ticket.

Can you get a refund?

No. Festival rules state that there are no exchanges or refunds for any customer. Check the date, venue, age restriction and transport before paying.

Updated on 11 October 2026 using the current BFI programme. The festival ends on 18 October.