London is one of the best cities in the world, and while it has its faults – house prices and rents are absolutely exorbitant, for example – the range of events, shows, exhibitions, gigs, cinemas, and other cultural features is extremely diverse and extensive.
The only issue is, well, actually getting tickets to these events, especially the hottest ones in the biggest stadiums and arenas.
In 2026, successfully buying gig tickets in London can feel like a part-time job: you open a dozen tabs, join a queue that doesn’t move, and somehow it’s “sold out” before you’ve even found the checkout button.
The good news? You actually don’t need luck or insider contacts, just a simple system.
Things like setting up the presale routes that reliably unlock early access, prepping your ticketing accounts, and knowing what to do when the first wave disappears can make a big difference between you seeing your favourite artists and not.
To help you get the tickets you want, we’ve created this handy guide. Of course, these steps don’t guarantee tickets, but they will put you in the best position.
The rules of the game in 2026
The first thing to know is that “sold out” rarely means “gone forever”; it usually signals that the initial allocation has disappeared, and that’s it.
More tickets can pop up later for boring, practical reasons: production holds get released, extra dates get added, returns land back in the system, and venues or promoters drip-feed small batches rather than dumping everything at once.
The other big rule is that the route you buy tickets through matters as much as speed.
Many big London shows now rely on app-based tickets and official transfer tools, which is great for reducing dodgy PDFs, but it also means screenshot tickets and random DMs are even riskier than they look.
Before the drop: get your ducks in a row
This is the bit that feels dull, but it’s also the bit that actually works.
If you do nothing else, spend 20 minutes getting your “ticket admin” sorted, and you’ll instantly be ahead of the thousands of people trying to do it all at 8:59am.
Start with the obvious gateways. O2 Priority is still one of the most consistent routes to early access for UK arena shows, and it’s available to O2 customers, plus Virgin Media broadband customers.
Live Nation is the other big one. Sign up as a member, stay logged in, and you’ll often see the presale option appear without needing a special code.
Beyond that, add yourself to the mailing lists that actually matter: the artist, the venue, and (if you’re brave enough) the promoter, because those are the places extra dates and presale links tend to surface first.
London gigs are commonly sold through platforms like Ticketmaster, AXS, and DICE, and the worst time to discover you’ve forgotten your password is when you’ve finally got tickets in your basket. Log in now, update your details, and save your payment method.
One final step is to have your credit or debit card details to hand (and ideally easily copyable), to avoid rushing around looking for your card as the best seats get snapped up.
Sales day is here: a calm routine that works
On the day itself, your goal is simple: remove as many points of failure as possible, and don’t turn the process into chaos.
Log in early, make sure you’re in the right presale or general-sale page, ensure your internet connection is stable, and get settled before the rush hits.
It’s also worth being disciplined about devices. Having three laptops, a phone, and an iPad all hammering the same account can backfire because some platforms treat it as suspicious behaviour, or simply can’t handle multiple sessions gracefully.
If you’re buying with friends or family, split it sensibly: different people on different accounts, rather than everyone piling into the same login. It’s tempting to open a dozen tabs and ‘game the system’, but in practice, one clean session usually beats five glitchy ones.
Once you’re through, speed matters, but so does decisiveness. Knowing your maximum price and whether you’ll tolerate side-on seats or a higher tier can help you act quickly.
What to do (and what not to do) if the event sells out
So you did everything right, your queue spot finally arrived, and the site still hit you with the dreaded “no tickets available”. But that definitely doesn’t have to be the end.
Your best starting point is official resale, because it keeps everything in the same system, with proper ticket transfers.
For example, if the gig is on AXS, look for AXS Official Resale. The company says resale is capped at no more than 10% above the price paid, which can help keep expensive tickets at reasonable-ish rates.
Next, try DICE’s Wait List. Not every sold-out event uses it, because organisers choose whether to switch it on, but when it is live, it’s one of the cleanest ways to grab a returned ticket, and DICE says sellers get a full refund if their ticket is bought via the Wait List.
And if it’s a Ticketmaster show, check whether the event has its official resale or Ticket Exchange switched on before you go anywhere near the wild west of social media.”
If you’re widening the net, stick to face-value resale platforms. Twickets is designed for fans, and it caps listings at face value, so you’re not immediately in “someone’s flipping this for profit” territory.
Why 2026 might be the best year yet to buy tickets
It’s also worth knowing that 2026 could be a slightly fairer year for fans, at least on paper.
In late 2025, the UK government announced plans to clamp down on for-profit ticket resale, including proposals aimed at stopping tickets being resold above their original cost.
That doesn’t mean touting disappears overnight – these things depend on how quickly rules are brought in, and how well they’re enforced – but it does underline the direction of travel: more emphasis on official resale routes, and less tolerance for a ticket wild west.
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