How to Book

All tickets purchased via the RNCM will be issued electronically using the email linked to your account. Please remember to check your spam or junk folder. For any further queries, please contact our Box Office at [email protected] or by phoning 0161 907 5555. 

You can now add your RNCM e-tickets to Apple or Google digital wallets – look out for these options on your e-ticket delivery email: ICONS 

Saving your e-tickets to your smartphone’s digital wallet in advance of an event gives you quick offline access to your tickets as soon as you need them – removing the need to search your emails or relying on phone data to download your tickets at our venues. 

Please note some tickets to events held at the RNCM are sold by external ticket agents. Please contact the point of purchase in advance of the event if you have not received your tickets.   

You can get in touch with a member of our Box Office team by emailing [email protected] or phoning 0161 907 5555. 

Yes. Our phone lines are open on Mondays and Thursdays between 2pm and 5pm. Please note this excludes bank holidays and the Christmas period.

Box Office will be open one hour before an event begins. However, we encourage you to purchase your tickets online and in advance of the event you’d like to attend. We are only able to facilitate in-person bookings for the event taking place on the day of your visit. 

We are a cashless venue, so please bring a payment card with you. We accept most major credit cards but do not accept American Express.

Yes. If you have accessible seating requirements or need to bring an Essential Companion to assist you, please contact [email protected] or phone 0161 907 5555. You can also visit our Access page for full details about our building’s accessibility to help you plan your visit.

All sales are final, and refunds are only permitted in the case of a cancelled performance. Please see our ticketing Terms and Conditions for full details.

Ticket refund protection allows you to protect your order from the unexpected should you be unable to attend. It is available to purchase on selected events from Secure My Booking, a leading third-party refund protection provider to arts and entertainment venues. Protection must be purchased alongside your ticket order and allows you to apply to Secure My Booking for a full refund under the protection’s qualifying terms and conditions: Ticket Refund Protection – UK – Secure My Booking.

If you have tickets to an event that has been cancelled or postponed, the latest information will be posted on the event listing page. If we have your contact details, we’ll also try to notify you by email. 

If the event has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled, you will receive a full refund from your point of purchase. In this instance, customers who purchased tickets via our Box Office will receive an automatic refund to their original method of payment within 10 days. If you haven’t received your refund by then, please contact [email protected] or call 0161 907 5555. 

A booking fee is a common industry practice that helps cover the costs of venue administration and ticketing software. This is separate to the costs incurred in the production of an event, such as the artist and crew fees or music licencing fees that help to inform ticket prices. 

A per ticket booking fees applies to most transactions and is calculated based on the ticket price. Occasionally, a per transaction fee may be applied in lieu of a per ticket fee, and if this is the case, details will appear on the event listing webpage. 

Yes. The prices displayed include booking fees and these may vary depending on the event and promoter. 

We want everyone to have the opportunity to engage with our performances. That’s why across the 2026/27 season we’ve introduced a limited number of Affordable Tickets on RNCM promoted events. 

They are available to everyone who feels they may benefit, with no eligibility criteria or proof required. As there is a limited allocation for each event, tickets are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend booking early to avoid disappointment. 

For general admission events, Affordable Tickets can be unlocked using the promo code RNCM10. If the discount is not applied, this usually means all Affordable Tickets for that event have been claimed. 

As long as there are still Affordable Tickets available, this offer can be used for accessible seating. Please contact our Box Office for more details. 

Please note Affordable Tickets cannot be combined with any other promotion, discount, or offer. 

Yes. An RNCM Membership can be bought online, either for yourself or as a gift, via our Membership page.

Yes. Our Box Office will be open one hour before an event begins and will be able to assist you with any questions or queries you might have. 

When you arrive, you’ll need to show a member of our team your ticket to gain entry into our performance spaces. You can use a mobile device or print your ticket at home. 

Unless otherwise stated on the event listing page, our Front of House team will permit latecomers into a performance at a suitable opportunity.

No. We want everyone to enjoy our performances in the clothes they feel most comfortable in whether that’s a t-shirt and jeans or something a little more formal.  

We’ve transitioned away from mass‑produced, single‑use print for the majority of our events and instead provide online programmes featuring the most up‑to‑date event information. Many of our concerts now also open with personal introductions from RNCM students and staff, offering insights into the repertoire and a chance to connect more closely with our community. 

Where printed materials remain necessary – such as for RNCM opera productions, Symphony Orchestra concerts, festivals, and family events – we design and print them carefully and responsibly, using limited resources, with an online version available for anyone who wishes to support our sustainability goals. 

 Our fully staged productions are often sung in their original language with surtitles. Where an opera is being sung in an English translation, surtitles will still be available. Information about the language an opera will be sung in is available on the event listing page. Our annual Children’s Opera is always sung in English. 

Our family events are designed to keep everyone engaged and entertained, with more spoken introductions than a typical performance and slightly brighter lighting in the venue. You’re also welcome to leave and re-enter at any time if your child needs a break.

We are an all-ages venue but recommend that under 14s are accompanied by an adult. Some performances may have a discretionary age advisory or minimum age limit, which will be listed on the event listing page in our What’s On section.

Our family events are the perfect opportunity to introduce young children to live music. They are specially designed to keep everyone engaged and entertained. 

Children aged 8+ years should enjoy most of our performances, but please check the age guidance as some events may differ. 

Children under 2 years old sitting on the knee of a paying adult do not need a ticket. A separate ticket must be booked for all children 2+ years even if they do not require a separate seat. 

The RNCM holds two immersive days each year, RNCM Saxophone Day and RNCM Day of Percussion. We strongly recommend that parents/guardians of children under the age of 14 attending either of these events remain onsite throughout the duration of the visit. 

Our Safeguarding policies are available online, and you can speak to a member of our team if you have any further questions. 

We’re always looking for ways to enhance our public performance programme and recently introduced several relaxed performances as we strive to make our offer as accessible as possible. During these events, audiences can expect: 

• A relaxed door policy so you can enter and exit the performance whenever you feel is necessary 

• A designated ‘chill-out’ space if you need quiet time during the show 

• Heightened lighting in the audience seating area 

• Enhanced on-stage presentation, with descriptions of what will happen in the performance 

Our venue curfew is 11pm. More precise timings for live events are often confirmed close to the performance date. If we have this information, it will be added to the event listing page in our What’s On section.

Events will sometimes list a ‘doors’ time for the venue to open and customers to begin taking their seats. Performances usually begin 30 minutes after an advertised ‘doors’ time, but this can vary depending on the event. 

It’s best to visit the event listing page in our What’s On section for the most up to date information. Details for events with ‘doors’ times are usually updated two to three days in advance of the event taking place but may be updated further in advance, depending on when information is made available. 

No. We do not operate a cloakroom at our venue. Please do not bring large bags with you, as these are not permitted in the auditoria. Coat rails may be available, and for some family events, we may provide a dedicated buggy park area. Please note that these items are not monitored by staff and are left at the owner’s risk.

At the RNCM, the safety of our students, staff, and audiences is our highest priority. To improve safety for our visitors, we have enhanced our security provision. If you bring a bag with you, this may be searched on entry to the building. For a list of prohibited items and other security information, please visit our Security page.

RNCM is located one mile south of Manchester City Centre, on the corner of Oxford Road and Booth Street West. 

Our address is: 
Royal Northern College of Music 
124 Oxford Road 
Manchester 
M13 9RD 

Our main entrance is on Booth Street West. 

Visit our Getting Here page for full details. 

Hyatt Hotels Manchester is our Principal Hotel Partner and located directly opposite the RNCM on Booth Street West, just off Oxford Road. 

Hyatt Hotels Manchester offers a variety of room sizes all with king beds. The hotel is also home to the Laureate restaurant where you can enjoy a range of locally sourced dishes on the restaurant’s à la carte menu, or experience small plates and cocktails at the hotel’s Graduate bar. 

Find out more about the complete Hyatt Manchester experience and booking. 

View our Seating Plans page for details about the RNCM Concert Hall and RNCM Theatre seating arrangements.

Yes. Our Café Bar serves a range of hot menu items and drinks. 

Like many places, we’ve gone cashless, so please order and pay at our till points using card or Apple Pay only. 

View full details about menu items and opening times on our RNCM Food and Drink page. 

Audiences are welcome to enjoy drinks in our branded reusable plastic glasses. Please return these to the bar when departing. Hot drinks with lids are also allowed in all venues.