Festival FAQs

Online

Online booking is available 24/7 on the festival website.

By phone

You can book your ticket by calling 0131 226 0014. The booking line is open Monday – Friday between the hours of 10am and 6pm.

Payment can be taken by credit or debit card for online and phone bookings. All tickets must be paid for at the time of placing the order. We cannot reserve tickets for any event.

We charge on a per order basis rather than per ticket to keep our booking fees as low as possible. Our booking fees are as follows:

  • Online sales: £2.00
  • Telephone sales: £2.00
  • In person cash and card sales: £2.00

Booking fees do not apply to our free events.

Book tickets to three or more different events across the festival and save 20%. Tickets must be purchased in the same transaction and the discount will automatically be applied within your basket.

The offer does not apply to free events, or to any tickets which include books in the ticket price. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer.

All seating for the festival will be unreserved.

The Chelsea History Festival reserves the right to reserve seating for invited guests, press and visitors with access requirements.

We offer concession rates for students, seniors (60+) and visitors who are registered disabled. For visitors that require a carer, support worker or personal assistant, their ticket is complimentary.

To book a free carer ticket please contact our box office on 0131 226 0014.

Please note that events which include catering, books or any other goods, do not qualify for the free carer ticket.

Proof of concession is required for these tickets so please be prepared to show relevant ID when purchasing tickets in venue and upon admission to the events you are purchasing tickets to.

All tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable

We cannot refund money or exchange tickets except in the case of a cancelled event, which will be refunded within 28 days. Please be advised that event speakers and/or content may be subject to change. We cannot refund these tickets if the event is still taking place.

Lost or stolen tickets are non-refundable.

No refunds or discounts will be given for a whole or partial event not attended.

The Royal Hospital Road, the National Army Museum and the Royal Hospital Chelsea will be closed on Saturday 17 September until after the State Funeral has taken place on Monday 19 September. This is to provide a supporting role in the arrangements for the State Funeral.

You can see the updated festival schedule here: https://chelseahistoryfestival.com/events/

Doors to all events will open 30 minutes before the event starts. Ticket scanning and checking for entry to the event will not commence until 30 minutes before the event.

If you have an access requirement, please contact our box office on 0131 226 0014 or email tickets@chelseahistoryfestival.com. We will do our best to find seats to accommodate your needs.

More details regarding access and site facilities can be found on the festival website.

Please adhere to the age range specified for events at the Chelsea History Festival.

Children under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible person aged 18 or over, approved by the parent/guardian. This person can accompany a maximum of four children per event.

The Chelsea History Festival maintains a safeguarding policy but cannot take responsibility for unsupervised children.

Where permitted, any child over the age of two needs their own seat to any of our talks. Children under the age of two can sit on their parent’s lap unless otherwise stated.

There will be no storage facilities for luggage or coats at any of our venues during the festival.

Bikes (including folding bikes) and scooters are not permitted at any of our venues during the festival.

There are bike racks located along Royal Hospital Road, all of which are nearby to each of the Chelsea History Festival venues. These can be used to secure any bikes and scooters.

Please do not secure any bikes or scooters to the railings outside the Royal Hospital Chelsea or Burton Court. Any items secured to these railings will be removed.

During the festival, lost property will be held at the National Army Museum and the Chelsea Physic Garden. All lost property will be kept for a period of 14 days following the last day of the festival, after which it will be disposed of.

For any queries please contact info@chelseahistoryfestival.com

Ticket buyers will be contacted directly via email about any cancelled or rescheduled events.

Please email tickets@chelseahistoryfestival.com if you have not already received an email.