Visiting with children
Enjoy opera and ballet with kids
See the list of our child-friendly opera and ballet productions here, as well as some useful tips for visiting the Opera House with children. Please note that each child must have their own ticket. Children must be at least 5 years old to attend Main Stage performances.
Family-friendly performances
Our repertoire for every season features some performances that are suitable for all ages. Here are some of our recommendations for a family-friendly opera or ballet visit in 2025–2026 season. Please remember, that children younger than 5 are not admitted to Main Stage performances.
Under 5 year olds
Over 5 year olds
Over 7 year olds
Over 10 year olds
What to wear
Watching a performance with children
Children need tickets, too
Everyone who attends a performance must have their own ticket. Children can’t sit on adults’ laps for reasons of fire safety. The youth discount for under 20-year-olds at the Finnish National Opera is 40–50%. For more information about concessions, please see our sales terms and conditions.
Age limits and recommendations
We have set an age limit or recommendation for all our performances, which you will find on the dedicated page of every production on our website. Children younger than 5 are not admitted to Main Stage performances, as babies and toddlers may be overwhelmed by the duration, loud sounds and bright lights of the performance. We do our best to estimate the most suitable age limit or recommendation for each performance. Every child is different, however, so our customer service personnel are more than happy to answer your questions about the reasoning behind our age ratings and the content of our productions.
Even the youngest members of the family are welcome visitors to the Opera House. We offer art workshops for pre-schoolers as well as mini operas for toddlers.
Arriving late or leaving during the performance
Please arrive in good time. Latecomers are not admitted to the auditorium until the interval if the performance has already started. This is to avoid disrupting the experience for both the audience and artists. For the same reason, leaving the auditorium during the performance is discouraged. In the event that you must leave, you can only return after the interval. Please ask our lobby personnel to assist you. You’ll find more information about arriving to the Opera House here.
Booster cushions
We offer sumptuous booster cushions for the little ones in all our performances. Booster cushions are available near the entrances to the auditorium. You can also ask our lobby staff for assistance.
Selecting your seat
The Main Stage auditorium is very large and the Balconies are surprisingly far away from the stage. Children will have the best viewing experience in the Stalls or 1st Balcony. Our customer service personnel are happy to help find the best seats for your party.
Let’s save conversations for the interval
During the performance, children may have many questions or adults may feel the need to explain what’s happening on stage. We kindly ask that all conversations and questions be postponed until the interval or after the performance. This way, both the fellow audience members and performers can enjoy the performance in peace.
