Stadsschouwburg Groningen in Groningen
The Stadsschouwburg is Groningen's theatre of 1883: a 750-seat neorenaissance hall on the Turfsingel where cabaret, dance, concerts and a family season are staged.
Photo credits
Curtain call in the full Stadsschouwburg Groningen: the cast taking a bow on stage, the balcony and the side boxes packed and the painted ceiling above the chandelier.: SPOT Groningen, photo Niels Knelis
Quick answers
- Capacity
- 750 seats in the Grote Zaal
- Address
- Turfsingel 869711 VX Groningen
- From the station
- Groningen Centraal, 20 min walk
- Closest parking
- Forum garage, 4 min walk
- Doors and start
- Start 20:15 on almost every evening show
- Bags
- Jacket and small bag; nothing over A4
- Payment
- Pin only in the building
- Wheelchair access
- Yes, lift and accessible toilet
- Contact
- +31 50 368 0111
Holidays at Stadsschouwburg Groningen
Open on the holidays: these nights are in the agenda.
- ChristmasMarcel Hensema
- ChristmasMarcel Hensema
- ChristmasMarcel Hensema
- ChristmasMarcel Hensema
Stadsschouwburg Groningen agenda: upcoming events
Tonight, this week and the months ahead at this venue in Groningen.
Last night at Stadsschouwburg Groningen: Caro
Plan your visit to Stadsschouwburg Groningen
How many people fit in the Stadsschouwburg?
The Grote Zaal seats 750 people; the whole building is one hall.
- Grote Zaal
- 750 seats
- Layouts
- 250 to 750 seats, depending on the setup for a show or an event
- Foyer
- 80 to 120 people
- Vide
- 60 people
- Serre
- 30 to 40 people
- Total capacity
- 750 seats in the whole house
| Venue | Room | Seated capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Stadsschouwburg, Turfsingel 86 | Grote Zaal | 750 seats |
| De Oosterpoort, Trompsingel 27 | Grote Zaal | 1,150 seats |
| Grand Theatre, Grote Markt | Benedenzaal | 150 seats, 204 with the tribune extended |
Seating plan: five ranks, the parterre and the boxes
The hall is sold in five ranks, from first to fifth rank. The seat map gives every seat its rank and the view it has, and the whole parterre is first rank.
- The hall
- One horseshoe-shaped hall with 750 seats
- Parterre
- The ground floor in front of the stage, the Zaal
- Box row
- A curved row of boxes behind the parterre, the Loge Zaal
- Balconies
- Three balconies: balkon 1, balkon 2 and balkon 3
- Side boxes
- Zijloges at the stage, at balkon 1 and at balkon 2
- Seat numbers
- Odd numbers on the left, even numbers on the right
- Your place
- Your row and seat number stand on your ticket; the seat map is a pdf
- Free seating
- Some shows are free seating: you then look for a place yourself
- The map gives every seat a rank and a sight label, from an excellent view in the first rank to a poor view at the back of balkon 3, so you can pick the rank that fits what you want to see.
- The whole parterre is first rank: you sit equally close to the stage, with the best sight line. The centre rows of balkon 1 are first rank too and give you an overview of the whole hall.
- Most shows are sold with a fixed seat. Your row and seat number stand on your ticket, and the seat map shows exactly where that is.
- Some shows are free seating: you then look for a place yourself at the entrance, and the number of seats is limited, so come early if you want to sit.
- The theatre is a listed building and the view from the wheelchair places is not ideal, which is why those seats are in the third rank.
How an evening at the Stadsschouwburg works
From the street to your seat, and back out again.
- Buy your ticket online at spotgroningen.nl. If tickets are left, the event desk in the building opens one hour before the start.
- Be there five minutes before the start: the door host decides whether you can still come in, sometimes only during the break.
- The show starts at 20:15 for almost every evening show; a few start at 19:30 or 20:30. About one event page in ten publishes a timetable: the doors then open 60 to 75 minutes before the start, and the show ends between 21:35 and 22:25, or at 23:00 for a show with a break.
- Shows with reserved seating have your row and seat number on the ticket. With free seating you look for a place yourself at the entrance.
- Leave a coat, or a bag larger than A4, at the cloakroom. The attended and unattended cloakrooms take card payment only.
- Phones on silent or off for theatre shows; at pop concerts you may take photographs.
- Afterwards a drink in the foyer or in the Theatercafé. In the building you pay by card only.
Tickets: buying, changing and the box office
- Where to buy
- Online at spotgroningen.nl; the event desk opens one hour before the start
- Payment
- iDEAL, credit card or the SPOT gift card; in the building card payment only
- Maximum
- Usually 10 tickets per show; groups ask the box office
- Exchange
- Up to 14 days before the show: 100 percent voucher yourself, 90 percent if SPOT does it
- Voucher
- Valid for two years
- Sold out
- Join the waiting list on the event page; Ticketswap also lists tickets
- Youth discount
- Under 30 and holders of a teachers' CJP card pay reduced prices for many shows
- Box office hours
- Monday to Friday 10:00 to 13:00, 050-3680111
- The waiting list on the event page calls or mails you as soon as tickets come back.
- Tickets bought on a platform other than SPOT's own shop are often more expensive or invalid, so buy them in the official shop.
Bags, lockers and the cloakroom
- Into the hall
- A jacket and a small bag; nothing larger than A4
- Cloakroom
- An attended and an unattended cloakroom in the Stadsschouwburg
- Payment
- Card payment only at the cloakroom
- Lockers
- The Stadsschouwburg has no lockers; De Oosterpoort has lockers, paid by bank card
- Liability
- Up to 150 euros per item left in the cloakroom
- Lost property
- Items that are left behind go to the municipality; ask at the box office
- Using the cloakroom or a locker is not compulsory; using them is at your own risk.
- Keep your house key with you: in an evacuation there is no time to fetch anything from the cloakroom.
House rules: age, phones, sound and smoking
- Age
- Children under 8 are not admitted, except at youth shows
- Identification
- Everyone must be able to show ID, and bags may be checked
- Phones
- Photos and filming only at pop concerts, otherwise silent or off
- Sound
- The house follows the hearing convention; more than 85 decibels is possible
- Earplugs
- Approved earplugs are sold at the bars
- Smoking
- No smoking anywhere in the building, electronic cigarettes included
- Own food
- You may not bring your own food or drink
- Pets
- No pets, except guide dogs
- These are the general terms of the Dutch association of theatre and concert hall directors, the VSCD.
Eating and drinking: the Theatercafé and the bars
The Theatercafé is on the ground floor of the Stadsschouwburg, and in the foyer there is a bar for before and after the show.
- Theatercafé
- On the ground floor of the Stadsschouwburg
- Foyer bar
- In the monumental foyer, for a drink before or after
- Full dinner
- Restaurant The Mix, in De Oosterpoort, the other SPOT house
- Payment
- Card payment only in the building
- Own food
- Not allowed, and not needed: the bar has enough to offer
- Drink included
- Some tickets include a break drink; without a break you get one before the show
- The foyer is where the evening starts and ends; the café is a good place to wait for the doors to open and to talk it over afterwards.
Accessibility: the wheelchair route, the lift and the earclips
- Wheelchair entrance
- The side entrance in the Turfstraat; ring the bell
- Lift
- Up to the first floor, with help from staff
- Accessible toilet
- On the first floor
- Wheelchair places
- In the hall, a limited number; call the box office for reserved shows
- Price
- Wheelchair places are in the third rank, the view is limited
- Hearing support
- Earclips that amplify the sound, free to borrow at the cloakroom
- Sign language
- A free ticket for a sign-language interpreter; arrange it with the box office
- Guide dogs
- Welcome, but please register them with the box office in advance
- Discount
- 10 percent off a first row ticket when that is needed because of a disability
- Staff are ready to help with the lift, and the box office makes custom places for specific needs.
Getting to the Stadsschouwburg: train, bus, bike and car
The nearest station is Groningen Centraal, about twenty minutes on foot; four bus stops are closer.
By train
Groningen Centraal, about 20 minutes on foot from the north entrance
By bus
Lines 1 and 10 run from Sint Jansbrug, three minutes away, to the main station, about five minutes
By bike
Bicycle racks in the inner city; see the municipal bicycle parking map
By car
The centre is one-way and busy, so plan the route with vanAnaarBeter
Disabled parking
A free parking space for people with a disability, for or next to the building
- SPOT advises coming on foot, by bike or by public transport: the halls stand in the busy inner city of Groningen, the Oosterpoort is within walking distance of Groningen Centraal while the Stadsschouwburg is near a bus stop.
- Home again after the show: night buses run on Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday nights. Since 2 July 2026 they all stop in the city centre at Zuiderdiep, ten minutes on foot. Lines 400, 404, 409, 410, 417 and 418 leave from platform D, lines 406 and 471 from platform B; line 410 runs only on the night from Saturday to Sunday.
- On the night bus you pay the normal fare; a day ticket or a Broezz'n card also works.
Parking at the Stadsschouwburg: the nearest garages and their rates
There is no car park at the theatre itself: the closest is Forum, four minutes on foot.
| Car park | Address | On foot | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forum | Schoolstraat 16 | 4 min | 1 euro per 15 minutes, 24 euro a day |
| Damsterdiep | Damsterplein 5 | 7 min | 1 euro per 18 minutes, 22 euro a day |
| Boterdiep | Boterdiep 85 | 11 min | 1 euro per 20 minutes, 16 euro a day |
| Street parking | City centre, Binnenstad | on the spot | 5 euro an hour, Monday to Saturday 09:00 to 00:00, Sunday 12:00 to 17:00 |
- Three more city-centre garages are run by Q-Park: Rademarkt at Rademarkt 27, eleven minutes on foot, Ossenmarkt at Spilsluizen 25, ten minutes, and Museum Centrum at Herepoortenmolendrift 2, fifteen minutes.
- SPOT sends a service email a few days before your visit with the parking tips for that show.
- Parking at a P+R on the edge of the city is free, and you continue by bus; the P+R bus is usually cheaper than a city garage.
- The walking times are the route on foot from the entrance at Turfsingel 86 along the public streets.
Contact: phone, email and the box office
- Phone
- +31 50 368 0111
- General email
- info@spotgroningen.nl
- Box office
- kassa@spotgroningen.nl, Monday to Friday 10:00 to 13:00
- Event desk
- In the building, from one hour before the start
- Room hire
- zakelijk@spotgroningen.nl, Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 17:00
- Address
- Turfsingel 86, 9711 VX Groningen
Official links
- Official Stadsschouwburg Groningen page
- Programme and tickets
- Accessibility and visitor FAQ
- Contact SPOT Groningen
More from Stadsschouwburg Groningen
What the Stadsschouwburg Groningen is
One historic theatre hall in the middle of Groningen, with cabaret, dance, concerts and a full family season.
- Building
- Neorenaissance theatre from 1883, national monument since 1994
- Hall
- One horseshoe-shaped hall: parterre, boxes, three balconies
- Operator
- SPOT Groningen, part of the municipality of Groningen
- Programme
- Cabaret, dance, concerts and a full family season
- Foyer
- Monumental foyer with chandeliers and a bar; the Theatercafé on the ground floor
- Monument number
- Rijksmonument 486489
The history of the Stadsschouwburg: 1883, closed, rebuilt, reopened
The architects Hugo Pieter Vogel and ir. F.W. van Gendt presented their first design in the sixties and seventies of the previous century, based on an earlier theatre of theirs for Arnhem. It was built almost entirely in brick and wood to keep the costs down, and it opened on 8 October 1883.
The building was condemned and closed in 1976 and nearly demolished. After the plans for a new, larger theatre failed, the bureau Duintjer Istha Kramer Van Willigen restored the front in its original state and enlarged the stage; the theatre reopened on 16 May 1984. Artist Irene Verbeek painted the new ceiling paintings in the hall and the entrance hall.
Since 1994 the building is a national monument, number 486489. In 2015 and 2016 the facade, the roofs, the cornices and the ornaments were restored and repainted, the hall was rebuilt for a better seat plan with new theatre seats, and the monumental foyer and the Theatercafé were redone.
- 1883: the Stadsschouwburg opens on the Turfsingel
- 1976: closed and threatened with demolition
- 1984: reopening after the renovation
- 1994: national monument
- 2015 and 2016: renovation of the facade, the hall and the foyer
Photos
Photo credits
Curtain call in the full Stadsschouwburg Groningen: the cast taking a bow on stage, the balcony and the side boxes packed and the painted ceiling above the chandelier.: SPOT Groningen, photo Niels Knelis
The Stadsschouwburg Groningen seen from the first balcony during an open day: the red parterre seats, the boxes along the sides and the stage with its red valance.: SPOT Groningen, photo Daniek Snijder
The 1883 facade of the Stadsschouwburg Groningen on the Turfsingel, with the STADSSCHOUWBURG lettering above the entrance and blue sky behind.: SPOT Groningen, photo Niels Knelis
Read reviews on Google Maps We don't show ratings here. See what visitors say on Google Maps.
Stadsschouwburg Groningen: questions people ask
How many seats does the Stadsschouwburg Groningen have?
The Grote Zaal seats 750 people and the whole building is one hall. SPOT's hire page gives 250 to 750 seats depending on the setup, and Wikipedia lists 750 seats as the total capacity.
Which are the best seats in the Stadsschouwburg?
The whole parterre is first rank, and so are the centre rows of the first balcony, which give you an overview of the whole hall. The fifth rank is the sides of the second balcony and, on the third balcony, the outer side rows and the back row; the lower side rows of the third balcony are fourth rank. The seat map marks the first rank as an excellent view and the fifth as a poor one.
How far is the Stadsschouwburg from Groningen Centraal?
About twenty minutes on foot: 1.5 kilometres from the north entrance of the station along the public streets. Lines 1 and 10 run from Sint Jansbrug, three minutes from the theatre, to the main station in about five minutes.
Where do I park when I go to the Stadsschouwburg?
The closest garage is Forum at Schoolstraat 16, four minutes on foot, at 1 euro per 15 minutes and 24 euro a day. Damsterdiep at Damsterplein 5, seven minutes, charges 1 euro per 18 minutes and 22 euro a day; Boterdiep at Boterdiep 85, eleven minutes, 1 euro per 20 minutes and 16 euro a day.
Which bus stops are near the Stadsschouwburg?
Sint Jansbrug is three minutes away and is served by the day lines 1, 3, 4, 10 and 11. Oostersingel is three minutes away with day lines 2 and 171, and Schuitendiep seven minutes with day lines 5, 6, 61, 63, 65, 76 and 178. Zuiderdiep, ten minutes away, has the most lines, and it is also where all night buses stop.
How do I get home after a late show?
Night buses run on Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday nights. Since 2 July 2026 they all stop in the city centre at Zuiderdiep, ten minutes on foot: lines 400, 404, 409, 410, 417 and 418 leave from platform D, lines 406 and 471 from platform B. Line 410 runs only on the night from Saturday to Sunday.
What time do the doors open and the show start?
Almost every evening show starts at 20:15; a few start at 19:30 or 20:30. About one event page in ten publishes a timetable: the doors then open 60 to 75 minutes before the start, and the end time is between 21:35 and 22:25, or 23:00 for a show with a break. The timetable of each show is on its own event page.
Is there a seat plan of the Stadsschouwburg?
Yes, SPOT publishes a pdf map of the hall with the parterre, the row of boxes, balkon 1, 2 and 3 and the side boxes, with every seat marked by rank and by view. If your ticket has a row and a seat number you can look up your place on that map; with free seating you choose a place yourself at the entrance.
Can I get into the Stadsschouwburg with a wheelchair?
Yes. Wheelchair users ring the bell at the side entrance in the Turfstraat, go up with the lift to the first floor, where the accessible toilet is, and are taken to the loge entrance of the hall. There are wheelchair places in the hall, but the number is limited and they are in the third rank because the view is not ideal.
May I take a jacket or a bag into the hall?
A jacket and a small bag may come in. Anything larger than A4 may not, and has to be left at the cloakroom. The Stadsschouwburg has an attended and an unattended cloakroom, and both take card payment only.
Is there food and drink in the Stadsschouwburg?
Yes. The Theatercafé is on the ground floor of the Stadsschouwburg, and there is a bar in the monumental foyer for a drink before or after the show. For a full dinner, restaurant The Mix in De Oosterpoort is the option. You may not bring your own food or drink, and in the building you can only pay by card.
How old is the Stadsschouwburg and when was it built?
The theatre was designed by Hugo Pieter Vogel and ir. F.W. van Gendt and opened on 8 October 1883. It was closed in 1976, restored and enlarged in the early 1980s and reopened on 16 May 1984. Since 1994 the building is a national monument, and it was renovated again in 2015 and 2016.
Sources: SPOT Groningen: Stadsschouwburg Groningen (October 20, 2026) · SPOT Groningen: zalen Stadsschouwburg (October 20, 2026) · SPOT Groningen: zaalplattegrond Stadsschouwburg (pdf) (October 20, 2026) · SPOT Groningen: veelgestelde vragen (October 20, 2026) · SPOT Groningen: voorwaarden en huisregels (October 20, 2026) · SPOT Groningen: eten en drinken (October 20, 2026) · SPOT Groningen: toegankelijkheid (October 20, 2026) · SPOT Groningen: bereikbaarheid en parkeren (October 20, 2026) · Parkeren050: de gemeentelijke parkeergarages (October 20, 2026) · SPOT Groningen: contact (October 20, 2026)
