Why visiting Abay Opera Theatre is a great idea

Add to the cultural value of your Almaty trip with a show at the iconic theatre!

What is it?

Abay Opera Theatre is a large and very grand theatre in the centre of Almaty. Built in the 1930s, with elements of Stalinist architectural style, it has evolved to be the centre of culture for the city, hosting a range of productions from local and international companies. It is named after Abay Qunanbaiuly, one of the biggest figures in Kazakh literature and culture.

As an iconic piece of Almaty, visitors to the city should definitely make an effort to visit and see a show here. While you can go online and see what shows are coming up, you will find that it is better to go in person to the box office to check what is coming up in the next month, as they frequently do not show all the upcoming events online. The box office sometimes has English speaking staff and sometimes not, so it’s worth having your translation app handy, or bring a russian speaking friend. You can find the shows for the upcoming month listed on the wall next to the box office in English as well as Russian and Kazakh.

Are tickets expensive?

Tickets are incredibly well priced here for those of us who grew up in the west. My first ballet was Sleeping Beauty, which toured regional Western Australia in the late 90s. I’m quite sure tickets were in the region of 70AUD (about 50USD) and this bought us seats up the back. I recall the show was amazing, but, at that price, I can understand why we didn’t go frequently. At Abay Opera Theatre recently (January 2025), I paid 4,500 KZT (about 9USD) per ticket for seats in row 9. And believe me, the quality of the ballet was very good.

Productions featuring ballet companies touring from abroad probably are a bit more pricey, so you may want to ask about local productions if budget is important for you.

The beautiful thing about the theatre here is that while it is probably still a bit pricey for locals, they do support their classic performing arts. You’ll see many families at the performances (at least for the ballets, I’m not so sure about the operas!). And the shows get sold out, especially the seasonal favourites, like The Nutcracker.

What to wear to the theatre

Folks in Kazakhstan take the opera and ballet seriously, and they dress well accordingly. On my visits the men have worn collared shirts and trousers, the woman have worn dresses or tailored trousers, and have brought out some gorgeous jewellery. Kids dress up too.

In winter do wear good boots with a heavy tread as it is icy and snowy outside. Take that into consideration when planning your outfit!

As the weather gets colder and you start to wear winter coats and jackets, be sure to arrive in time to visit the Coat Room, located downstairs, straight across the foyer from the entrance. Everyone checks in their coats, and its bad form to bring them to your seat. Leaving your coat is free and secure (it is staffed the entire time) and there are plenty of racks for your personal items: coats, bags and snow shoes. Yes, you can always bring a spare pair of shoes if you wish to change. I don’t worry about it, and happily wear my Blundstones. However, my 6 year old and her friends like to bring their pretty indoor party shoes with them and change.

What are the facilities inside like?

The inside of the theatre is ornate, with lots of chandeliers (as is common here!) and plenty of marble. The coat room is secure and the process is very quick. I’m not sure about accessibility for wheelchair users as there are lots of stairs and no obvious lifts or ramps.

The (western style) toilets are in the same area as the Coat Room, on the lower level of the foyer. The women’s are off to the left and the men’s off to the right. There are plenty of toilet cubicles (I believe there are 8-10 standard cubicles in the women’s, as well as another disabled toilet). However, the theatre has the usual issue for theatres and sports stadiums worldwide of there being a long line for the women’s bathrooms at intermission. There was no such line for the men’s. One day architects will learn that women’s bathrooms require better planning. So, take your kids to the toilet beforehand. And at intermission move fast to the bathrooms.

When to visit Abay Opera Theatre?

A child looks on in an ornately decorated hall as opera singers perform on the balcony ahead — Some productions, such as this child’s opera (“The Cat’s House”) take place in the hall outside the main theatre. The singers have moved up to the balcony, seen just below the chandelier

The theatre operates across the year on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but takes a summer break. The highlight of the schedule will be the New Year’s period when The Nutcracker plays regularly across December and January. However, if you’re only in town for a few days and want to catch a show, do manage your expectations. The most popular shows often sell out a month before so you may need to pick another show entirely. I recommend doing this if you’re a tourist – it’s the experience of a show in an iconic landmark that is important, not the show itself. Matinee performances occur but not always. We saw a matinee performance of a children’s opera in December. However, there were no daytime performances that I could find in January.

How to get tickets

While you can go online and purchase your tickets, it is much better if you go in person. Many of the shows will not be listed on the website. You can visit the box office at the theatre every day between 10am and 6pm. The box office closes promptly everyday for lunch between 2-3pm. You can buy tickets with card or cash.

The new shows for the upcoming month go on sale a week or so (I think!) before the month starts. January’s line up was already being advertised and sold by the 26th December. Within days most of January’s performances of The Nutcracker had already sold out. I could only get tickets for the performance on the 17th January (out of 6 performances!).

You may also run into ticket scalpers lurking in the box office area, selling tickets to the most popular shows for 2 to 3 times their retail value. I recommend you do not purchase tickets off them. Not only are you not sure you have valid tickets, but almost certainly you are helping to price locals out of tickets to their most beloved shows.

Where to eat near Abay Opera Theatre

There are a number of great restaurants within a short walk of the theatre. If you have small kids may I recommend Del Papa, a great family restaurant serving Italian cuisine. If its just you and friends or your partner then there are several restaurants with fabulous menus, at a slightly higher price point. I would recommend Afisha, which is in prime position, being right across the road from the theatre, or Wine Cafe which you can find on the next block to the east of the theatre. Behind Afisha is a pedestrianised street with a large number of other fantastic bars and restaurants, including an Irish bar, Harat’s, if that’s more your thing!

How to get to Abay Opera Theatre

Being in the centre of the city you are going to have no trouble at all getting here. It’s a 15 minute walk south west of Panfilov Park, and a 12 minute drive north of Dostyk Plaza. I usually use Afisha Restaurant as a navigating point on Yandex to get to anywhere in the area. Yandex is the local Uber style taxi service with a very intuitive app which comes in English (they have both IOS and Google versions). But type “Abay” into the Yandex search bar and the theatre will come up as the rather long winded “Kazakh State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after Abay”.

If you want to take a bus you can jump on a few buses going down Dostyk Avenue from Dostyk Plaza, such as 29, 141 or 5, but there is a 15min walk once you get off at Zhambila (just after you pass Dickens Pub).

For anyone using the Metro your closest stop is Almaly.

What do I know about Almaty & Kazakhstan?

I’ve been living here since mid 2021 with my family. Visit my About Me page to understand more about my perspective.