One of the most popular forms of entertainment is to take in a show - whether it's a Broadway show, a play, or just a movie at the local cinema. Most of us would like to see one a day if we could, but unless we install drywall in Mississauga, there's no way we could afford it. Many of us struggle just to come up with enough extra money for an evening show. If you're dying to see a show and are worried about the expense, a matinee is probably your best option. We'll tell you all about them here.

Matinee, derived for the French "matin" or morning, is a showing that occurs earlier in the day, usually in the afternoon as a supplement to the regular evening shows. Matinees are traditionally shown on weekend afternoons to take advantage of all the Toronto mortgage specialists who have weekends off and during school vacations such as summer and March break. However, big cities that get a lot of tourists year round may do daily matinees regardless of season. Check the theater schedule before you go.

Matinees are the ideal option for anyone who is available during the day, such as gallery owners selling Bill Saunders art or stay at home parents. Since there are fewer people available to go to a show in the middle of the day, the rates are cheaper in order to entice people to attend. Depending on the theater, you may find that the ticket price is less than half of what you would pay for a good seat during an evening show. For movie theaters, the price is more likely to be a few dollars off.

The advantages of seeing a matinee are that you save money, which can be important when you have to consider the exchange rate - Canadian to US dollars on your vacation spending money, and that there are fewer people attending. However, most parents, when they take their children to shows, go to the matinees to avoid having to keep the child up past his or her bedtime, so you may have to contend with a large number of noisy children in the audience. Going to the theatre is the perfect reason to get your kids dolled up in their new dresses for a night on the town.

To book a ticket for a matinee, you don't even have to leave the shop where you sell snow tires in Toronto. You can phone the theater or use their website to pay for your ticket with your credit card. Alternatively, if you're looking for a Broadway matinee ticket, you can get a deal on same day shows by visiting the discount ticket sellers in Times Square. For more New York Broadway ticket deals try visitng Ticketnetwork.com