Dance Umbrella
The biggest annual performing arts event in London is Dance Umbrella, a three-week festival in October that hosts international and British-based artists at venues across the city.
4 Best Performing Arts Venues in London, England
"All the world's a stage," said Shakespeare, immortal words heard for the first time right here in London. And whether you prefer your theater, music, and art classical or modern, or as contemporary twists on time-honored classics, you'll find that London's vibrant cultural scene more than holds its own on the world stage.
Divas sing original-language librettos at the Royal Opera House, Shakespeare's plays are brought to life at the reconstructed Globe Theatre, and challenging new writing is produced at the Royal Court. Whether you feel like basking in the lighthearted extravagance of a West End musical or taking in the next shark-in-formaldehyde at the White Cube gallery, the choice is yours.
There are international theater festivals, innovative music festivals, and critically acclaimed seasons of postmodern dance. Short trip or long, you'll find the cultural scene in London is ever-changing, ever-expanding, and ever-exciting.
No matter where you head, London's art and performing arts scenes have been setting global trends for decades—and even for centuries, when you count Shakespearean theater and Handel oratorios. Fringe theater, classical ballet, participatory chorales: you name it, and London probably did it first (and often still does it best).
Institute of Contemporary Arts
You would never suspect that behind the stately white John Nash--designed stucco facade in the heart of Establishment London, you'll find a champion of the avant-garde. Since 1947, the ICA has been pushing boundaries in visual arts, performance, theater, dance, and music. There are two movie theaters, a performance theater, three galleries, a highbrow bookstore, a reading room, and a café-bar.
London Jazz Festival
Come November, international jazz superstars rub shoulders with emerging local talent and cutting-edge bands at dozens of venues across the city during the 10 days of the London Jazz Festival. A varied program of around 350 performances, including free concerts and gigs for toddlers, means both jazz connoisseurs and those new to the genre will find plenty to enjoy.
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Soho Theatre
This popular playhouse is devoted to finding, commissioning, and fostering new work and talent, and therefore is a prolific presenter of plays and performances by young, emerging, and newly established playwrights. With three performance spaces, it also puts on its fair share of comedy, cabaret, drag, and dance shows, and so, unsurprisingly, the bar is always full.
