Discover an exciting free festival of outdoor theatre, circus, dance, magic, music, puppetry and more to celebrate the city’s diversity. See more than 200 artists perform in public spaces across central London during the free, family-friendly festival Pop-Up London this October half-term from 23 to 31 October.
Pop-Up London is appearing in public spaces across central London over October half term, including Trafalgar Square, Canary Wharf, King’s Cross station, St Paul’s Churchyard (City Information Centre) and many more locations. Be dazzled by a lineup of exciting performances during Pop-Up London, including music, dance, theatre and more.
Boh Boh Finds Home
Discover Boh Boh Finds Home, an interactive adventure from the Little Bean Theatre, performed bilingually in English and Cantonese, allowing families to travel through the galaxy together to find Boh.
Performance details: 12pm and 2pm at Elephant Park (on the grassed area known as The Park) on 24 October; and 12pm at Grosvenor Square on 31 October.
BollyRed Dance Company
The BollyRed Dance Company is all set to bring some Bollywood charm and get you dancing this Diwali! Grab your most colourful outfit and bring your family along for a day of fun.
Performance details: 1pm, 2.30pm and 4pm at Elephant Park (2-4 Deacon Street and outside Kororo) on 26 October; 12.45pm and 2.45pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 October; and 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 4.30pm at Spitalfields E1 – Spitalfields Market on 30 October.
Boxset
London’s looking for its finest drama and it needs you! Boxset, brought to you by Jonathan Ainscough, is an improvised live boxset series for anyone needing a break from screen time.
Performance details: 12.15pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 September; 12pm at Spitalfields E1 – Bishops Square on 29 October; and 12pm at Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place Roof Garden on 30 October.
Canapé Art
Expect unison dancing, acrobatics and hilarious theatrical moments with Canapé Art. An extravaganza of glittery sandwiches, colourful teas and cakes with a twist from Levantes Dance Theatre.
Performance details: 12pm, 1.30pm and 3pm at Elephant Park (Sayer Street) on 26 October; 1.15pm and 3.30pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 October; 12.45pm and 2.45pm at King’s Cross station on 29 October; and 1.15pm and 3.30pm at Grosvenor Square on 31 October.
Creature Comforts
Join Flynn on an adventure bursting with dance, theatre and circus with Feet off the Ground dance collective’s Creature Comforts. Flynn feels at home on her phone but when a mysterious four-legged creature appears, she enters a world of technicolour, fun and magic.
Performance details: 12pm and 2pm at Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place Roof Garden on 24 October; 2pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 September; and 3pm at Grosvenor Square on 31 October.
Diwali – Festival of Lights
Experience Diwali – Festival of Lights, with artists from Akademi Arts, in a vibrant pop-up dance performance. Watch the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness and learn about South Asian culture.
Performance details: 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2.30pm at Seven Dials on 28 October; and 12pm, 1pm and 2pm at Elephant Park (2-4 Deacon Street and outside Kororo) on 29 October.
Great British Mysteries
Join a mockumentary countdown of some of Britain’s greatest mysteries with Rose Robinson and Will Close. Great British Mysteries casts a magnifying glass over a variety of enigmas, from Jack the Ripper to Stonehenge.
Performance details: 12.15pm, 12.50pm and 1.25pm at the City Information Centre on 23 October; and 12.45pm, 2.45pm and 4.15pm at Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place Roof Garden on 24 October.
How to Save a Rock
Journey to 2026 and embark on an adventure to save the last-ever polar bear in bike-powered family comedy, How to Save a Rock. This show is created by Pigfoot Theatre, the UKs first carbon-neutral theatre.
Performance details: 2pm at Story Garden on 28 October; 4.30pm at Eccelston Yards on 30 October; and 4.40pm at Grosvenor Square on 31 October.
Now It’s Time
Holly Khan shares an audio installation exploring hope, strength and women’s right to safety in Now It’s Time. Hear voices across four generations imagine what a brighter future could be this half-term.
Performance details: 11am to 5pm at Eccleston Yards on 27 and 28 October.
Jack Defrost
Traceworks Dance presents Jack Defrost, an enchanting dance performance, unravelling the traditional character of Jack Frost and his journey through the changing seasons and new environments.
Performance details: 1pm, 2.45pm and 4pm at Battersea Power Station (The Coaling Jetty) on 23 and 24 October; 11.45am, 1.45pm and 3.45pm at Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place Roof Garden on 26 October; 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 5pm at Spitalfields E1 – Spitalfields Market on 27 October; from 12.30pm to 4pm at intervals at St Felix Place on 29 October; and 12.30pm, 1:45pm and 3pm at King’s Cross station on 30 October.
Let Drum Beat
Explore musical sisterhood and cross-cultural creativity by an all-female London-based band Let Drum Beat. Hear African and Brazilian rhythms with original songs in Portuguese.
Performance details: 4.15pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 October; and 5.30pm and 6.30pm at Elephant Park (Sayer Street) on 29 October.
Londoninium
Enjoy an audio scavenger hunt and walking tour of London, exploring the hidden secrets and untold stories of the capital’s history, from the Little but Fierce theatre collective with the self-guided Londoninium route.
Performance details: download the Londoninium route and map to enjoy this tour.
Metronomes Steel Orchestra
Hear the innovative steel pan orchestra Metronomes Steel Orchestra perform its award-winning repertoire in a celebration of carnival arts.
Performance details: 1pm and 3pm at Greenwich Peninsula (under the canopy between NOW Gallery and Santo Cafe) on 24 and 30 October.
Norvil & Josephine’s Top Hat Act
Catch Norvil & Josephine’s Top Hat Act this half-term – a dazzling comedy, magic and variety act full of twists and turns performed on a giant top hat stage.
Performance details: 1.30pm and 3.30pm at Battersea Power Station (The Coaling Jetty) on 23 and 24 October; 12pm at Spitalfields E1 – Bishops Square on 25 October; and 12pm, 2pm and 4pm at King’s Cross station on 29 October.
Parc
Dance to fresh sounds drawn from old school and Ibiza classics to produce reimagined and chilled fusions of multisong mashups with Parc, brought to you by Rita Campbell and Alle Pearse.
Performance details: 1pm to 3pm at Liverpool Street station on 23 October; 4.30pm to 6.30pm at BoxPark Shoreditch; 7.30pm to 9.30pm on 28 October at Old Street Brewery & Taproom, Hackney Wick; 1pm, 2.15pm and 3.30pm at King’s Cross station on 30 October; and from 1pm to 3pm at Flat Iron Square on 31 October.
Paul Rubinstein and Friends
Experience interactive tales from some of London’s finest storytellers with Paul Rubinstein and Friends! Families with young children can enjoy musical stories celebrating multiculturalism and the diverse languages of the city.
Performance details: 2pm and 2.45pm at Battersea Power Station (The Coaling Jetty) on 23 and 24 October; 2.15pm and 3.30pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 October; 12.45pm at Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place Roof Garden on 30 October; and 12.45pm and 2.30pm at Grosvenor Square on 31 October.
Peruvian Latin Folk Flash Mob.
Witness dance performances with more than 30 dancers and learn about Peruvian culture with the Peruvian Latin Folk Flash Mob.
Performance details: 12pm, 12.35pm and 1.10pm at St Paul’s Churchyard (City Information Centre) on 23 October; and 12pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 October.
SeeSaw Sounds
Play with musical seesaws inspired by rain sticks with artists Del Taylor and Ruth Fenton. The interactive SeeSaw Sounds installation is suitable for all ages, so have fun experimenting and see what music you can make as a family.
Performance details: 11am to 4pm at Battersea Power Station (North Park) from 25 to 29 October.
Smashed2
See 80 oranges, seven watermelons and nine performers in Gandini Juggling’s Smashed2 – a witty look at the strained relations between men and women using plenty of fruit and slow-motion comedy.
Performance details: 12.30pm and 4.30pm at intervals at St Felix Place on 30 October; and at 12pm and 3.30pm at Spitalfields E1 – Bishops Square on 31 October.
SPLAT
SPLAT is a comedy about art, play, creativity and spontaneity for three to six-year-olds from OftheJackel theatre company, which follows two aspiring artists in a messy attempt to complete their masterpieces.
Performance details: 1.45pm and 3.45pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 October; 12pm, 1.45pm and 3.30pm at Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place Roof Garden on 25 October; 12.15pm, 2.15pm and 4.15pm at Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place Roof Garden on 26 October; 12.45pm and 3pm at Canary Wharf – Jubilee Park on 27 October; and 12pm, 2pm and 4pm at Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place Roof Garden on 29 October.
The Bridge
Discover The Bridge, a classic hip-hop culture jam, hailed as one of London’s best street parties, brought to you by Scanners Inc. Learn some new moves, watch B Boys and B Girls battle, see graffiti murals come to life and join in the freestyle fun.
Performance details: 11am to 7pm at Leake Street Arches on 23 October.
The Carnival of the Animals.
Learn about different animals through incredible classical music with Dionysus Ensemble’s interactive show, The Carnival of the Animals.
Performance details: 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm at Waterloo station on 25 October; and King’s Cross station on 26 October.
The Day our Local Park Disappeared
Take part in a sensory storytelling experience exploring gentrification with The Day our Local Park Disappeared, created by Alba Cabral and Carolina Cal. The show incorporates Brazilian rhythms, call-and-response songs and interactive costumes.
Performance details: 11am and 3pm at Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place Roof Garden on 26 October; 12pm and 2pm at Canary Wharf – Jubilee Park on 27 October; and 2.10pm at Grosvenor Square on 31 October.
The Lips
See a big luminous pop-puppetry singalong spectacle with something to say from Puppets with Guts. The Lips reanimate favourite songs, celebrate a shared love of popular music and uphold the freedom to speak out.
Performance details: 1pm, 5pm and 6.20pm in a City of London promenade (starting at Guildhall through Cheapside to Paternoster Square) on 27 October; 3.05pm and 5pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 October; and 12pm, 1.20pm and 2.40pm at Spitalfields E1 – Bishops Square on 30 October.
Wig Out
Join the family-friendly Wig Out workshop to design and make your own fabulous cardboard wig from Avant-Gardening. Afterwards, put on your wig, show off and settle down to enjoy a drag queen storytime session.
Performance details: 11am and 1.45pm at St Paul’s Churchyard (City Information Centre) on 23 October; 12.30pm and 2.30pm at Trafalgar Square on 28 October; and 12.30pm and 2.30pm at Eccleston Yards on 30 October.
