Brigadoon, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, 2025
Photo: Mark Senior
Photo: Mark Senior

Open-air theatre in London

The best open-air and outdoor theatre shows in London this autumn

Andrzej Lukowski
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There’s perhaps nothing more magical than seeing a play or musical in the open air, and London is absolutely the city for it. In defiance of the weather gods, our outdoor theatre season now stretches from March to late October: we’re are just that tough. Or at least, optimistic about the weather.

Substantially it revolves around a few key theatres, notably Shakespeare’s Globe – open March to October and generally boasting a cheeky outdoor Christmas production – and the delightful Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, which is open late spring to the very end of summer. The former specialises in Shakespeare plays, while the latter has a musical theatre focus.

Althoiugh the summer is now basically over, the open air season continues for quite a while, especially at the Globe, where the main outdor theatre remains open until the end of October, and reopens in December for this year’s Christmas show Pinocchio.

Not sure what you'll need for an open-air theatre trip? Then don’t miss our guide to practical open-air theatre info

If you’re interested in taking in some outdoor cinema this summer, head to our dedicated page.

Outdoor theatre coming to London soon

  • Outdoor theatres
  • South Bank

What is it? The Globe has been staging outdoor Christmas shows for some years now. But this feels like a very bold commitment for the 2025 winter season: a full scale, full length new musical that will run outdoors through the darkest, coldest months. It is of course, an adaptation of the story of Pinocchio, albeit explictly the batshit mental original Carlo Collodi version as opposed to the admitedly still pretty wild Disney take that represents its most famous incarnation. 

Where is it? Shakespeare’s Globe.

  • Musicals
  • Regent’s Park

What is it? It’s finally happened: human civilization has finally lasted long enough that there is a second British production of Cats. Audaciously bagged by the Open Air Theatre as its big 2026 summer musical, it’ll be directed and chreographed by OAT boss Drew McOnie. He’s a slick, commercial director with something of a dance focus, but he’s unlikely to do a Jamie Lloyd-style deconstruction of it, but any new take will probably feel inherently radical purely by dint of trying something different in any way.

Where is it? Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

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