West End Live shows announced for this year’s outdoor performances in Trafalgar Square on 22-23 June 2024. London’s most celebrated West End musicals are coming live and will be streamed directly online for those who cannot make it in person. The weekend event is always popular and draws quite the crowd to London. Presented by Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre, the event is free to all who attend!

Because entry to the event is on a first come first served basis, the outdoor showing of London’s most well-known musicals often gets crowded quickly. Last year, the queue was nearly a mile long on opening day but quieter on Sunday. The event also only allows for standing room so viewers can expect to be on their feet all day. West End Live will have an accessibility area for those who need it and will have an additional viewing area in Pall Mall East where they will be showing the event live on a screen for those who may feel uncomfortable in crowds.

West End Live is held in Trafalgar Square in London, close to several well-known West End theatre venues. This allows for easy access for the performers. Performers typically join West End Live after a matinee show and some continue on to do the evening performance as well. The event has been known to aid local businesses and other cultural areas during the slower ticket sales month. Entrance typically begins around 10:15 AM on Saturday and 11:15 AM on Sunday, though due to the popularity of the event people begin queuing hours in advance. Get in line early!

This year, 56 shows will be featured for West End Live! Though an official schedule has not yet been announced, several shows are fan favourites while others have already announced their final shows for the West End. Disney’s Frozen is one of the shows that announced earlier this year that they would close the gates to Arendelle in September so it is no shock to see the show listed for London’s biggest theatrical summer event. A surprise show to feature this year is Heathers The Musical as the show closed in London last September. Fans are already speculating a potential return. After only recently opening in London, Mean Girls will be featured for the outdoor spectacle.

Some fan favourites that will be returning to West End Live include The Book of Mormon, Hamilton, Magic Mike Live, Les Miserables, Next To Normal, The Phantom of the Opera, SIX The Musical, and Wicked. Regular fans of the West End remain sceptical of the return of some shows that didn’t do well at previous year’s West End Live such as Babies The Musical, A Chorus Line, and Operation Mincemeat. It has also been noted that the West End Live used to be done in full costume with theatrics matching those seen in the theatre while over the years fans now see the stars of their favourite shows come in jeans and a shirt with the show’s name on it almost feeling like a karaoke night.

You can find out more information on the West End Live’s website here.

All images are courtesy of istockphoto

Drew Janine

Live Sound Engineer -EUROPE

Janine has always been a part of music and performing. The first show that inspired her to go into theatre was the Velveteen Rabbit which she saw as a child, and Drew works to keep that magic alive as working behind the scenes in theatre as a live sound engineer. When Drew was accepted into an internship program for audio engineering at a recording studio, she jumped at the opportunity. That was at the start of 2020 and so much has happened since then, both in her career and in the world. Since then, Drew has taken several opportunities to work at recording studios, concerts, festivals, and even large theatres while spending time on tour across the North American continent and Europe. Drew’s favourite by far though has been the chance to work on Broadway and West End shows, as this was a dream come true. Drew is honoured to get to share these experiences from being inside the entertainment industry and hopes to inspire others to continue working in theatre.