Time Out and The Lion King on Broadway today announced a multi-month partnership with the hit stage production as the exclusive opening sponsor of the new Time Out Market New York, Union Square. The Time Out team has developed a campaign with a unique blend of digital and in-Market activations, connecting The Lion King with Time Out’s audience of food and culture lovers.
Opening its doors to the public on 26 September, Time Out Market Union Square is a food and cultural market that brings the best of the city together under one roof: a curated mix of the city’s best chefs, drinks and cultural experiences. Across 10,000 sq ft, there are seven kitchens, a bar, communal tables and an outdoor terrace.
Time Out's digital expertise will come to life on screens throughout the Market, featuring curated recommendations from Time Out New York experts to inspire and engage guests. This offers Media partners premium DOOH (‘digital out of home’) opportunities along with activations connecting them with a valuable audience in real life––all under the trusted Time Out brand.
The partnership, which will run until January 2026, will bring the magic of The Lion King from Broadway to the Market, creating a first-to-market experience designed to captivate visitors and inspire both new and returning audiences to see the show. Spanning both Time Out’s digital channels and Time Out Market Union Square, the bespoke campaign kicks off with the grand opening party and throughout the campaign, The Lion King will be integrated across the Market’s screens, with iconic costumes and masks on display, branded cocktails and trays, and more. This in-real-life presence will be complemented by a digital campaign across all Time Out channels including editorial sponsorship, brand video plus social media.
Stacy Bettman, Time Out Media CEO North America said: “We are thrilled to partner with The Lion King as our exclusive opening sponsor of Time Out Market New York, Union Square. This partnership is a fantastic showcase of what we can offer our clients: a unique opportunity to connect with our experience-hungry audience across our digital channels while also being able to reach them in-real-life in our Markets. Our DOOH offers a premium opportunity for our partners to showcase and tell their brand stories to this engaged audience while they enjoy the Market’s unique dining experience.”
“The Lion King is proud to be the opening sponsor of Time Out Market Union Square, a vibrant space where locals and visitors from around the world can come together to celebrate the best of the city,” said Elizabeth Findlay, VP of Marketing, Publicity, Sales & Education at Disney Theatrical Group. “In many ways, it mirrors what The Lion King offers onstage eight times a week at the Minskoff Theatre: a shared experience that brings people together. We’re excited to extend that magic beyond the theatre and into the newly opened Market.”
The Union Square site will be Time Out Market’s second food and cultural market in NYC, in addition to the flagship that opened in 2019 in Brooklyn’s Dumbo which across 24,000 sq ft and two floors will continue to offer––with 21 kitchens, three bars and a stage––outstanding culinary and cultural experiences alongside rooftop views of the Manhattan skyline. By contrast, the Union Square site is the Company’s first neighborhood Market––a smaller but equally vibrant format with a focus on rising talents alongside local favorites, all in one place where the local community can come together to experience amazing food and culture. While at the heart of each Market is the celebration of the best of the city, the execution is always distinctly local to reflect the city and neighbourhood it is in; as such, both Time Out Markets in NYC are unique in their own ways.
Time Out Market New York, Union Square hours of operation: daily 8am to 10pm from 26 September 2025
Address: Time Out Market New York, Union Square––located on the ground floor of Zero Irving (124 E. 14th Street New York, NY 10003)
Further information: Please visit timeout.com/time-out-market-union-square; in addition, connect with us on Instagram @timeoutmarketunionsquare and on TikTok @timeoutny
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Notes to Editors
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About Time Out Market New York, Union Square
Time Out Market New York, Union Square is a food and cultural market located on the ground floor of Zero Irving (124 E. 14th Street New York, NY 10003). The Market offers a curated mix of some of the city’s best food, drinks and cultural experiences – with a focus on up-and-coming talents. Across 10,000 sq ft, there are seven kitchens and one a bar as well as a terrace.
Time Out Market is part of Time Out Group PLC (AIM: TMO), a global brand that inspires and enables people to experience the best of the city through Time Out Media and Time Out Market. Time Out launched in London in 1968 to help people discover the exciting new urban cultures that had started up all over the city and came to New York in 1995 – today it is the only global brand dedicated to city life. Local experts curate and create content about the best things to do, see and eat across over 350 cities in over 50 countries, and across a unique multi-platform model spanning both digital and physical channels.
Time Out Market is the world’s first editorially curated food and cultural market, bringing the best of the city together under one roof: the city’s best chefs, restaurateurs, drinks and cultural experiences. From award-winning chefs to much-loved local gems, from live music to installations from local artists – Time Out Market captures and celebrates the best of the city. The first Time Out Market opened in 2014 in Lisbon, quickly turning into one of the most popular destinations in the city. The success of Lisbon brought further expansion and there are currently Markets in 13 cities including New York (Brooklyn and Union Square), Montreal, Dubai, Cape Town and Osaka, with several new sites in development, in addition to a pipeline of further locations in advanced discussions – all offering a curated mix of the city’s best culinary and cultural experiences.
About The Lion King
Approaching 30 landmark years on Broadway, The Lion King continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Produced by Disney Theatrical Group, under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher, The Lion King has made theatrical history with two productions worldwide running 20 or more years and three others running 25 or more years. In the history of Broadway, only two shows have run longer than The Lion King’s 28 years.
Performed over its lifetime in nine different languages (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), there are currently eight productions of The Lion King around the world: Broadway, London, Paris, Hamburg, Madrid, Tokyo, Mexico City and on tour across North America. The Lion King has played over 100 cities in 24 countries on every continent except Antarctica; its worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.
The Lion King won six 1998 Tony Awards®: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical. The Lion King has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy® for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.
Director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor, the first woman to win a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical, remains actively involved in the show, launching new productions and maintaining the flagship Broadway production.
The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from The Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of The Lion King is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award®-winning song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” to Lebo M’s rich choral numbers.
Elton John, Lebo M and Hans Zimmer all collaborated on the 2019 version of the film, executive produced by Julie Taymor and Thomas Schumacher, which has gone onto extraordinary worldwide success.
The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated The Lion King feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay. Other members of the creative team include: Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), Anthony Lyn (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor), Lisa Dawn Cave (production supervisor), Thomas Schlenk (general manager) and ARC / Mark Brandon, CSA (casting). Anne Quart serves as executive producer.
For more information worldwide, visit LionKing.com, Facebook and Instagram.