[title]
This week London will host a once-in-a-lifetime sporting event. The Grand Sumo Tournament will grace the Royal Albert Hall, with more than 40 mighty maku-uchi rikishi [sumo wrestlers] battling it out in Kensington’s 154-year-old venue.
This is only the second time in history that the Nihon Sumo Kyokai (Japan Sumo Association) has held a Grand Sumo Tournament outside Japan. The last time was in 1991, when London’s Royal Albert Hall was also the venue.
Sumo dates back over 1,500 years, making it one of the world’s oldest sports. It’s a show of both awesome strength and grand ceremony – and, needless to say, it being in London is an absolutely massive deal.
Heading to see The Grand Sumo Tournament in London this week? Here’s a practical guide to the event, from timings to remaining ticket availability.
When is The Grand Sumo Tournament in London?
The event is in London for five days, from Wednesday October 15 to Sunday October 19 2025.
What time do doors open?
For evening events, doors officially open at 6.30pm. However, restaurants and bars all open at 5.30pm, and early restaurant bookings start from 5pm.
For the afternoon event on Sunday October 19, doors open at 1pm.
When will the event start?
The timings differ slightly depending on the day you’re attending.
For the evening events (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday), the event starts at 7.30pm. There will be a 25-minute interval at 9pm, and it’ll finish by 10.15pm.
For the afternoon event (Sunday), the competition begins at 2pm. The interval is at 3.20pm, and the approximate end is 5pm.
Last-minute tickets
There are some tickets remaining for The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall. You can find those on the official website here.
What to expect
The aim of sumo is to get your opponent out of the ring, or to get them to touch the ground with any part of their body that is not the soles of their feet (with no punching, kicking, hair-pulling, eye-poking etc). Each bout lasts around four minutes, and each day attendees can expect to see about 20 bouts. Sunday is the final day, when prizes will be awarded.
But sumo isn’t just the wrestling – there’s loads of ritual and ceremony before each bout. You’ll see wrestlers crouching, touching the white lines, then scattering salt to ‘purify’ the ring. Wooden blocks will announce each rikishi [wrestler], followed by symbolic movements like clapping hands, wiping mouths and leg stomps.
Key sumo terms
Here are some key terms to know about at sumo:
- Maku-uchi rikishi – the wrestlers
- Basho – sumo tournament
- Dohyo – the ring that a sumo bout takes place in
- Gyōji – the referee
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.