Shakespeare’s Globe, 2024
Photo: David Jensen

Open-air theatre in London

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

Written by Time Out London theatre in association with FREE NOW
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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 end of summer. The former specialises in Shakespeare plays, while the latter has a musical theatre focus.

But there’s plenty of other stuff, especially as the summer reaches its height, from the ambitious street theatre of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival to the musical theatre blowout of West End Live.

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 in London this month

  • Children's
  • Kew

This cute outdoor spin off from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ for young kids is part of the Australian Theatre Company’s summer season at beautiful Kew Gardens. In it, four of Shakespeare’s fairies encounter Peter Pan’s pal Tinkerbell. Little audiences are invited to dress up as fairies or pirates.

  • Shakespeare
  • South Bank
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Shakespeare’s Globe launches its summer season with this sparkling staging of one of the bard’s best comedies. It’s a sun-drenched spectacle that makes full use of the theatre’s crowd-pleasing openness and opportunity for audience interaction…

  • Outdoor theatres
  • South Bank

The National Theatre’s River Stage returns to the South Bank for a month of outdoor live music, dance, performance, workshops and family fun.

  • Kew

The manicured surrounds of Kew's botanical gardens will become the Wild Woods of Kenneth Grahame's beloved children's story, in this outdoor performance. Australian Shakespeare Company will stage the tale of four animal friends messing about in boats, and adventuring on the riverbank. Suitable for all ages.

Outdoor theatre coming to London soon

  • Musicals
  • Regent’s Park

The final show of Timothy Sheader’s Open Air Theatre reign is a revival of Bock and Stein’s immortal musical following the life of Teyve, a Jewish milkman living in the shtetl in the early twentieth century. You can be sure of a crowdpleaser, with much-loved songs like ‘If I Were A Rich Man’ and ‘Tradition’ all present and correct. 

  • Shakespeare
  • South Bank

The unexpected furor over Michelle Terry playing Richard III has somewhat overshadowed the fact that Shakespeare’s Globe has a disabled lead for one of its big productions this summer, in the form of Nadia Nadarajah. The deaf actor has been a regular on the Globe’s stage in recent years, and in 2024 she’ll take on the role of Egyptian queen Cleopatra in Blanche McIntyre’s bilingual English/BSL production of Shakespeare’s great Roman tragedy. 

  • Theatre & Performance

You can always rely on the annual free Greenwich + Docklands International Festival of outdoor theatre and performance art spectaculars to announce itself with a proper ‘how are they going to do that?’ piece of programming…

  • Drama
  • South Bank

The first new play proper to run outdoors at the Globe since ‘Emilia’, actor Anne Odeke’s play tells the extraordinary story of Princess Dinubolu, the first woman of colour to enter a beauty pageant in the UK: way back in 1908, Southend-on-Sea. 

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