London street performances are a tourist attraction that is often overlooked in favor of the more famous London attractions. Street performances in London range in all types of entertainment, from comedy to music, even martial arts. These performers are usually very talented and are always looking for donations. We’ve put together a list of tips to help you see more side street performances in London.
1. Pick a Central Location: One of the best locations for street performances is Covent Garden. We would recommend staying in or near Covent Garden so you can get there early and start your day off with as many street acts as possible.
2. Get There Early: Some of these performances don’t really start until later in the day, so get there early if you want to see it all! The area around Covent Garden starts getting busy around 10 am and some street performers start their act as early as 11 am.
3. Be Patient: Most of the time performers won’t be right off the main strip; they may be down side roads or behind buildings. Be patient and walk around to find them, you never know what you might find!
4. See What’s Free: A lot of tourists completely miss out on great
Go to Covent Garden. This is London’s hub for street performers. You will find many different acts ranging from mimes, jugglers, comedians and musicians. The best time to see Covent Garden street performances is during the summer months. Here are our top ten tips for seeing more of London’s street performances:
1. Visit Covent Garden
2. Ask for a show schedule
3. Go during peak tourist season
4. Hang around Bridge Street, New Row and The Piazza
5. Carry loose change for the hat or tin can
6. Take photos or film the performance
7. Be patient, not all performances are created equal
8. Ask questions about the act afterwards
9. Leave a tip if you enjoyed it
10. Have fun!
1. Go during the weekend, between 12-6pm (especially in the summer). I usually spend my weekends exploring side streets in London and would often come across street performers.
2. If you want to watch longer performances, go around 5pm, when they tend to perform a full length show.
3. Wear comfortable shoes and light clothes – it can get quite hot!
4. Take a bottle of water with you – it’s always good to stay hydrated on a hot day!
5. Be prepared for the unexpected – you never know what will happen next on the street!
6. Bring enough cash for donations – if you enjoyed watching their performance, put some money into their hat or bucket. Even if you don’t have cash at hand, stop by later since performers stay there for hours!
7. Be polite – if you want to take pictures, ask nicely and be respectful of the performer’s time and space. Some of them pose for pictures after their performance and some are too busy so let them do their thing.
8. Bring your kids to Covent Garden Side Streets (and other areas mentioned above) – they will love it as much as adults do!
9. Ask questions! Performers are friendly people and
London’s streets are filled with a myriad of sights, sounds and smells that you can only find in one of the most vibrant cities in the world. Sure there is the shopping, the galleries and museums, the historical landmarks and more. But, if you walk around certain areas of London at specific times, you will be treated to some great street performances.
These performers come from all over the world to perform in Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. They work hard to hone their craft and they need your appreciation. So make sure to give them a round of applause or throw some change in their hat. If you see something you really like, tell them so!
Here are some tips for spotting these street performers:
During the summer, this area is flooded with performers. The official Covent Garden website has a full listing of street performance times, but the following are your best bets:
1. 10am-2pm on Weekends: Most performers are here on Saturday and Sunday mornings. If you want to see a lot of different performances and acts, that’s the time to come.
2. 4pm-6pm Weekdays: During weekdays, these street performers tend to be more consistent and spread out throughout the day than during weekends. Come around 4pm for a good bit of entertainment before dinner.
3. Dusk: At dusk, many of the free performances — such as glow juggling and contortionists — start performing at the same time. This is a great time to see something unique that you won’t see during other times of the day!
Covent Garden’s street performers have been a feature of this famous London piazza since the 1970s. They are famous for their acrobatic shows, magic tricks and other showmanship. However, times have changed now. The street artists are not as many as they used to be, but the ones that remain are still very good.
There is a story about how Covent Garden’s street performers came about. In the 1970s, when the area was being renovated, it was decided to allow buskers to perform in the piazza’s arcades. Initially there were around 100 artists, but by 1986 the number had grown to over 3,000! Today there are still quite a few of them, but they are not as easy to find as they once were.
The best way to experience Covent Garden’s street performers is by walking around and observing what they do. If you want to see them all together in one place, you can go to one of their performances in the evening or late at night. There is usually an entrance fee involved and it depends on which performance you want to see (and whether you book your tickets online or at the door).
1. Performers play in all kinds of weather. If it is raining, still go out and watch them! They will be less crowded, and the best performers will still be playing no matter what’s happening around them.
2. Visit Covent Garden and Leicester Square on weekdays in the morning to see street performances before the crowds arrive.
3. Visit Covent Garden on Saturday or Sunday at lunchtime for a full hour of performances each day at 1 pm.
4. Visit Covent Garden on Friday afternoons around 4 pm to watch the London Busking Party. Each Friday, buskers from all over London come to perform together for one hour from 4-5pm.
5. Visit Covent Garden in the evening between 8-10 pm for free music concerts featuring local bands, singers and musicians in the market square inside Covent Garden Piazza (outside Apple Market).
6. Go out early during Christmas time (November-December) to enjoy more performances with shorter lines, and take beautiful photos without large crowds blocking your view! The last weekend of November (Black Friday), and last two weeks of December tend to be the most crowded times of year however, so try to visit as much as possible earlier than those days if you