Covent Garden: 50 Years of Modern Street Performance

Something a little different today as I share an upcoming event rather than review one I’ve been to: don’t miss a landmark celebration of performance in Covent Garden this Sunday 11 May!

Image credit: David Bennett.

Covent Garden’s Street Performers Celebrate 50 Years – Will There Be 50 More?

Covent Garden’s never been perfect. A pessimist might say it’s packed, pricey, and popular with tourists. But somehow, in the middle of all that, something magical has stuck around: the street performers.

For fifty years, they’ve turned the piazza into an open-air stage. Jugglers, magicians, acrobats – sharing live art, for free (or a small donation), with anyone who stops to watch. On Sunday 11 May, they’ll celebrate that milestone with a day-long festival. Expect a brass band parade, daring circus acts, a West End choir singalong, and performances from icons like John Hegley, who started out here in the 80s.

It’s a joyful moment. But there’s a serious note underneath the fun. Despite half a century of running things smoothly, Covent Garden’s performers are stuck in licensing limbo. Since Westminster Council introduced borough-wide permits in 2021, the Covent Garden Street Performers Association has politely refused to sign up. Why? Because their system of self-regulation has worked for decades, without outside interference.

Now, that independence feels under threat. A recent ban on performers in Leicester Square shows how quickly public performance can be silenced. Covent Garden’s still holding on. But for how long? This isn’t just a niche dispute over permits. It’s about who controls public space, and whether free, spontaneous art still has room to exist. In a city where “public” spaces are often quietly privatized, Covent Garden remains a rare thing: a free, open stage where world-class performers entertain anyone who happens to pass by.

Sunday’s event will feel like a party. But it’s also a quiet protest. The performers aren’t just celebrating their past: they’re fighting for their right to keep creating. If you’re near central London – and if the performances, the protest, or both appeal – head down and catch it while you still can.