Piccadilly London West End is an area worth visiting no matter what time of year it is – between the restaurants in West End London and the buzz of Piccadilly Circus, you certainly won’t find yourself at a loss for something to do. If you are visiting in November, though, then you are in for a real treat. Here are some of the best things going on in the area to give you a taste of all there is on offer.
Go to the theatre
From the outside, a lot of West London’s theatres look like a relatively modest, old London buildings. Then, from the inside, you come across some of the most incredible, expansive interiors, designed by some of London’s great architects. They are all worth visiting, it is all about what show you are looking to see, so here are some of the shows that are on this November.
Arthur Miller’s well-known Death Of A Salesman hits The Piccadilly Theatre from October and will run throughout November. It has been a sell-out at the Young Vic theatre in Lambeth and is transferring to this pivotal hub of West End theatre. Then there is Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, a hit musical that has been nominated for five Olivier Awards – including Best New Musical. The list is extensive, with The Comedy About A Bank Robbery at The Criterion along there on the November list, so you are best off heading to the following theatres’ websites so that you miss out on nothing:
● Prince of Wales Theatre: https://www.princeofwalestheatre.co.uk/
● Leicester Square Theatre: https://www.leicestersquaretheatre.com/whats-on/
● Her Majesty’s Theatre: https://lwtheatres.co.uk/theatres/her-majestys/whats-on/
● Prince Edward Theatre: https://www.princeedwardtheatre.co.uk/
● Piccadilly Theatre: https://www.thepiccadillytheatre.com/
● Queen’s Theatre: https://www.queenstheatre.co.uk/
● Apollo Theatre: https://www.nimaxtheatres.com/theatres/apollo-theatre/
● The Criterion: https://www.criterion-theatre.co.uk/whats-on
BODY WORLDS London
With an address like 1 Piccadilly Circus, you can hardly resist booking into boutique hotels in London so that you don’t pass up on a visit to BODY WORLDS London. This exhibition by Dr Gunther von Hagens is one of London’s newer attractions, taking the position of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum yet has reached over 49 million people from around the world. You get not just a peak but a full-blown exploration under the skin of the human body, from the muscles to the sinews, from foetus to fully grown adult. The price includes admission as well as a free audio guide, so you can take the museum at your own pace, absorbing the information as you go. It is open all of November, from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm. Discounts are easy to find if you are booking 24 hours in advance!
The Covent Garden Comedy Club
Some of the comedy acts for November at this compact but always pumping comedy club in Covent Garden are lined up and ready to get your sides split. The variety of acts that come through these doors are always the perfect mix of talent. Shows will take place on 2,16, 23 and 30 November, so book now and prepare for an evening of comedy, food, dancing – packages are available that include all of these, too. The comedy club is small, but the dancing and food take place in associated venues, such as Tiger Tiger, ten minutes down the road from the comedy club, and a series of restaurants and bars.
Book events
For all the readers out there, November is a great month for events at Piccadilly’s Waterstones branch. Given that prize winners of awards such as the Man Booker Prize will have been announced by mid-October, some of these events could be the winners.
First of the lot is An evening with Elif Shafak and Elizabeth Filippouli, on 1 November. This literary discussion focuses on Elif Shafak’s new novel, 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World. It is happening in association with the Mayfair Literary Festival and is on the short-list for this year’s Man Booker Prize, so even if it hasn’t won by the time this event is taking place, it will be an evening for the books.
On the 19th of the month, winner of this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, Tayari Jones, will be in discussion Samira Ahmed, BBC journalist and broadcaster. It has also won NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction, and was chosen for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. The nomination list is just as impressive.
St James’ Church
This church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, built with red bricks of Portland stone dressings, plays host to a number of events throughout the year but is best-loved for its orchestral music recitals. Whether it is Mozart’s Requiem with the Six Centuries Chamber Choir or the Four Seasons by the Piccadilly Sinfonietta, the church will send those sweet sounds tumbling around in the epic acoustic set-up. There are particularly special performances in November, as the Christmas season draws near and temperatures drop. Wrap up warmly and listen to the mesmerising sounds of some classical music.
More information here: https://www.sjp.org.uk/evening-concerts.html
The National Gallery
If you were to be compiling a list of Piccadilly Circus Facts, some variation of fact pertaining to this well-loved art museum in London’s iconic Trafalgar Square. That it is the third-most visited museum in the United Kingdom would certainly suffice! It is ultimately an unmissable spot when you are visiting the area, and some of the events taking place in November at the museum are particularly worthy of your time.
The first day of the month welcomes an evening of piano, violin and song by Delius and Mallarmé, performed by the Park Lane Group in the Sainsbury Wing Theatre. In the same venue, only a few days later, there is a free lunchtime talk on the Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán and his connection to the Americas. There is a talk with Marcus du Sautoy called
Leonardo and the code of creativity, which looks into the interception of creativity and mathematics.
This area is an exciting place to be at this time of year – November is teeming with things to do, places to go, people to see and events to enjoy. Try out any of these options and you are bound to enjoy the month in Piccadilly.
