2016 schedule

About West End LIVE

Celebrating its 12th year in 2016, West End LIVE is a free, two-day musical extravaganz showcasing the best of West End theatre. It regularly attracts more than 500,000 people to watch live performances from dozens of West End musicals over the course of the weekend and is the largest event of its type in the world.

West End LIVE is organised by Westminster City Council and Official London Theatre with support from the Mayor of London. It's sponsored by MasterCard.

Westminster City Council is the local authority serving the heart of London. The City of Westminster stretches from Pimlico and Victoria in the south through the West End, Marylebone and Bayswater to Paddington and Queen's Park in the north-west. It includes the capital's principal areas of government, shopping, entertainment and tourism and the headquarters of innumerable commercial and professional organisations together with extensive residential areas of all types. The resident population now stands at approximately 234,000 but it is estimated that about 1 million people set foot in Westminster at some time during the day. There are also tens of thousands of people who live in the City for short-periods or on a part-time basis who are not included in the resident population. The City Council has 60 Members which, since the election in May 2010, comprise: 48 Conservative, 12 Labour. The Lord Mayor is elected annually and carries out a large programme of civic duties, including attending many state occasions. The City Council employs about 4,800 staff who work flexibly over a large number of locations, almost all of them within the City boundaries. The main building for the Council is City Hall located on Victoria Street, near Victoria Station.

Official London Theatre is the consumer facing brand for the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), the not-for-profit organisation which provides a collective voice for the theatre owners, producers and managers of all the major commercial and grant-aided theatres across London. As well as protecting the interests of all its member theatres, SOLT promotes theatregoing through activities including the Olivier Awards with MasterCard, the TKTS ticket booth, the Official London Theatre website and its printed fortnightly listings guide, Theatre Tokens and the popular annual celebration West End LIVE in association with MasterCard. It also administers the audience development initiatives Kids Week and Get Into London Theatre, and supports a number of theatrical charities including Stage One and Mousetrap Theatre Projects.

MasterCard (NYSE: MA) is a technology company in the global payments industry. It operates the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, travelling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow them on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.