London gets free BMW Classics concert on 13 June

BMW Classics returns to Trafalgar Square on Saturday 13 June, bringing the London Symphony Orchestra into the centre of Westminster for a free open-air concert.

The event runs from 4:00pm to 5:30pm at Trafalgar Square, Westminster, London, WC2N 5DN. No ticket is required, and gates are due to open from 2.45pm for the 4pm start. The concert is aimed at the general public, from regular classical listeners to passers-by looking for a summer performance in one of London’s most recognisable public spaces.

The London Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano will conduct the programme, which includes music linked to two major British works: Gustav Holst’s The Planets and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

Five movements from Holst in Trafalgar Square

BMW Classics is set to be one of the largest live-performance moments in the LSO’s 2026 and 2027 multi-platform celebration of Holst’s The Planets.

Audiences in Trafalgar Square and online will hear five movements from the astrological-inspired suite: Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Uranus. The selection gives the outdoor concert a direct connection to a work long associated with orchestral scale, colour and public imagination.

For listeners who know The Planets through Jupiter or Mars, the Trafalgar Square setting offers a shorter but broad sweep through the suite. For those new to the piece, the free format makes the concert an unusually accessible way into a work often heard in full concert-hall programmes.

A new London work at the centre of the programme

The centrepiece of this year’s concert is the world premiere of Louise Drewett’s Four Dances, a new work specially commissioned for BMW Classics.

The piece is written for a mixed-ability orchestra and brings together LSO musicians, Guildhall School students and 55 young musicians from east London taking part through the LSO Discovery programmes.

Four Dances is rooted in London places. The work depicts the Queen’s Walk near London Bridge, Columbia Wharf in Rotherhithe, South Dock on the Isle of Dogs and Greenwich Pier in Maritime Greenwich, each with its own distinct mood.

That gives the concert a local thread as well as a classical one: a new commission shaped around public spaces in the same city where it will receive its first performance.

Elgar closes the free summer concert

The finale will feature excerpts from Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. The London Symphony Orchestra’s connection with Elgar reaches back to its foundation in 1904, when the composer conducted the orchestra during its inaugural season and later became its second Principal Conductor.

That history sits alongside the newer elements of the programme: Holst’s orchestral suite, Drewett’s newly commissioned work, and the participation of young musicians from east London through LSO Discovery.

Readers interested in classical programming beyond London may also find context in this recent feature on a European conductor’s farewell tour: a final Sinfonietta Rīga tour.

Getting to Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is listed as easy to reach by public transport, including buses, the Tube and national rail services, though visitors may want to check Tube status before travelling.

Charing Cross Underground Station is the closest Tube station and is served by the Northern and Bakerloo lines, but the source notes that it does not have step-free access. Westminster Station, served by the Jubilee, District and Circle lines, provides step-free access from platform to street level and is about a 10-minute walk from Trafalgar Square.

The nearest railway station is Charing Cross, around 325 metres away, approximately three minutes on foot. Charing Cross rail station offers step-free access and a step-free route to Trafalgar Square.

Bus routes stopping close to Trafalgar Square include 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 23, 87, 88, 91, 139 and 176. Most buses have wheelchair access, according to the event information.

Accessibility and arrival details

The area around Trafalgar Square can get very busy on the day of the event, and visitors are advised in the source information to use public transport where possible.

For those unable to use public transport for accessibility reasons, Blue Badge parking spaces are available on St Martin’s Street, next to the National Gallery. The source states there are three designated Blue Badge parking bays there, around 250 metres from the National Gallery.

Further parking information is available through the Westminster Parking Information Service on 020 7823 4567. The helpline is open Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 8pm. Visitors can also search for disabled Blue Badge bays near WC2N 5DN through the City of Westminster’s website.

Source: London City Hall Events