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What’s On

BMW Classics 2025

A free open-air concert in the heart of London

Sunday 15 June 2025 • 5pm

This event has passed.

Gioachino Rossini
Overture: Semiramide
Giacomo Puccini
Capriccio sinfonico
Isabella Gellis
Opera for Orchestra (world premiere) *
Giuseppe Verdi
Triumphal March & Dance from ‘Aida’
Victor de Sabata
Juventus

Sir Antonio Pappano conductor
LSO Discovery Young Musicians *
Guildhall School Musicians *
London Symphony Orchestr
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The concert will finish at approximately 6.40pm

Read the Digital Concert Guide

Complete the Audience Survey

Free Entry

No ticket required, take your place from 3.45pm for a 5pm start.
Children under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.

Places for those with access needs may be reserved ahead of the event – more details.

No glass or furniture allowed in the Square. Please refrain from smoking or vaping in consideration of other audience members.

Live Stream

The concert will be live-streamed at 5pm BST on the LSO’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, and later be made available to watch on demand.

Watch Online

The Concert

BMW Classics, the London Symphony Orchestra’s free outdoor summer concert in Trafalgar Square, will next take place on Sunday 15 June 2025 – conducted for the first time by LSO Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano. Join us in the Square or watch online.

The Music

The programme celebrates Sir Antonio Pappano’s Italian heritage with the prerequisite passion and soaring melodies from some of the great Italian composers for opera and orchestra.

The concert opens with the spirited overture to Rossini’s final Italian opera Semiramide, before Puccini’s dramatic early orchestral work Capriccio sinfonico, filled with familiar themes that the composer would go on to revisit for some of his biggest operas.

At the centre of the concert, the LSO gives the world premiere of Isabella Gellis’ new work Opera for Orchestra, which has been specially commissioned for this occasion. Her piece, written for a mixed-ability orchestra, brings together LSO and Guildhall School musicians with 55 young musicians from east London as part of the LSO Discovery programmes.

To finish, the Orchestra performs the rousing Triumphal March & Dance from Verdi’s opera Aida, and the final flourish of Victor de Sabata’s luscious symphonic hymn to youth, Juventus.

Read the digital Concert Guide to find out more about what’s being performed.

Trafalgar Square

Join us in-person in the heart of London, for free. No ticket is required and gates will open from 3.45pm for a 5pm start. You can find further practical information about attending the event below.

Watch Online

For our audiences around the world, the concert will also be live-streamed at 5pm BST on the LSO’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, and will later be made available to watch on demand. Links will be posted on this page closer to the event for you to bookmark.

We look forward to welcoming you, wherever you are watching from.

 

BMW Classics partners logos

 

This annual event highlights the continued partnership between BMW Group and the London Symphony Orchestra, which for over a decade has brought superlative live orchestral music to audiences in one of the world’s most iconic public spaces and to tens of thousands more watching around the globe via streaming.

 

Event FAQs, Practical Tips & Accessibility

How do we get in and out?

Gates will open at 3.45pm. Entry to the Square will be via the Upper Terrace on the north side of the Square in front of The National Gallery, with an entrance gate at either end.

The gates on the lower part of the Square to either side the stage, towards the Strand and towards the Mall, are for exit only. There will be no re-entry should the Square fill and we need to close the entrance gates.

A level, step-free access area is available in the centre of the Upper Terrace – please see the Accessibility section below for full details and how to reserve spaces. If you require step-free access to the lower part of the Square please email tickets@lso.co.uk to arrange entry.

What if it's very busy or full?

The main space in the lower part of the Square will be filled up first. There will be limited space on the Upper Terrace giving a direct view of the stage. Screens either side of the stage will also relay the concert to the whole Square.

We advise that you should arrive early to secure a place. Gates open from 3.45pm. Should the Square fill completely, we will need to close the entrance barriers and it’s unlikely any further entry will be granted, even if people leave during the show.

Please be aware that if you leave the Square and it fills up while you are out, or you leave once the entrances are closed, you will not be able to get back in.

Is there seating?

The majority of the audience sits on the floor in the main part of the Square.

The audience may sit on the central part of the main steps facing the stage and there are some benches around the sides of the the Lower Terrace. The audience is not permitted to sit or stand on any steps used as a thoroughfare.

Please note that furniture, including camping chairs, is not allowed to be brought into the Square.

There are wheelchair spaces and some seating for those with access needs within an area in the centre of the Upper Terrace – please see the Accessibility section below for full details and how to reserve spaces.

Can we bring a picnic?

You are very welcome to bring food and drink into the Square, but for safety reasons please do not bring any glass. If you do have drinks in glass bottles with you, you will be asked to decant these into plastic jugs/cups provided at the entrance points.

If the forecast is hot, please do ensure that you bring sufficient water with you.

There will be concessions on the lower part of the Square selling hot and cold drinks, wrapped snacks and ice-cream. Please be aware that if you leave the Square to go to other outlets and it fills up while you are out, you will not be able to get back in.

Please don’t bring items such as camping chairs with you – furniture is not allowed to be brought into the Square.

Are there toilets?

Toilets will be available from when the gates open at 3.45pm and are located at the back of the lower part of the Square (20 pence charge applies, contactless card payment is available). Portable toilets  are also available for the audience on the Upper Terrace.

What about the weather?

Be prepared for any eventuality! Raincoats are preferred over umbrellas because these block the view of those behind you.

If it’s wet we’ll play on for as long as we can, but if the rain gets too heavy we’ll have to stop and restart if we can. There will be messages on the screens and announcements made, so sit tight and we’ll keep you posted. We will have biodegradable plastic ponchos available from the info point and the volunteers.

Please also be prepared for sunshine if the forecast is favourable! Bring a hat, sunscreen and extra water. Hats are preferred over parasols/umbrellas so the view of those behind you is not blocked.

What time will it finish?

There is no interval and the concert will finish at about 6.40pm.

Can we take photos?

Photography and posting to social networks are very much encouraged! Use the hashtag #LSOBMWClassics and tag us @londonsymphonyorchestra

Is there anything else we should know?

All bags will need to be checked on entry and any prohibited items, including glass and furniture, will not be allowed into the Square.

Please note that there are no cloakroom facilities. Large bags or cases will not be admitted.

Please refrain from smoking or vaping in the Square in consideration of other audience members.

Getting to Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is easy to reach by public transport, including buses, the Tube, and national rail services.

Tube & Bus

Charing Cross Underground Station is the closest Tube station and is served by the Northern and Bakerloo lines. However, please note that this station does not have step-free access.

The nearest Underground station with step-free access from platform to street level is Westminster Station, which is served by the Jubilee, District, and Circle lines. From Westminster Station, it’s about a 10-minute walk to Trafalgar Square.

Bus routes that stop close to Trafalgar Square include:
Routes 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 23, 87, 88, 91, 139, and 176, with most buses having wheelchair access.

For accessible travel options, including step-free routes and Dial-A-Ride services, you can visit the Transport for London (TfL) website for maps and to plan your journey: tfl.gov.uk.

National Rail

The nearest railway station is Charing Cross. It is 325 metres away, approximately 3 minutes’ walk. Charing Cross rail station offers step-free access and a step-free route to Trafalgar Square.

Accessible parking

The surrounding area on Trafalgar Square can get very busy on the day of an event, so we recommend you take public transport. If you’re unable to take public transport for accessibility reasons, accessible parking is available near Trafalgar Square.

There are Blue Badge parking spaces on St Martin’s Street, located next to the National Gallery. Please be aware that these spaces are around 250 metres from the National Gallery. There are three designated Blue Badge parking bays available here.

For more information on parking, you can contact the Westminster Parking Information Service on 020 7823 4567. The helpline is open Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 8pm. To find other blue badge parking bays nearby, you can find disabled Blue Badge bays on the City of Westminster’s website using the postcode WC2N 5DN

Accessibility

We want to make the event as accessible and inclusive as possible for everyone and have the following provisions in place:

  • A level, step-free access area in the centre of the Upper Terrace with seating and wheelchair spaces, together with seating on a raised platform behind for those with less limited mobility.
    • The best entry points for the access area are either side of The National Gallery. You may find it easiest to enter the Square via the north west corner by the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing, which is normally slightly less busy.
    • There is space for companions, however due to limited capacity entry is limited to groups of two.
    • Places in the access area are limited and will be able to be reserved in advance from 10am on Tuesday 10 June via the button below.
    • There will also be a small number of places available on the day on a first-come, first-served basis.
    • Those with reservations should arrive in by 4.30pm, otherwise their places will be added to the first-come, first-served allocation.
      Access Area Reservations
  • If you wish to watch the concert from the lower part of the Square and require step-free access, please email tickets@lso.co.uk to arrange entry at the south-east gate by The Strand.
  • The front, level section of the access area on the Upper Terrace is equipped with a hearing loop.
  • There is a portable accessible toilet on the Upper Terrace, in addition to the accessible toilet within the permanent toilet block on lower part of the Square. Please note that the lifts between the Upper Terrace and lower part of the Square will not be in operation.
  • Large print programmes are available on request.
  • Assistance dogs are welcome.

More to Explore

Live Stream

BMW Classics 2024 Highlights

Header Image © Doug Peters