What to do in Leicester Square

Ask your average Joe or Jane what they know about Leicester Square and odds are they’ll say something about the movies. In fact you could say this place is synonymous with the silver screen. There are four cinemas on the square itself, and several more in the surrounding streets. The Odeon and Cineworld (formerly the Empire) are perhaps the best-known, having played host to many hundreds of glitzy movie premieres between them down the decades.

Stars including Tom Cruise and Margot Robbie have walked the hallowed red carpet here to the pop of camera bulbs and the deafening screams of adoring fans. And it’s frankly impossible to resist striking your own best Ethan Hunt or Harley Quinn pose beneath the facades of these iconic picture houses. You can even pitch up to spectate at one of Leicester Square’s many premieres – a golden opportunity to nab #humblebrag selfies with the Hollywood A-list.

You’ll find most of the latest big-budget blockbusters playing at Vue, Cineworld and the Odeon on Leicester Square, but you can also catch old-school classics, indie arthouse flicks, foreign films and even musical singalongs at the effortlessly cool Prince Charles Cinema, just off the square on Leicester Place.

Leicester Square is also a fine place to grab a coffee, find a bench and simply watch the world go by, not least because of the plethora of live street entertainment you can expect to experience here at all times of day and night. Look out for gold-dipped human statues, budding Adeles and Ed Sheerans, and fire-jugglers giving it their all during the day. As night descends, the professional street performers thin out, giving way to amateur have-a-go artists, their off-key caterwauling often coinciding with throwing-out time at the many local watering holes in and around the square.

Two titans of US and Danish culture straddle Leicester Square’s western entrance like capitalist colossi. Yes, we’re talking about the twin delights of M&Ms London and The Lego Store, respectively the planet’s largest candy and plastic brick emporia.

M&Ms London is serious business, with seven floors dedicated to the colourful chocolates. Join the party with your fave characters as they dance and bounce their way around their hallucinatory universe, treat yourself to branded apparel bearing the famous logo, and prepare to experience a sugar rush simply by setting eyes on the Everestian candy wall. 

Further kaleidoscopic adventures await over at The Lego Store. There are plenty of hands-on play opportunities and eye-popping Lego models here, including Harry Potter and Marvel characters, plus a recreation of Big Ben that stands over 20 feet tall. You can book a session to render your own portrait in Lego, thanks to the mighty Mosaic Maker, as well as designing mini figures in your own image at the Minifigure Factory. In a word: epic.

The TKTS booth has been operating on Leicester Square for nearly 50 years, bringing affordable West End tickets to the masses. It’s run by the Society of London Theatre and sells cut-price seats for performances the same evening. If you’re open to catching whichever shows happen to have last-minute seats on sale, this could well be for you. You might even save enough for a quick pre-theatre dinner, before heading off to be haunted by the Phantom of the Opera or to sing your heart out at Wicked.

Check out our full guide to getting cheap London attraction and theatre tickets here, and hit the buttons below to save up to 47% on top London attractions, tours and activities with The London Pass®.

Leicester Square lies a single block south of London’s vibrant Chinatown district. And indeed you can often catch the scent of ducks roasting and garlic frying as it drifts in on the breeze, though there is of course stiff olfactory competition from the ubiquitous cinema popcorn and aforementioned M&Ms chocolate emporium.

Follow your nose round the back of Cineworld to Gerrard Street, Chinaworld’s main thoroughfare, from where you can take your pick of the finest Asian cooking in town. Find a favourite spot for hotpot or spicy Sichuan curries, or make straight for the authentic bakeries where delectably sweet treats including egg custard tarts and traditional taiyaki – fish-shaped cakes with a sweet azuki-bean filling – await. Yum.

Read our ultimate guide to London’s Chinatown here.

Leicester Square’s central location puts it within stumbling distance of dozens of top London attractions and landmarks. We’re talking – deep breath – the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, the London Eye and loads more. Entry to many of the city’s top ticketed attractions is included with The London Pass® which is available for up to 10 days of consecutive sightseeing and could save you up to 47% on regular admission costs. Find out more and get your London Pass here.