A run-down on everything you need to know – and everything we know so far – about the Olivier Awards 2026.
IT’S OLIVIER AWARDS DAY! The 2026 Olivier Awards ceremony has now taken place TODAY, Sunday 12 April, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
? 2026 WINNERS: See the full list of 2026 Olivier Award winners here
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, the Olivier Awards are Britain’s most important and prestigious theatre awards.
- Olivier Awards 2026 – The Essentials
- Date: Sunday 12 April 2026 from 5pm
- Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London
- Host: Nick Mohammed
- Broadcast: BBC Two / iPlayer at 7:00pm (UK)
- Radio: BBC Radio 2 at 8:00pm with Jo Whiley
- Top Nominees: Paddington The Musical (11), Into the Woods (11)
- Top Winners: Paddington The Musical (7)
- Book tickets to all of the West End shows nominated for 2026 Olivier Awards
Organised by the Society of London Theatre, the awards cover all major acting and creative disciplines. Established fifty years ago, in 1976, and named in honour of great British actor Laurence Olivier, the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London’s West End theatre.
Here’s everything we know so far about today’s awards – including information on the ceremony and nomination announcement dates.
- Olivier Awards 2026 winners
- Who was nominated for 2026 Olivier Awards?
- Who are the winners of the Special Awards?
- Who hosted the Olivier Awards?
- Can I watch and listen to the Olivier Awards 2026 at home?
- What shows and stars performed at the 2026 Olivier Awards?
- Which stars will present awards at this year’s ceremony?
- The 50th Anniversary of the Olivier Awards
- Can I book tickets to watch the Olivier Awards?
- Where is the 2026 ceremony held?
- Who is directing this year’s Olivier Awards?
- What are the Olivier Awards categories?
- What shows are eligible for 2026 awards?
- Who won last year’s Olivier Awards 2025?
Olivier Awards 2026 winners
Winners have now been announced for the Olivier Awards 2026, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday 12 April 2026.
The event started at 4.45pm with speeches, then the ceremony started at 4.55pm until 7.45pm (without an interval).
See all of the winners of this year’s awards in our round-up: Olivier Awards 2026: The full list of winners as Paddington The Musical dominates the night
Big winners on the night included Paddington The Musical, which scored seven wins including Best New Musical.
The date of this year’s Olivier Awards was originally announced back in December.
Paddington and Into the Woods (Photos Johan Persson)
Who was nominated for 2026 Olivier Awards?
Nominations for the 2026 Olivier Awards were announced at 12pm on 5 March 2026.
Leading the nominations with 11 each were Paddington The Musical at the Savoy Theatre and Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre.
In terms of plays, All My Sons at the Wyndham’s Theatre starring Bryan Cranston, and Kenrex and Stereophonic each scored six nominations.
Nominations for this year’s awards are based on eligible shows which opened from 15 February 2025 to 17 February 2026. This year, the Society of London Theatre put out a full list of which shows are eligible for 2026 awards.
Who are the winners of the Special Awards?
This year’s Industry Recognition and Special Awards were announced in February. To qualify for the awards, recipients have to demonstrate that they have achieved excellence in their field of work, have gone above and beyond in terms of dedication to their role and the industry, or have achieved pioneering and leading change.
This year’s Industry Recognition Awards have been awarded to Betty Laine OBE, the founder and Principal Emerita of Laine Theatre Arts; Linda Tolhurst, who has worked at the National Theatre for over 50 years, the last 46 years as Stage Door Keeper; and David Wood OBE, who has written over 75 children’s plays.
Also, two of its Special Awards were announced ahead of the ceremony, with award-winning choreographer and director Sir Wayne McGregor CBE receiving this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Dance Award; and opera and West End star Danielle De Niese winning the Outstanding Contribution to Opera Olivier Award.
A further Special Award was announced on 9 March 2026, with Dame Elaine Paige set to receive this year’s Special Award at the Olivier Awards, for her 60 year career in showbusiness.
Olivier Awards 2026 – Sir Wayne McGregor CBE (Photo Pal Hansen) & Danielle de Niese (Photo Sven Arnstein). Dame Elaine Paige (Photo David Venni)
Who hosted the Olivier Awards?
The Olivier Awards 2026 was hosted by comedian and actor Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso).
Last year the honours went to West End and Broadway stars Billy Porter and Beverley Knight. In 2023 and 2024, Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) was on hosting duties.
Olivier Awards 2025 – Hosts Beverley Knight and Billy Porter. Photo by Pamela Raith
Can I watch and listen to the Olivier Awards 2026 at home?
Yes, this year the BBC is broadcasting the awards in the UK on the evening of Sunday 12 April, following the ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall.
- On TV: BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 7pm on 12 April – BBC iPlayer
- On Radio: BBC Radio 2 from 8pm to 10pm on 12 April, in a special two-hour show hosted by Jo Whiley – BBC Sounds
- Outside the UK: Watch on Official London Theatre’s YouTube from 7pm BST – YouTube channel
The awards ceremony was produced for television by Penny Lane Entertainment. The BBC has also broadcast a special episode of Bargain Hunt featuring a cast of previous Olivier Award-nominated and winning contestants.
What shows and stars performed at the 2026 Olivier Awards?
This year’s performances from the Best New Musical and Best Musical Revival nominees were:
- Best New Musical performances from Paddington The Musical, Shucked, and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
- Best Musical Revival performances from Evita, Into the Woods and The Producers
- Two special performances to celebrate the anniversaries of Phantom and Wicked in London:
- A special performance from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera as the show celebrates 40 years in the West End
- The finale of the awards was a medley from Wicked, which celebrates 20 years in London this year
See the full list of confirmed 2026 Olivier Awards presenters and performers here.
Which stars will present awards at this year’s ceremony?
A galaxy of stage and screen stars were lined up to present the gongs at the Olivier Awards.
Star presenters of the 2026 Olivier Awards included (listed A-Z):
- Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh
- Monica Barbaro, currently appearing in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the National Theatre
- Danielle de Niese, this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Opera recipient
- Presenter and Chicken Shop Date’s Amelia Dimoldenberg
- Minnie Driver & Ambika Mod, who both recently appeared in the Olivier Award-nominated Every Brilliant Thing at @sohoplace
- David Harewood, whose West End performance in Othello can now be seen in cinemas
- Musical theatre impresario Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Sir Wayne McGregor, Outstanding Contribution to Dance recipient
- Sir Ian McKellen & Dame Helen Mirren, as ambassadors for Denville Hall, the retirement home for members of the theatrical professions
- Presenter, novelist and The Rest Is Entertainment podcaster Richard Osman
- Dame Arlene Phillips, who also serves as Stage Director for this year’s ceremony
- Aaron Pierre & Olivia Williams, currently appearing in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at The Old Vic
- Johannes Radebe, currently starring in Kinky Boots at the London Coliseum
- Sam Ryder, who is set to star as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium
- Russell Tovey, star of upcoming thriller The Guilty at the Donmar Warehouse
- Vanessa Williams, currently starring in The Devil Wears Prada at the Dominion Theatre
- Matt Willis, currently starring in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club in London
Olivier Awards 2025. Photo by Pamela Raith
The 50th Anniversary of the Olivier Awards
2026 marked the 50th anniversary of the Olivier Awards, which started in 1976 as the Society of West End Theatre Awards.
Read more about the history of the Olivier Awards: The Olivier Awards Turn 50: The Highs, Lows and Memorable Moments of Britain’s Most Prestigious Theatre Awards
Can I book tickets to watch the Olivier Awards?
Tickets to watch the Awards live at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 12 April 2026 are now sold out. See above for details of how to watch the awards at home, on the BBC.
Where is the 2026 ceremony held?
As in previous years, the Olivier Awards were announced at a glitzy ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
In past years the Olivier Awards have been held in a variety of London and West End venues, including the Royal Opera House, the Dominion Theatre, London Palladium, Lyceum Theatre, National Theatre, Piccadilly Theatre, Shaftesbury Theatre, Theatre Royal Drury Lane and Victoria Palace Theatre.
Who is directing this year’s Olivier Awards?
The director and choreographer of this year’s Olivier Awards 2026 was Dame Arlene Phillips (Grease, Guys & Dolls).
What are the Olivier Awards categories?
The main Olivier Awards categories are Best New Play, Best New Musical, and the Best Actor and Actress categories for both plays and musicals. But there are also lots of other key award categories.
See the 2026 Olivier Awards nominations here for a full list of categories.
What shows are eligible for 2026 awards?
That’s a good question, and the answer is – a lot of shows!
To be eligible for this year’s awards, a show must have opened between 15 February 2025 and 17 February 2026 in a theatre represented by a Society of London Theatre (SOLT) member, and met the minimum performance requirement for its category – see a list of all SOLT members.
You can see a full list here of which shows are eligible for this year’s Olivier Awards.
Olivier Awards 2025 – The cast of Les Misérables. Photo by Pamela Raith
Who won last year’s Olivier Awards 2025?
The 2025 Olivier Awards took place on Sunday, 6 April 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Winners of the Olivier Awards: See a full list of Olivier Awards winners here.
You can also watch the 2025 Olivier Awards on YouTube – here.
Also take a look at our Awards Data page for listings of winners going back to 1976.
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