See a show on World Book Day

World Book Day is on Thursday 4 March 2027 and a great excuse to celebrate all of the hit London & West End Shows that are based on books.

World Book Day is the annual charity-supported event to promote the joy of reading – for pleasure, and to improve children’s lives, through books.

World Book Day is a celebration of storytelling in all its forms. This year, London’s theatre scene is full of literary legends, allowing adults and children to see their favourite characters leap off the page and onto the stage!

Classic literature lovers can enjoy shows on stage in London including Victor Hugo’s epic tale of revolution and redemption, Les Miserables, at the Sondheim Theatre; and Gaston Leroux’s haunting gothic romance The Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theatre.

Young Readers Unite! There are also plenty of West End shows that young readers and families will love, including Michael Bond’s glorious Paddington Bear books, brought to life in major new show Paddington The Musical; Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge Theatre (the “revolting” power of reading is the unofficial anthem of World Book Day!); and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, brought to life on stage in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre.

Also check out our full listings of shows booking in the West End that are based on books.

West End shows based on books

A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic
A Christmas Carol
Old Vic
A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic - 10th anniversary production.

Booking to: 9 Jan 2027

Austentatious - An Improvised Jane Austen Novel
Vaudeville Theatre
Get tickets to Austentatious - An Improvised Jane Austen Novel in London's West End & on tour

Booking to: 14 Dec 2026

Poster promoting 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' with a wooden table, two chairs, a lamp, and teacups against teal floral wallpaper.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Lyric Hammersmith
The world premiere of Before the Coffee Gets Cold at the Lyric Hammersmith, Conor McPherson’s new stage adaptation of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s bestseller about a café where you can travel through time, playing from 17 June to 17 July 2027.

Starts: 17 Jun 2027
Booking to: 17 Jul 2027

Cabaret poster, glamorous performer with cocktail at Kit Kat Club, Playhouse Theatre, London
Cabaret
Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club)
Book Cabaret tickets London for the Olivier Award-winning revival at Kit Kat Club London in the West End. See show dates and ticket availability.

Booking to: 30 Jan 2027

Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, coming to the London Coliseum
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
London Coliseum
Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is getting a West End transfer in 2027 starring Michael Ball. Details coming soon.

Starts: 4 Jun 2027
Booking to: 18 Sep 2027

★  Save up to 40%, tickets from £20
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong - Tickets - London
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong
Wyndham's Theatre
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong - a brand new festive misadventure from Mischief Comedy, packed with laughter, mayhem, and plenty of unexpected surprises!

Starts: 18 Dec 2026
Booking to: 23 Jan 2027

Cirque Alice - Royal Festival Hall London
Cirque Alice
Royal Festival Hall
Step into a spectacular Wonderland with Cirque Alice. Book tickets now for this breathtaking acrobatic adventure at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

Starts: 12 Dec 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Poster for Death Note: The Musical with a person in a suit inside a glowing heart encircled by dark feathers against a blue background
Death Note The Musical
Barbican Theatre
Death Note The Musical returns to London’s Barbican Theatre in 2027. Book your tickets today.

Starts: 23 Mar 2027
Booking to: 15 May 2027

★  Pay no fees
Dick Whittington and His Cat
Dick Whittington and His Cat
King's Head Theatre
Book tickets for Dick Whittington: Adults Only at King's Head Theatre, the naughty panto starring River Medway and Victoria Scone.

Starts: 22 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Dick Whittington Adults Only at the Kings Head Theatre 2026
Dick Whittington: Adults Only
King's Head Theatre
Book tickets for Dick Whittington: Adults Only at King's Head Theatre, the naughty panto starring River Medway and Victoria Scone.

Starts: 26 Nov 2026
Booking to: 2 Jan 2027

Cast in bold costumes pose for Ebony Scrooge at Sadler's Wells East, London, a hip hop dance take on A Christmas Carol.
Ebony Scrooge
Sadler's Wells East
Book Ebony Scrooge tickets for ZooNation’s joyful hip hop Christmas show at Sadler’s Wells East in London.

Starts: 24 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Eurotrash Tickets, Young Vic London
Eurotrash
Young Vic Theatre
Ben Whishaw and Kathryn Hunter star in Eurotrash at the Young Vic - a darkly comic new play about family, fortune and redemption.

Booking to: 7 Jan 2027

Father Christmas Needs a Wee - Christmas 2023
Father Christmas Needs a Wee!
The Arts at Marble Arch
Get tickets to Father Christmas Needs a Wee!, back at the West End's Arts Theatre this Christmas

Starts: 12 Dec 2026
Booking to: 24 Dec 2026

Fly You Fools Artwork
Fly, You Fools!
Southwark Playhouse Borough
Book tickets for Fly, You Fools!, Recent Cutbacks' five-star live fantasy parody with mime, shadow puppetry and Foley.

Starts: 25 Nov 2026
Booking to: 16 Jan 2027

Poster for Frankenstein theatre production: red background, large FRANKENSTEIN text, baby swaddled in a futuristic incubator on the right.
Frankenstein
Rose Theatre Kingston
Book Frankenstein at Rose Theatre, Kingston, a bold new adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic by Jeff James.

Starts: 16 Apr 2027
Booking to: 8 May 2027

Man showing his teeth coming out of clear water, with yellow text reading: August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean
Gem of the Ocean
Young Vic Theatre
Gem of the Ocean tickets for its run at the Young Vic, London. August Wilson's moving exploration of resistance, redemption and freedom, directed by Nadia Fall.

Starts: 14 May 2027
Booking to: 10 Jul 2027

Hamilton - Tickets - London
Hamilton
Victoria Palace Theatre
Book Hamilton tickets to see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s multi award-winning musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London.

Booking to: 2 Oct 2027

★  Save up to 26%
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - The One-part production - Tickets - London
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Palace Theatre
Book tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre, the award-winning stage spectacular now in a reimagined one-part production.

Booking to: 27 Jun 2027

★  Exclusive prices
Iphigenie En Tauride Tickets - ENO, London Coliseum
Iphigénie en Tauride
London Coliseum
Book tickets for Iphigénie en Tauride, Gluck’s powerful opera of family, fate and redemption at the London Coliseum.

Booking to: 14 Nov 2026

Legally Blonde at the London Coliseum
Legally Blonde the Musical
London Coliseum
Book tickets for Legally Blonde The Musical, starring Amber Davies, returning to the London Coliseum following its hit UK and Ireland tour.

Starts: 22 Mar 2027
Booking to: 22 May 2027

★  Save up to 46%
Les Miserables - London
Les Misérables
Sondheim Theatre
Book tickets now for Les Misérables, the world’s longest-running musical in the West End.

Booking to: 2 Oct 2027

Royal Ballet & Opera_Maddaddam
MaddAddam
Royal Opera House
Book MaddAddam tickets, Wayne McGregor's ballet of Margaret Atwood's dystopian trilogy at the Royal Opera House.

Starts: 22 Feb 2027
Booking to: 13 Mar 2027

A male ballet dancer lifts a female dancer in an on-stage performance, with 'Royal Ballet & Opera' and 'Manon' text above.
Manon
Royal Opera House
Book tickets for Manon, one of The Royal Ballet’s signature works by Kenneth MacMillan

Booking to: 25 Nov 2026

Matilda The Musical, girl stood with hands on hips backlit on blue background
Matilda The Musical
Cambridge Theatre
The RSC's ingenious production of Roald Dahl's Matilda now playing at the Cambridge Theatre. Book your tickets today.

Booking to: 5 Sep 2027

★  Special Prices
Mr Loverman at the National Theatre
Mr Loverman
National Theatre - Lyttelton Theatre
Book tickets to Mr Loverman at the National Theatre, Natasha Gordon's adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Bernardine Evaristo.

Starts: 25 Feb 2027
Booking to: 17 Apr 2027

Nutcracker - English National Ballet - London Coliseum (2025)
Nutcracker - English National Ballet
London Coliseum
English National Ballet return to the London Coliseum this Christmas with its spectacular production of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker.

Starts: 17 Dec 2026
Booking to: 10 Jan 2027

Promotional image of the Oliver! stage musical: a lively chorus in vintage costumes performing on a theater set with bold title text 'OLIVER! IS PURE JOY!'
Oliver!
Gielgud Theatre
Book Oliver! tickets to see Lionel Bart’s much-loved musical at the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End.

Booking to: 14 Mar 2027

★  Save up to 29%
Smiling couple hugging on a white background with large 'One Day' title in orange/blue, poster for the musical.
One Day The Musical
Garrick Theatre
Discover One Day the Musical, a brand-new musical based on the global best-selling novel.

Starts: 17 Nov 2026
Booking to: 14 Mar 2027

New Paddington The Musical Artwork (June 2026)
Paddington The Musical
Savoy Theatre
Book official Paddington The Musical tickets at the Savoy Theatre in London’s West End.

Booking to: 13 Feb 2028

Pinocchio at Shakespeare's Globe
Pinocchio
Shakespeare's Globe
Pinocchio returns to Shakespeare’s Globe for Christmas 2026

Starts: 28 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

★  Save up to 68%
Room on the broom
Room On The Broom
Lyric Theatre
From the creators of The Gruffalo comes the spellbinding adventure Room on the Broom, for children aged 3+.

Starts: 27 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Unicorn Theatre. Santa's First Christmas Artwork
Santa's First Christmas
Unicorn Theatre
Book […]

Starts: 14 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Stick Man Tickets – Bloomsbury Theatre, London
Stick Man
Bloomsbury Theatre
Book Stick Man tickets for Bloomsbury Theatre in London. Julia Donaldson’s beloved family Christmas show returns from 3 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.

Starts: 3 Dec 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

The Book Thief Official Artwork Lyric Hammersmith
The Book Thief
Lyric Hammersmith
Book tickets for The Book Thief, the acclaimed new musical based on Markus Zusak’s bestseller.

Starts: 24 Jul 2027
Booking to: 28 Aug 2027

Devil Wears Prada Official Show Artwork. Teri Hatcher as Miranda
The Devil Wears Prada
Dominion Theatre
Book The Devil Wears Prada tickets to see the stylish West End musical at the Dominion Theatre in London.

Booking to: 25 Sep 2027

The Hunger Games: On Stage Tickets - London
The Hunger Games on Stage
Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre
Book tickets for The Hunger Games On Stage, the first-ever live stage adaptation of The Hunger Games, live in London.

Booking to: 14 Feb 2027

★  Exclusive pricing
The Notebook A New Musical Official Artwork
The Notebook The Musical
Judi Dench Theatre (formerly Shaftesbury Theatre)
Book now for the UK premiere of the romantic musical based on Nicholas Sparks’s bestselling novel.

Starts: 10 Mar 2027
Booking to: 11 Dec 2027

The Phantom of the Opera 2026 - His Majesty's Theatre
The Phantom of the Opera
His Majesty's Theatre
Book The Phantom of the Opera tickets to see Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary West End musical at His Majesty’s Theatre in London.

Booking to: 2 Oct 2027

The Pianist Musical London, Park Theatre
The Pianist
Park Theatre
The acclaimed memoir and film lands on the stage in a new musical adaptation.

Booking to: 28 Nov 2026

The Smartest Giant in Town
The Smartest Giant in Town
St Martin's Theatre
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's picture book The Smartest Giant in Town live on stage at the St Martin's Theatre London

Starts: 9 Dec 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

★  No booking fees
The Snowman - Tickets - London
The Snowman
Peacock Theatre
The Snowman returns to London’s Peacock Theatre for Christmas 2026 in a brand-new production. Discover dates, ticket updates and festive family theatre magic.

Starts: 21 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

★  Save up to 44%
The Young Team Lyric Hammersmith_Official Artwork
The Young Team
Lyric Hammersmith
Book now for The Young Team at the Lyric Hammersmith, a searing stage adaptation of Graeme Armstrong’s award-winning novel by Kieran Hurley

Starts: 31 Aug 2027
Booking to: 25 Sep 2027

There's a Bear on My Chair - Tickets - London
There’s a Bear on My Chair
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The first ever stage adaptation of There’s a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins, returns to London.

Starts: 9 Dec 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

We Have Always Lived in the Castle_Lyric Hammersmith_Official Artwork
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Lyric Hammersmith
We Have Always Lived in the Castle at the Lyric Hammersmith, a thrilling new stage adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s classic

Starts: 7 Oct 2027
Booking to: 6 Nov 2027

WICKED - 20th Anniversary - London - Tickets
Wicked
Apollo Victoria Theatre
Book Wicked tickets to see the spellbinding West End musical at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre, now celebrating 20 years.

Booking to: 30 May 2027

★  Pay no fees
Court room scene in Witness for the Prosecution, County Hall, London
Witness for the Prosecution
County Hall
Agatha Christie’s gripping courtroom drama Witness for the Prosecution, staged in the epic setting of County Hall in London.

Booking to: 25 Apr 2027

Poster Art: Zog and the Flying Doctors - UK Tour
Zog and the Flying Doctors
Cadogan Hall
Zog and the Flying Doctors stage show flies into Cadogan Hall for summer 2027.

Starts: 30 Jul 2027
Booking to: 22 Aug 2027



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