Leicester Square

About this place

When a big film gets its British premiere, the red carpet is rolled out here, in front of the Odeon Luxe on the east side of Leicester Square. Laid out in the 1670s as a smart residential square, it has been the home of London cinema since the 1930s, and the studios still launch their blockbusters from it. On any night that is not a premiere, though, it is simply a crowded, paved square that everyone crosses on the way to somewhere else: Chinatown is one street north, and Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square are each about three minutes' walk in opposite directions. What makes it worth half an hour rather than a glance is the central garden. Around the Victorian Shakespeare fountain (1874), bronze statues of film characters have stood since 2020: Mary Poppins floating on her umbrella, Batman perched on the Odeon's roof, Paddington on a bench with room for you beside him, plus Mr Bean, Wonder Woman and Harry Potter. In late 2025 a statue of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which was partly filmed in London, joined the trail; expect it to be the most photographed of the lot by Gulf families. Children love it, and the square is completely flat and easy with a pushchair. Around the edges sit the giant Lego Store, the M&M's World that scents the pavement with chocolate, and the TKTS booth in the clocktower building on the south side, which sells discounted West End tickets for the same day or the days just ahead; if a show is on your list, that booth is the best practical reason to come. The restaurants facing the square are pricey chains that Londoners themselves avoid; walk one street into Chinatown, or take the Tube to Edgware Road, for better and cheaper food. London's first Ramadan lights were strung in 2023 along Coventry Street, right beside the square; in later years they moved to nearby Oxford Street. Be realistic: this is a place to pass through and photograph, not to spend an evening. Summer nights and the December holidays are packed, pickpockets know it, and some street performers press hard for payment after a photo. Leicester Square station (Northern and Piccadilly lines) opens directly onto the square; Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines) is a few minutes away.