Cirque Du Soleil – Kurios

Kurios hotel packages from London Theatre Breaks

Enter a world where seeing is believing and the impossible comes to life. Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities returns to the Royal Albert Hall from 13 January to 28 February 2027, and this time the season has been announced as non-extendable, so there will be no late reprieve into March. When it last visited, in 2023, it became the most successful Cirque du Soleil production London has ever staged, and a break built around it is a fine way to brighten the long weeks after Christmas.

What’s it about?

Kurios is set in an alternative 19th century, in the workshop of an inventor known as the Seeker, who is convinced that a hidden world lies just out of sight. When he finally unlocks his cabinet of curiosities, its strange inhabitants step out one by one and turn his makeshift laboratory upside down. The look is steampunk throughout: brass, cogs, a steam train and contraptions that would not look out of place in a Victorian exhibition hall.

Around that story comes everything you expect from Cirque du Soleil at its best: acrobatics, contortion and aerial acts of real daring, balanced by clowning and a gentle, slightly surreal humour. There is little plot to keep track of, so it works across the generations, from grandparents to a child’s first big London show.

Thirty years at the Royal Albert Hall

The 2027 season marks 30 years since Cirque du Soleil first played the Royal Albert Hall, in 1996, and the company has made the Hall its London home most winters since. Kurios had its European debut there in 2023 and set the venue’s Cirque records, which goes a long way to explaining why it has been invited back. Watching acrobats at work beneath that great dome, with its tiers of boxes rising all around, is a large part of the appeal.

Planning your break

The Royal Albert Hall is in Kensington rather than Theatreland, which opens up a different side of London for your break. The museums of Exhibition Road are on the doorstep and Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are just across the road, so there is plenty to fill the day before the show.

With only seven weeks to play with, the best dates will go early, so if you are thinking of a family break or a winter treat for two, start planning now.

Before you book

Is Kurios suitable for young children?

Yes. It is suitable for all ages, but under 14s must be accompanied by, and sit next to, an adult, and children aged three and over need their own ticket.

Where is the best place to stay?

Kensington and South Kensington put you within walking distance of the Hall and close to the museums and Hyde Park. If you would rather be nearer the West End, hotels around Piccadilly and Green Park are a direct Piccadilly line ride from South Kensington.

How do I get there by train?

From King’s Cross St Pancras, the Piccadilly line runs direct to South Kensington. From Euston, take the Victoria line to Green Park and change to the Piccadilly line. From South Kensington station it is about a 15-minute walk up Exhibition Road to the Hall.

Does the run cover February half term?

Yes. The season runs from 13 January to 28 February 2027, so it takes in the February half-term week. Half-term performances are usually the first to sell, so book early if you need those dates.