Royal Variety Performance

Welcome to the official website of the Royal Variety Performance, the entertainment industry's annual fundraising event for the Royal Variety Charity.

The Royal Variety Performance is now watched by over 152 million TV viewers worldwide, making it the most successful and longest running entertainment show in the world.

Few stages can claim to have welcomed such an extraordinary gathering of legendary artists. From Sir Edward Elgar to Luciano Pavarotti, The Beatles to Take That, Laurel and Hardy to Morecambe and Wise, the Royal Variety Performance has reflected the changing face of entertainment for more than a century. Its audiences have laughed with Tony Hancock and Michael McIntyre, marvelled at Sammy Davis Jr and Michael Jackson, and heard voices as different as Aretha Franklin, Dame Shirley Bassey and Lady Gaga. Yet the story is about far more than a succession of famous names. Behind every curtain call lies a remarkable partnership between the Royal Family and the entertainment industry, founded on a simple promise: those who bring pleasure to millions should not be forgotten when they themselves need help.

The Performance has survived two world wars, changes of monarch, the arrival of radio and television, shifting public tastes and even a pandemic. Its home has moved between some of Britain’s grandest theatres, but its purpose has endured. It raises funds and awareness for the Royal Variety Charity, whose work today embraces residential care at Brinsworth House, financial grants and mental health support for people across the entertainment profession. The glamour is genuine; so is the compassion behind it.

This year's Royal Variety Performance will be staged on Friday, 20th November 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall, in the presence of Their Majesties The King & Queen. Our official Aftershow Party will be held at the Natural History Museum, directly following the main show. 

FOR THIS YEAR'S LINE-UP, PLEASE CLICK HERE

Tickets have now SOLD OUT. However, a few Official Aftershow Party tickets remain available to purchase: CLICK HERE

DONATE & WIN TICKETS! If you would like a chance to win a VIP experience to this year's Royal Variety Performance (including tickets to both the show and Aftershow), enter our competition for as little as £5 (all proceeds to the Royal Variety Charity). CLICK HERE TO ENTER the competition. 

AFTERSHOW PARTY: A few Royal Variety Performance Official Aftershow Party tickets remain available to purchase: CLICK HERE

There isn't a show in the history of show-business, nor indeed in the history of television, that compares to the Royal Variety Performance; the very best in entertainment from around the globe has been presented year after year since the first show in 1912.

The quality and diversity of legendary performers over the years is both extraordinary and breathtaking; visit our huge ARCHIVE (CLICK HERE) for a full list and view photographs, video and original show programmes, year-by-year.

The Royal Variety Performance is presented annually in aid of the Royal Variety Charity; the first show being staged in 1912 when His Majesty King George V and Her Majesty Queen Mary attended the first 'Royal Performance.'