Press Release

LEICESTER SQUARE

REIMAGINED FOR

CHRISTMAS 2016

14 July 2016

• UNDERBELLY BRING A RE-IMAGINED CHRISTMAS EVENT TO LONDON’S ICONIC LEICESTER SQUARE

• CHRISTMAS IN LEICESTER SQUARE WILL FEATURE A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS MARKET, SANTA’S GROTTO FOR FAMILIES AND A BEAUTIFUL BELGIAN

• FROM 11 NOVEMBER – 8 JANUARY WORLD-RENOWNED THEATRICAL PHENOMENON LA SOIRÉE WILL PERFORM IN THE SPIEGELTENT AS PART OF CHRISTMAS IN LEICESTER SQUARE

• LA SOIRÉE’S TANTALISING LINE-UP WILL FEATURE MUCH-LOVED FAVOURITES, INCLUDING THE ENGLISH GENTS AND URSULA MARTINEZ, ALONGSIDE ASTONISHING NEW ACTS

• ARTIST’S RENDITION OF THE LEICESTER SQUARE SITE CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE, ALONG WITH IMAGES FOR LA SOIRÉE. USERNAME: La Soiree PASSWORD: soiree

Underbelly won Best Festival at the 2014 UK Festival Awards for its re-imagining of ’s Christmas and helped develop Winter at Southbank Centre into one of London’s most popular winter destinations. In London, Underbelly is also known for its and London Wonderground festivals on the Southbank and as the Event Producer for Pride in London and Production Partner for West End Live. Now it brings a newly conceived event, Christmas in Leicester Square, to the heart of London’s vibrant West End, with La Soirée in the Spiegeltent, the Christmas Market and Santa’s Grotto. It’s the perfect destination to indulge in the season of good cheer, whether you want to party with La Soirée, take a visit to Santa’s Grotto or stroll through the traditional Christmas Market, with its fair of crafters, artists and gastronomic surprises.

Underbelly are delighted to welcome La Soirée as a major part of Christmas in Leicester Square. This season of La Soirée will offer audiences a bounty of familiar pleasures and sensational surprises, including much loved favourites Ursula Martinez, The English Gents, Hamish McCann’s pole act, and last year’s show- stopper Denis Lock’s bubble act, plus a host of fresh and thrilling new talent. So shimmy on over to the vintage Spiegeltent in its new home at Christmas in Leicester Square, a velvet-draped salon of carved wood, polished mirrors, crystal and leadlight and prepare to be charmed, astonished and electrified by the

loveable crème de la crème of the cabaret world. Further acts will be revealed in due course.

Underbelly and Westminster City Council are also delighted to announce Winter Windows as part of Christmas in Leicester Square. This community engagement project will give 20 schoolchildren in Westminster the opportunity to exhibit their stained glass window designs on the north side of Leicester Square. Twenty schools (primary and secondary) will run internal competitions to select a pupil to design a winter stained glass window. The designs are then enlarged, rear lit and displayed as a free exhibition in Leicester Square.

Underbelly Directors Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood said: “We’re delighted to be bringing a European Christmas to the centre of London and presenting Leicester Square with something for everyone from the world famous La Soirée and their perfect Christmas night out, to the Christmas Market from Germany for shoppers to the Santa’s Grotto for children.”

ENDS

For further information please contact Chloe Pritchard-Gordon or Emma Draper at The Corner Shop PR: [email protected] / [email protected] / 020 7831 7657

NOTES TO EDITORS:

IMAGES OF THE SITE and LA SOIRÉE CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE USERNAME: La Soiree PASSWORD: soiree

TAKE A PEEK AT THE WORLD OF LA SOIRÉE HERE

CHRISTMAS IN LEICESTER SQUARE LISTINGS INFORMATION – TICKETS GO ON SALE TODAY

Christmas in Leicester Square Friday 11 November 2016 to Sunday 8 January 2017

Christmas in Leicester Square (including Christmas Market and Santa’s Grotto) is open: - Monday to Friday from 12noon to 10pm - Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 10pm

Tickets for La Soirée and the Santa’s Grotto can be purchased from www.christmasinleicestersquare.com

LA SOIRÉE LISTINGS INFORMATION

Christmas in Leicester Square Friday 11 November 2016 to Sunday 8 January 2017 PRESS NIGHT: Wednesday 16 November, 8pm

Box office: www.la-soiree.com 0207 492 9942

La-Soiree.com Twitter: @LaSoireeLive Facebook: www.facebook.com/LaSoiree Instagram: LaSoireeLive You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialLaSoiree

About Underbelly Underbelly is a UK-based live entertainment company that runs several festivals and events across the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Founded in 2000 by directors Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood to operate one venue at the Edinburgh Festival, Underbelly has grown to include the Udderbelly and London Wonderground festivals at Southbank Centre in London, Udderbelly Festival in Hong Kong as well as an ever-growing programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Through Underbelly Productions, they also produce and promote live shows for UK and international touring. Underbelly also produces large-scale events, most recently including West End Live, Pride in London and the Rugby World Cup Fanzone in Richmond. In 2015, over 1.1 million people bought tickets to their shows and attractions and they had over 5 million visitors to their events. The giant upside-down purple cow Udderbelly is now an iconic annual fixture of the London, Edinburgh and Hong Kong skylines. www.underbelly.co.uk

About La Soirée The extraordinary theatrical phenomenon that is La Soirée has now seen over 75 artists take their place on the iconic red stage in over 25 cities, across five continents, with over 150 acts between them. Audiences and critics alike have been wowed by La Soirée’s ever-expanding, fabulously dysfunctional family since the company first played together in Edinburgh back in 2004. Over 5.5 million people have now seen La Soirée perform across the globe. La Soirée is presented by Brett Haylock, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin.

La Soirée may contain nudity and is recommended for ages 18+.

The event is subject to planning permission and licensing approval being granted.