Starlight Express has closed in London. Its final performance at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre was on Sunday 3 May 2026, and there are no tickets to buy.
The closure was announced on 9 January 2026 as a final extension. The producer, Michael Harrison, called it “your final call for boarding to see the spectacular London revival in Wembley.” It was the seventh time the run had been extended.
People still search for it in large numbers, partly because it ran for nearly two years and partly because its next move is not London at all.
It is going on tour, not coming back
The same announcement said the success of the new production means “we will embark on a world tour commencing in Spring 2027, details of which we will announce shortly.”
At the time of writing the tour cities have not been confirmed in anything we could find, so there is no London return date and no reason to expect one. If you want to see it, the route is the tour, from spring 2027.
What it was
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical returned to London in a new production in June 2024, staged at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, with the performers racing as the trains on roller skates.
The show follows a child’s toy train set that comes to life, with the trains competing to be the fastest in the world. The songs people searched for were “AC/DC”, “Make Up My Heart”, “Light at the End of the Tunnel” and the title number.
The LondonTheatre.co.uk critic described it as “an awe-inspiring stadium gig-meets-theme park ride of a show.”
The principal cast named at the time of the final extension included Gavin Adams as Rusty, Jade Marvin as Momma McCoy, Olivia Ringrose as Greaseball, Asher Forth as Electra, Sophie Naglik as Pearl, Georgia Pemberton as Dinah and Jaydon Vijn as Hydra.
What to do at Wembley Park instead
The theatre sat in the middle of Wembley Park, and the estate has other things worth the trip. Two of them are on the same street, Fulton Road.
The Mundo Pixar Experience runs until January, with 13 life-size sets and a free pram park at the entrance. Bubble Planet is a few doors along, a 60 to 90 minute walkthrough of 11 rooms including a ball pit.
Both are strict about refunds, which are never given. Read their pages before booking, because the rules differ in useful ways: arrival is 10 minutes before at the Pixar experience and up to 30 minutes after at Bubble Planet.
Wembley Stadium is next door, and the stadium estate is a short walk from Wembley Park station on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines.
If you want a big West End musical
Several large productions are running now. The London Palladium opens its Christmas pantomime in December, and Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club is in its fifth year. The best West End shows covers what else is on.
How to plan it
Starlight Express has closed. Final performance 3 May 2026.
Do not buy tickets from resellers advertising it. There is no London run to attend.
The world tour starts in spring 2027. Cities are yet to be announced.
Wembley Park is still worth a trip. The Pixar experience and Bubble Planet are both open.
Starlight Express Closed
- Address
- Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, Wembley Park, London
- Nearest
- Wembley Park on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines
- Hours
- Closed. The final performance was on Sunday 3 May 2026
- Booking
- Not available. The producer has announced a world tour commencing in spring 2027 with details to follow
- Price
- No longer on sale
- Standing
- Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical about a child’s toy train set that comes to life, which ran in a new production at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre from June 2024 and was extended seven times
How to get in
Closed. The closure was announced on 9 January 2026 as a final extension through 3 May 2026. The producer says a world tour will commence in spring 2027, so there is no London return planned and no London run for a ticket to be valid for.
Where to go next
The Mundo Pixar Experience and Bubble Planet are the nearest alternatives, and Hercules is the other big musical that has recently closed.
Cheap theatre tickets covers the lotteries and day seats for what is on.
Questions we get asked
Is Starlight Express still on in London?
No. The final performance at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre was on Sunday 3 May 2026. The closure was announced in January 2026 as the seventh and final extension of a run that began in June 2024. There are no London tickets, and the producer has said the show will instead go on a world tour from spring 2027.
When does the Starlight Express world tour start?
The producer announced a world tour commencing in spring 2027, with details to be announced. At the time of writing we found no confirmed cities or dates, so there is no London return date.
How long did Starlight Express run in London?
From June 2024 until 3 May 2026 at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, about two years, with the run extended seven times. The seventh extension was announced as the final one in January 2026.
What is there to do near the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre?
The Mundo Pixar Experience and Bubble Planet are both on Fulton Road in Wembley Park, a short walk apart, and Wembley Stadium is next door. Wembley Park station on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines serves the whole estate.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 405 in the guide.
Last checked 10 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
