Perhaps the greatest classical music festival in the world (and plenty more besides), the BBC Proms returns for another eight-week stint in 2025. Here's what you need to know.
What is the BBC Proms?
The first ever Prom was in 1895, established by the conductor Henry Wood who wanted "to bring the best in classical music to the widest possible audience". The BBC began organising and broadcasting the Proms in 1927. Over the decades, it's burgeoned into an eight-week jamboree of concerts, workshops, talks and family events. In 2025 there are almost 90 shows, with some 3,000 musicians taking part in London and beyond.
When are the BBC Proms?
Friday 18 July to Saturday 13 September 2025.
Where do the BBC Proms take place?
The majority of Proms concerts take place at the flagship venue, South Kensington's Royal Albert Hall (RAH). This dazzling bowl of Victorian splendour holds an audience of over 5.5k. To paraphrase the Beatles, now you know how many folks it takes to fill the Albert Hall.
It's not all about London these days. There are also Proms at venues including the Bristol Beacon and Gateshead's Glasshouse International Centre for Music — as well as newcomer Proms venues the Fire Station in Sunderland and St George's Hall in Bradford. But as we're Londonist, our guide focuses on the capital.
2025 Proms highlights — what are they?
That very much depends what you're into. The Proms has evolved over time to cater to an increasingly diverse audience, and offers everything from disco to Debussy. Here are a few 2025 shows that've got us drooling:
- The Traitors - Promising to 'conjure the misty intrigue worthy of a Highlands castle', Claudia Winkleman hosts this Prom which plays melodramatic chart tracks as heard on The Traitors, with a gothic, symphonic twist. Predicting this one will be in high demand, there is both a matinee and evening show. 26 July 🎭
- From Dark Till Dawn - Organist extraordinaire Anna Lapwood encourages you to stay up after your bedtime, as she performs late night choral classics with her choir from Pembroke College, as well as inviting Norwegian ensemble Barokksolistene and director Bjarte Eike to create a tavern-like mood with a Nordic Alehouse Session. 8 Aug 🍺
- The Planets and Star Wars - For those looking to take a brief sojourn from the craziness of planet Earth, this Prom brings a blockbuster dose of cosmic goodness, courtesy of one of the most famous suites of classical music, and one of Hollywood's most stellar scores. (There's also a relaxed Planets Prom the following day.) 9 Aug 🪐
- Anoushka Shankar - 'Chapters' Multi-Grammy-nominated sitar virtuoso and composer Anoushka Shankar plays music from her three 'Chapters' albums, which trace both her musical and geographical journeys. 🌎 12 Aug
- Shostakovich's Fifth by Heart - Even if you know next to nothing about classical music, chances are you recognise the dramatic opening bars of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony. Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra perform the masterpiece in full, sans sheet music. Making this one extra special, actors appear on stage too. There's an evening performance, followed by a matinee the next day. 16 and 17 Aug 🎻
- St Vincent - Art rock siren St Vincent teams up with Jules Buckley and his orchestra, to make her Proms debut. Here's a chance to hear new symphonic arrangements of tracks from her stunning back catalogue. 3 September 🎸
- Beethoven's Ninth - Described as 'a concert of musical roars and whispers', Beethoven's monumental symphony is joined by Bent Sørensen's Evening Land, which reflects the silent rural Denmark landscape, and Anna Clyne's lockdown-inspired The Years. 21 Aug 🎼
- Grieg's Piano Concerto - A stone cold classical classic, prize-winning young Viennese pianist Lukas Sternath takes to the keys for this one. It's framed by a William Blake-inspired elegy by Vaughan Williams pupil Ruth Gipps, and Arthur Bliss's The Beatitudes, composed for the reopening of Coventry Cathedral in 1962. 7 September 🎹
How do I get BBC Proms tickets?
Tickets for all London performances go on general sale on Saturday 17 May 2025 via the Proms website. If you're hoping to go to a number of shows, there's a handy Proms Planner where you can map out what you want to watch then (though you'll need to create an account on the Proms site for this by 16 May). Or you can buy a physical paper Proms guide for £9.99.
If you want to be a proper 'prommer', read onto the next section...
How do I get cheap BBC Proms tickets?
That'd be the 'promming' tickets. Until recent years, you'd have to pretend you had a headache at work, leave the office early, and queue to buy tickets on the door at the RAH. That's no longer the case. Around 1,000 promming tickets will be made available online for each performance* on 10.30am of the day of the concert. You can buy a maximum of two per person, and they cost £8 each (including booking fee).
If you prefer to keep it old school, you can still show up at Door 12 of the RAH on the day, and try to get your ticket that way. Tickets are sold up until five minutes before the performance starts. No guarantees you'll get in though.
*Except for and handful of Proms, tickets of which will be available from 10.30am the day before the Prom.
What exactly is promming anyway?
It's short for promenade, and in this case means you don't get a seat*. You choose whether to head up into the gallery (spectacular views, and you can indeed stroll around a bit), or into the arena (tends to be more cramped, but you can see the performers up close, and it's quite the atmosphere). You can take a picnic in with you but any booze may be confiscated. Boo — especially given the price of a glass of wine here these days.
*A limited number of seats are available for those prommers unable to stand for an entire concert.
Are kids welcome at the Proms?
Yes, although it's recommended any children you bring to the Proms are aged five and above. Those aged 7-18 are actively encouraged to attend, with half-price tickets available for every show, bar the Last Night of the Proms.
A couple of Proms are very much suitable for families with young children:
- Relaxed Prom - The Planets - Aimed at anyone who feels more comfortable enjoying a concert in an informal environment. 10 Aug
- CBeebies Prom - A Magical Bedtime Story - There's a midday and afternoon performance of this on 25 Aug
Do I need to dress smartly?
Top hats and tailcoats please. Only joking. Wear what you like, within reason. We've even seen some prommers stalk about barefoot in the gallery (arguably pretentious, but maybe it helps them contemplate Shostakovich or something).
When is the Last Night of the Proms?
This year's flag-waving finale is on 13 September, featuring well-know classics including Dukas' The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Mussorgsky's A Night on the Bare Mountain, and of course, Thomas Arne's Rule, Britannia! It's a wildly popular night, and you'll need to enter this ballot. (If you've attended more than five 2025 Proms, you can enter a special, separate ballot.)
