The Golden Key: a giant open-air theatre festival is coming to The Square Mile, but what’s it all about?

It’s going to be one busy Saturday
The Golden Key - A City of London Corporation event (c) Simon Jacobs / courtesy of The Golden Key
Elizabeth Gregory28 September 2022

Theatre-lovers, this one’s for you, because on one jam-packed Saturday in October, London’s historic centre, aka The Square Mile, is turning into a giant open-air theatre.

For one day only, over 200 artists will be performing shows in The City. Attendees can look forward to a fire display, giant puppets, games, art installations, puppetry, interactive poetry, circus acts (juggling and stilt walkers), live music, live drawing, dance and drag and cabaret shows. Plus there are three fairs, an interactive Maze of Adventures game and a treasure hunt.

And that’s not all: nearly all of the performances are family friendly and they’re all absolutely free. Here’s everything else there is to know.

When is it taking place?

It’s taking place on Saturday, October 15. The fairs all open at noon, with St Paul’s Fair running until 9.30 pm, and Guildhall Fair and London Wall Fair both running until 7 pm.

Where is it taking place?

The events are all taking place across 17 locations in The City’s Square Mile, London’s central business district, which is nestled in the very heart of the city, right next to Westminster. To help, The Golden Key’s creators have created a very handy map of the main events taking place during the theatre festival and have also provided addresses for each individual event next to its listing on their website.

Global Grooves - Padmini and Sivaji @ St Paul’s Fair / courtesy of The Golden Key

What can you expect?

Expect an absolutely jam-packed line-up of activities that have been created for all ages to enjoy. There are three main fairs, at Guildhall, London Wall and St Paul’s Cathedral, and it’s at or nearby each of these main hubs that the exciting events are taking place.

Some stand-out events include The Fair of Tall and Small Stories where attendees take a stroll through London Wall Highwalks to hear stories about characters Jack Sheppard, the Witch of Wapping, Boudicca of the Iceni as well as butchers, street sweepers and suffragettes.

There’s The Red Thread art installation, created by Josie Hunter Design, where a red thread runs through London Wall High Walks, tying together the 100 Keys shows (where one hundred moments of London’s history are brought to audiences through pop-up performances).

For children, there’s a Roman-themed play-off spot, which will include replicas of 3000-year-old board games, dice games and interactive storytelling. Plus, St Paul’s Gardens will be turned into a blazing art exhibition (from 6.30 pm - 9.30 pm) as outdoor makers Walk the Plank create a number of fire sculptures.

But this varied and exciting selection only grazes the surface of all the events taking place. More details of the activities and performances can be found here.

What is The Maze of Adventures?

Running from 12 pm until 6 pm, The The Maze of Adventures is a walking guided tour around the city where those taking part get to engage in 12 surprise art shows and events. “Maybe you’ll be taken into an underground hotel bar. Maybe you’ll dance on a rooftop. Maybe you’ll share a feast in a grand livery hall. Or maybe you’ll just hear a good story in a secret garden,” says The Golden Key.

So what’s it all about? Well for this 8 years+ activity you’ll need to bring your smartphone and some headphones (though it can work without) and then you will use an online interactive map to find red “doors” in The City, each of which will take you on an “adventure”. (Note, two of the doors are for adults only).

What is The Hunt?

The Hunt is being billed as a “for real” treasure hunt. In the run-up to October 15, Clessa (who is a dragon) will be releasing pages of the book London’s Assorted Mythologies And Enigmas In Rhyme online. Clessa is trying to find a new “custodian of the Heart of the City”.

The pages will contain clues about what the new Heart of the City is going to look like, where it is, and where to start looking for it on October 15. Then on the Saturday, using smartphones, you’ll be able to go on a hunt through the city, all the while learning stories about its custodians and mythologies. When you get to the end you guess where you think “the Heart” is.

At the end of the day, players get invited to a top-secret location where they’ll meet Clessa, and discover the winner. Exciting stuff.

Moth Theatre @ London Wall Fair (c) Moth Theatre / courtesy of The Golden Key

Do you need to bring anything?

Attendees will only need their smartphones and headphones (although you can still play the games without the headphones). Activities and shows will be both inside and outdoor, so you will likely need need to wrap up too, depending on what you are going to see and do.

Is the festival accessible?

St Paul’s Fair, Guildhall Fair and London Wall Fair are all wheelchair accessible, assistance dog friendly, will have accessible toilets, and there’ll be chairs available too.

The Maze of Adventures and The Hunt will be made up of 13 different walking routes, 10 routes of which are fully accessible to wheelchair users. The walking time of each route varies from 10 to 30 minutes, but more detailed information can be found on each route page.

Anything else to note?

Yes. Although (or perhaps because) all the events are free, it’s recommended to turn up on time, or even early, as they will be filled on a first come first serve basis.

There are no specific buggy parks, so bear this in mind if you’re bringing a pram. There are, happily, toilets available at each fair, including baby changing and disabled toilet facilities.

Then, finally, and crucially, there will be dozens of places to buy food. Tonnes of the hospitality businesses in the area will not only be open, but they’ll be joining in with the festivities too. Apparently, there’ll be Golden Key-themed cocktails offered at some bars and pubs, bespoke menus offered at some restaurants, plus mystical characters working in some of the shops in the borough.

To top it all off, there are even going to be some Golden Key After Parties running from 6 pm. More details on that here.

The Golden Key is taking place in the City of London on October 15.

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