Mayor invites Londoners to 'Experience Oxford Street like you've never seen it before' as street is transformed and made traffic-free for landmark event

• Oxford Street, the nation’s most famous high-street, will be closed to all traffic from Orchard Street to Oxford Circus for landmark one-day event taking place on Sunday 21st September
• The free ‘This is Oxford Street’ event, happening between 12pm and 8pm, will offer a glimpse of what Oxford Street could look like in the future with art installations, an urban forest, sports pitches, chill out zones, live performances and food and drink from around the world
• The Mayor announces today event partnering with global brands including Schuh, Holland & Barrett, Topshop, John Lewis, The Body Shop, the NBA, Major League Baseball and charitable non-profit organisation Choose Love. More than 30 retailers on Oxford Street will also be offering bespoke offers, deals and vouchers
• Sadiq confirms exciting event programme will include a children's literary festival, three stages, artistic workshops and much, much more on offer as Oxford Street goes traffic free for the first event of this kind
• Consultation showed around 7 in 10 back the Mayor’s transformative plans to regenerate Oxford Street, with two-thirds specifically supporting the idea of pedestrianisation

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is inviting Londoners and visitors to the capital to ‘Experience Oxford Street like you have never seen it before’ as the nation’s most famous high-street will be completely transformed and go traffic-free for a landmark event next week.

The ‘This is Oxford Street’ event [1], on Sunday 21st September, is free and open to all to attend and will shine a light on how the street could look in the future as the Mayor moves forward with his pledge to pedestrianise the street and unlock its true potential.

Oxford Street will be closed from traffic between from 12pm until 8pm for the first event of its kind – with themed zones, featuring fashion, sport, music, food, heritage and much more – spanning half a mile from Orchard Street to Oxford Circus. 

The event comes as the Mayor moves ahead with transformative proposals to pedestrianise Oxford Street and supercharge regeneration in the area following the overwhelmingly positive response from Londoners to plans for the transformation of Oxford Street. [2]

Today, the Mayor can reveal an exciting programme of activities and entertainment in-store for Londoners at ‘This is Oxford Street’ – with live music, including DJs, acoustic sets and performances from acts on three stages, activations by retailers and shops, art installations, an urban forest, an exhibition of the history of Oxford Street, food and drink from around the world, coffee and cocktail bars, a chill out zone, and activities for children such as a Literary Festival, poetry and storytelling, face painting, games and competitions.

Sadiq is also announcing today that global brands and retailers including Schuh, Topshop, John Lewis and The Body Shop have now been confirmed as event partners and will each host interactive activations on the day. They join retailer Holland and Barrett, announced last month, who will be hosting a wellness area and charitable non-profit organisation Choose Love, who will be on Oxford Street with a pop-up stall to show how their work supports refugees and displaced people with everything from search and rescue to food and legal advice. [3]

Basketball and baseball will also feature prominently on the day with American sports giants, the NBA and Major League Baseball (MLB), confirmed as event partners to host a pop-up court and batting and catching cage for children and adults to test their skills. Other features of the event include a wishing tree, inviting families to sit down and write their wishes for the future of Oxford Street and attach it to the tree. From Korean to Mexican food, the event will celebrate London’s rich cultural identity and diversity whilst a colourful 100-metre vinyl floor will feature at the heart of the event footprint on Oxford Street.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “’This is Oxford Street’ is going to be a landmark, free event open for everyone and will showcase the nation’s high street as you have never seen it before, offering a glimpse of what it could look like in the future.

“From food and drink from different cultures to live main stage music, to a Literary Festival for children and action-packed activations from major brands, shops and event partners, it is going to be a fantastic day.

“As Mayor, I have pledged to pedestrianise Oxford Street and I am determined to unlock its true potential to deliver a world-class, accessible, clean street for everyone as we build a better, greener and safer London for all.”

The Greater London Authority’s report on the public consultation, published in June 2025, showed Londoners and businesses back the Mayor’s ideas for pedestrianisation of Oxford Street. Almost seven in 10 expressed support for Sadiq’s proposed interventions to regenerate Oxford Street, while two-thirds were supportive of the pedestrianisation idea specifically.

It includes a public consultation on proposals to pedestrianise the main shopping thoroughfare on Oxford Street which would improve visitor experience and better enable new leisure offers, such as al fresco dining and outdoor events. The Mayor has been clear that Oxford Street is an area of critical national economic importance, with an estimated annual contribution of £25bn to London’s economy – but it has suffered over many years for a variety of reasons, from the pandemic to the growth of online shopping and retail parks. [4]

Now, Sadiq is progressing with steps to establish a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) dedicated to regenerating the area and ultimately making Oxford Street a world-leading urban space for shopping, leisure and outdoor events. Following support from the London Assembly in July 2025, the Mayor is working with Government to make the necessary legislation for the MDC to be established by 1 January 2026.

Leila Tambling, Retail Operations Director, The Body Shop, said: “Oxford Street holds a special place in our hearts at The Body Shop. We've proudly been part of this iconic high street for 39 years, currently with our new store at 111 Oxford Street and another exciting location opening soon. We’re thrilled to be part of the ‘This is Oxford Street’ event on 21 September and can’t wait to see the street come to life in a whole new way— it’s a fantastic opportunity to reimagine Oxford Street, and we’re delighted to stand alongside fellow retailers and Londoners in shaping its future.” 

Zoe Elliot, Director of Partnerships at Choose Love, said: “We are delighted to be a part of ‘This is Oxford Street’ this September. Choose Love was started by a group of Londoners who wanted to show support for displaced people globally and we have always felt at home in Central London which is where we’ve been lucky to have our annual pop-up shop for the past six years. We are so grateful to get to pop up at this exciting event and raise much-needed funds. We will be selling beautiful limited edition merchandise and offering the opportunity for shoppers to buy vital supplies for refugees and displaced people. 100% of profits will help ensure we can deliver nutritious food, essential services for babies, education for children, safe shelter and much more, across 36 countries.”

Dee Corsi, Chief Executive at New West End Company, said: “‘This is Oxford Street’ will offer visitors a new, exciting way to experience the nation’s high street, with the combination of on-street and in-store experiences providing something for everyone. Oxford Street is a globally renowned destination for a reason, and it has been fantastic to work with our members, the Mayor of London, Westminster City Council and the wider West End community, to activate it in a fresh and dynamic way.”

John Dougherty, author, poet and storyteller who will be celebrating magical moments of storytelling at the Mini Children’s Literary Festival tent, said: “Imagine stepping out of the tube onto a pedestrianised Oxford Street, free from traffic and with plenty of space to walk around and enjoy everything the area has to offer! At ‘This is Oxford Street’, part festival and part imagining of London’s future, you can do just that. I’m really looking forward to taking part. I’ll be hosting the Children’s Mini-LitFest tent, sharing my books and poetry with children and their parents and introducing my kidlit friends Maz Evans and Thomas Docherty, who’ll be presenting their own fantastic writing and illustrating. It’ll be lots of fun – come and join us!”

Lucia Barsegian, Production Designer and Art Director for the History of Oxford Street exhibition, said: “Being from West London, Oxford Street has always been a place of amazement, excitement and ambition to me – whether buying things I need, window shopping or just enjoying the street entertainment! It has been a pleasure to dive deep into the history and cultural importance of Oxford Street and am excited for event-goers to understand this better through our History of Oxford Street exhibition.”

Emma Strain, Director of Customer at Transport for London, said: “Oxford Street is an iconic location and this event will be like nothing the West End has ever seen. Served by a number of Tube lines, the Elizabeth line and local bus services, customers will be able to visit and experience a traffic-free Oxford Street and the range of live music, food markets, have a go at Basketball or Baseball, and check out pop-up events with well-known brands. People travelling to the event are advised to check before they travel using the free TfL Go app to plan their journey.”