Key information
Request reference number: MGLA200426-8456
Date of response:
Summary of request
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 relating to the St George's Day event held in Trafalgar Square, and comparable events managed by the Greater London Authority.
- Attendance
Please provide estimated attendance figures for the St George's Day Trafalgar Square event for each year it has been held, along with the methodology used to estimate those figures.
- Budget
Please provide the total budget allocated to the St George's Day Trafalgar Square event for each year it has been held, with a breakdown of expenditure where available. Please also confirm whether any external sponsorship or third-party funding contributed to the event in any of those years.
- Comparative events
For the 2025/26 period, please provide the budget allocated to and estimated attendance at the following Trafalgar Square cultural events managed or part-funded by the GLA: St Patrick's Day, Chinese New Year, Diwali, and Eid celebrations, including any parade aspects. If other comparable events warrant inclusion, please add these.
- Commissioning
Please confirm whether the spoken word or poetry performance at the 2026 St George's Day event was commissioned by the GLA or on its behalf, and if so, the fee paid. Please also provide any formal brief, specification, or statement of objectives that exists for the St George's Day event.
Our response
Attendance
We do not formally count attendees at all of our events, especially those where we do not, or are unlikely to exceed capacity. Audience figures are determined by the stewarding and event safety teams at the event who estimate based on visual capacity and flowrate/throughput of people entering and exiting. Each year the St George’s Day event can see attendance of between 10-15,000 people throughout the day.
Budget
Prior to 2007, St George’s Day was marked through a number of activations and partnerships, rather than an event on Trafalgar Square.
Comparative events
Commissioning
The poetry performance at the event was not commissioned by the GLA.
As outlined in the event specification, the summary event brief is as follows, along with the broader objectives for the GLA’s Community Events Programme:
Event summary – St George’s Day Festival
The Mayor of London’s St. George’s Day Festival is a unique festival celebrating England’s patron saint, St George. The anniversary of his death falls on 23 April and is recognised as England’s national day. Although not a public holiday, the Mayor of London is keen to ensure we recognise this day by bringing communities, families, and friends together on the Saturday or Sunday before St George’s Day, to showcase the best of English culture, food, and Britain’s diverse heritage. Trafalgar Square is transformed into a colourful red and white celebration, honouring St George, and his flag.
St George’s Day was declared an English feast day in 1222, becoming a major feast day and national holiday on par with Christmas. We recognise this by having an English Food Market during the festival with traders selling an array of English foods and providing tables for people to feast together on.
The focus for the event programme is the main stage, with a 6-hour programme of traditional and contemporary music, dance, and performance acts celebrating English culture.
The event hosts interactive activities across the Square and North Terrace, which has included a children/family zone, an interactive St George’s themed centre piece, walkabout performances and tea dances. It includes up to 10 x English food stalls, including a bar and a banqueting area with picnic tables for people to enjoy the food and activities on offer.
A bar was first introduced in 2023, and the GLA continued the inclusion of a bar provider in 2024. For 2025 this was not included due to financial constraints, but it is expected a bar should be included again for the 2026 event and onwards, including craft beer, Pimms and sparkling wine.
The site décor and branding should be red and white in celebration of the St George’s flag. Additional features could include activities such as Chefs Corner, small family fun fair, and a comedy marquee to name a few.
The GLA aim to partner with various cultural, heritage and community organisations in London to bring the best of English culture to the Square. The event appeals to a wide-ranging audience including Londoners, tourists, and families from all backgrounds. We estimate an attendance of 15,000 throughout the day with 5,000 people at any one time. There is currently no Community Advisory Group for St George’s Day, although the GLA will continue to seek out authentic community voices to support the event’s development.
Events Programme Objectives
- Ensure community representation and the celebration of our city’s diversity, helping people to express pride in the city they call home, and supporting them to feel represented in their city.
- Continue to best use the GLA’s key assets such as Trafalgar Square and work in partnership with communities, charities and the creative sectors to deliver for Londoners.
- Deliver major events of global and national significance and stimulate London’s economy.
- Provide a platform to showcase London on an international stage and attract visitors to our vibrant city whilst also encouraging the participation of Londoners, and a sense of pride.
- Promote volunteering and give Londoners the opportunity to participate more directly in London’s cultural offer.
- Produce and deliver core community-focused cultural events to mark key anniversaries or dates of community interest. These cover national celebrations such as St Patrick’s Day and St George’s Day, and religious festivals that reflect the five main faiths – Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism – with events such as Eid on the Square, Diwali on the Square, Vaisakhi on the Square, Chanukah and events over Easter and Christmas.