What is Canary Wharf Theatre? Everything you need to know

Canary Wharf Theatre — officially the Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre — is a purpose-built, 1,200-seat performance venue in east London's Wood Wharf development, opened in October 2025 as the area's first dedicated theatre. Operated by Troubadour Theatres in partnership with Canary Wharf Group, it was designed by Haworth Tompkins to host large-scale, technically ambitious productions in an immersive, in-the-round format. Its inaugural show, The Hunger Games: On Stage, is currently booking through October 2026. The venue marks a significant step in Canary Wharf's transformation from a purely financial district into a seven-day cultural destination — and signals a new model for blockbuster theatre outside the West End.

A brand-new theatre purpose-built for spectacle

The Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre sits at Water Street, London, E14 5GX, in Wood Wharf, the eastern expansion of the Canary Wharf estate. It is a fully demountable temporary structure — essentially a state-of-the-art theatre designed to be assembled, operated for 8–10 years, and then relocated or recycled. Built using repurposed materials from other Troubadour sites and the wider Canary Wharf neighbourhood, it follows circular economy principles throughout its construction.

Designed by Haworth Tompkins — the firm behind the National Theatre refurbishment and the Young Vic — the building rises to three storeys on the exterior, with front-of-house facilities wrapping around the north and west sides of the auditorium. From the outside, reviewers describe it as "an enormous black box" with industrial anthracite cladding and, currently, a giant Mockingjay symbol mounted on its roof for The Hunger Games. Inside, the aesthetic leans industrial-chic: steel walkways, colossal LED video panels encircling the stage, and a steeply raked auditorium configured in-the-round with a central circular stage offering 360-degree action.

The venue's 1,200 seats are arranged in numbered "Districts" (a nod to its current production, though the configuration is fully flexible for future shows). Seating sections can physically move and rotate as part of the experience. The technical infrastructure is serious: overhead flying rigs for aerial performers, stage floor trapdoors and lifts, pyrotechnics capability, and advanced soundproofing. It can also be hired as a filming location through Troubadour Studios, thanks to its excellent acoustics and flexible staging.

Troubadour Theatres and Canary Wharf Group are behind the venture

The theatre is a joint project between two organisations. Troubadour Theatres, founded by Tristan Baker and Oliver Royds, specialises in creating innovative temporary and semi-permanent theatre venues across London. Their track record includes King's Cross Theatre (2014–2017, home to The Railway Children and David Bowie's Lazarus), Troubadour White City Theatre (hosting the National Theatre's Peter Pan), and Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre (currently home to Starlight Express, capacity 1,000–2,000). The company also operates film and TV studio complexes at Brent Cross and Meridian Water.

Canary Wharf Group (CWG), Europe's largest urban regeneration developer, provided the site and initiated the project in September 2024 as part of its broader strategy to diversify the estate beyond office towers. A planning application was submitted to Tower Hamlets Council for a temporary building of up to five years, the partnership with Troubadour was confirmed in February 2025, and the theatre opened for previews on 20 October 2025, with its official gala night on 13 November 2025. The estimated combined cost of venue construction and inaugural production is approximately £26 million.

Troubadour is already expanding this model: a Troubadour Greenwich Peninsula Theatre with two 1,500-seat auditoriums, also designed by Haworth Tompkins, is scheduled to open in autumn 2026.

Blockbuster immersive theatre is the programming focus

The Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre is not a repertory house or a fringe venue. Its programming targets large-scale, commercial, spectacle-driven productions — typically stage adaptations of major entertainment franchises with high production values and immersive staging elements.

The current and inaugural production is The Hunger Games: On Stage, the world premiere stage adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novel, produced by arrangement with Lionsgate. Written by Olivier Award-winner Conor McPherson (Girl from the North Country, The Weir) and directed by Matthew Dunster (2:22 – A Ghost Story), it features aerial stunts, 360-degree fight choreography, moving audience seating, pyrotechnics, and a pre-recorded screen performance by John Malkovich as President Snow. The cast is led by Mia Carragher as Katniss Everdeen and Joshua Lacey as Haymitch Abernathy.

The show is currently booking until October 2026, with performances Tuesday to Sunday (evenings at 7:30pm, matinees at 2:30pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays). No specific future productions have been announced for the venue, though the flexible design means it can be reconfigured for entirely different types of shows. The Troubadour model — seen at their other venues — suggests future programming will continue to emphasise big-budget, technically ambitious, IP-driven theatre.

How to book tickets and what they cost

The primary official booking channel is through the production website at thehungergamesonstage.com, which routes through KX Tickets — Troubadour Theatres' ticketing partner. An on-site box office handles day-of queries and accessibility needs.

Tickets are also available through several third-party platforms, such as InYouGo.

For budget-conscious theatregoers, a £30 ticket lottery runs weekly via the InYouGo app (entries close Tuesday midnight, winners drawn Wednesday for the following week). Standard tickets start from around £60, with premium seats from £125 and VIP packages (including lounge access, sparkling wine, canapés, and the best seats) priced higher. Group discounts bring prices down to £49.50 for parties of 10+. E-tickets are sent approximately 20 hours before curtain.

Getting to Canary Wharf Theatre is easier than you might think

A common concern for theatregoers used to the West End is whether Canary Wharf feels accessible. The transport links are, in fact, excellent and offer multiple options.

By Underground, Canary Wharf station on the Jubilee line is approximately a 7-minute walk from the theatre. Journey times are fast: London Bridge in 7 minutes, Waterloo in 11, Westminster in 13, and Bond Street in 17. The Elizabeth line (Crossrail) also stops at Canary Wharf, connecting to Whitechapel in 3 minutes, Liverpool Street in 6, Tottenham Court Road in 10, and Paddington in 17. Heron Quays on the DLR is the nearest Docklands Light Railway station, with connections to Bank, Lewisham, and Stratford.

By river, Canary Wharf Pier is a 6–8 minute walk from the theatre and served by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, with a crossing to Tower Pier taking just 7 minutes. Bus routes D3, D7, D8, 135, and 277 serve the area, plus night buses N277 and N550. Drivers can use Canary Wharf's underground car parks at Canada Square and Jubilee Place (2.0m height restriction; both hold Park Mark safety awards). One practical note from reviewers: the show has occasionally overrun by around 20 minutes, so allow buffer time if catching the last train.

Canary Wharf has become a genuine dining and nightlife destination

The area around the theatre has transformed dramatically in recent years, and pre- or post-show options are plentiful. Inside the theatre itself, Songbird Restaurant & Bar occupies the second floor with views over the docks, serving British-inspired seasonal dishes and open seven days a week from midday to 11pm.

Within easy walking distance, standout restaurants include Hawksmoor Wood Wharf (a high-end steakhouse on a floating pavilion, with The Lowback cocktail bar below), Dishoom (Bombay-inspired café with a waterside terrace), Blacklock (chophouse in a converted warehouse), Mildreds on the Wharf (plant-based, offering a pre-theatre menu, just a 2-minute walk), Roka (Japanese robatayaki), and Din Tai Fung (Taiwanese dumplings in Crossrail Place). For drinks, Bokan offers panoramic views from the 37th–39th floors, The Alchemist serves theatrical cocktails at Reuters Plaza, and Hovarda stays open until 2am for post-show nights out. Canary Wharf now hosts more than 300 shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants across five interconnected shopping malls.

Beyond dining, the area offers the Museum of London Docklands (free, in a Grade I-listed sugar warehouse), Crossrail Place Roof Garden (a tropical garden above the Elizabeth line station), Everyman Cinema, seasonal open-water swimming at Middle Dock, GoBoat hire, and Capital Karts indoor go-karting. In winter, an ice rink appears in Canada Square Park.

The venue fits into Canary Wharf's ambitious cultural agenda

The theatre is the flagship piece of a much broader arts and culture programme run by Canary Wharf Arts + Events, the dedicated cultural arm of Canary Wharf Group. The estate already hosts over 200 events per year and London's largest free outdoor public art collection — the Canary Wharf Art Trail, featuring more than 100 artworks including sculptures and architectural installations, which has won the Christie's Award for outstanding contributions to art in the working environment.

The annual Winter Lights festival, running since 2014, celebrated its 10th edition in January 2026 with the theme "DREAMSCAPE", featuring 16+ light art installations from international artists. It has won Best Creative Lighting Event at the [d]arc awards twice. Festival14, a multi-day summer festival launched in 2022, hosts 60+ live acts spanning music, theatre, dance, and poetry — most of them free. Two converted cargo ships, Theatreship and Artship, are moored at Millwall Cutting near South Quay DLR, offering a 110-seat floating theatre and a 220-capacity installation space focused on community and diversity programming.

The Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre is positioned as the cultural centrepiece of this ecosystem — the anchor venue that elevates Canary Wharf from a place that hosts events to a place that makes theatre. For Canary Wharf Group, it is a deliberate bet on culture as the engine of a post-pandemic reinvention.

What audiences actually say about the experience

The venue draws consistently high praise. Across 333 audience seat reviews on SeatPlan, theatregoers highlight comfortable, well-padded seats with good legroom, excellent sightlines from virtually every District, and an immersive atmosphere enhanced by the in-the-round layout. One common refrain: "Not sure there's a bad seat in the whole theatre." The upstairs bars, outdoor terrace, and Songbird restaurant receive positive mentions. For those in the cheapest District 11 seats, a safety rail can slightly restrict the view, though reviewers still praise comfort and value. District 10, Row Q is frequently cited as the best-value seat in the house — clear, unobstructed, and the lowest price tier.

Conclusion

The Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre represents something genuinely new in London's theatre landscape: a purpose-built, architecturally serious venue designed for blockbuster immersive productions, located outside the traditional theatre heartlands and integrated into a broader neighbourhood cultural strategy. Its flexible, demountable design means it can evolve with future programming, and the Troubadour model — proven across multiple London venues — suggests a pipeline of ambitious, IP-driven productions to come. For theatregoers, the key takeaways are that the venue is well-connected by public transport (often faster from central London than reaching some West End theatres), the in-the-round sightlines are excellent from nearly every seat, and Canary Wharf's dining and leisure scene has matured enough to make a full evening of it. Whether the Hunger Games production itself wins you over may depend on your tolerance for spectacle over subtlety — but the theatre as a venue is a serious addition to London's cultural infrastructure.