This area is probably London’s most famous hub of entertainment and celebrity spotting. With a tangible city buzz, the locale is focussed around a pedestrianised square, surrounded by numerous celebrated venues. The Odeon Leicester Square dominates its eastern side with its black granite façade, and hosts many of the European and world film premiers, which are often crowded with fans and celebrities. The Leicester Square Theatre is also located on the square, and hosts stand-up, cabaret, music, and plays. The throngs of tourists can make the square quite difficult to navigate quickly, but the atmosphere this creates is hugely attractive for tourists who come to visit attractions such as M&M’s World. Its popularity is only enhanced by the area’s great transport links from Leicester Square tube station, which operates on the Piccadilly and Northern lines, and by the numerous bus routes that pass Charing Cross Road just to the east. While this is not much of a residential area, there are still some who brave the cost and the noise to live in the few Victorian townhouses that line the streets to the south of the square.

The land that the square occupies was once owned by Westminster Abbey, until Henry VIII took control of it in 1536. The 2nd Earl of Leicester purchased the land in 1630 to build himself a large house, and he enclosed what was originally common land for the inhabitants of St Martin in the Fields. After the parishioners complained to the crown, Charles I forced Leicester to keep part of his land open to the public. The square developed in the 1670s, attracting occupants such as William Hogarth, who completed some of his best-known works while living here. The square remained fashionable throughout the 18th century, with brothels and entertainment venues slowly emerging in the surrounding area. This only increased into the 19th century, and the construction of new streets helped bring traffic to the area, encouraging the building of shops in place of residences. Hotels and theatres began to spring up, some of which remain to this day. A popular nightclub destination, the square was pedestrianised in the 1980s, and in 2010 a major redevelopment scheme was undertaken to improve safety.

Built in 1937, the Odeon Leicester Square is the largest single screen cinema in the country, with a 48ft screen. The flagship cinema has a seated capacity of 1,683, and was the site of the first ever wide screen film in May 1953; the film was Tonight We Sing.

The area’s popularity with tourists is fantastic for the local businesses, but often makes the square and its surrounding streets unpleasantly crowded, particularly when there are film premiers or events on. Leicester Square station can also become rather congested at peak times as it services a combination of tourists, students, and workers.

In 2018, the Odeon was reopened after 11 months of renovations. The refurbishment was completed to improve legroom without reducing capacity. It also upgraded the sound system to make it more immersive. In addition to the general renovation of the interior, which remains incredibly sympathetic to the original decor, Oscar’s Cocktail Bar, housed in the Odeon, was also revamped. Now you can sip a martini before angling yourself to your heart’s content one of Odeon’s new VIP reclining seats, of which they now have 350 for those willing to spend the extra few pounds.