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Films in concert: where to see your favourite movies with a live orchestra
From Dances With Wolves at The Royal Festival Hall to Harry Potter at Edinburgh Castle – the best film scores are coming alive this year
There’s nothing quite like watching a film at the cinema. Except, that is, watching it in a concert hall with a live orchestra playing the score. Combining the magic of the big screen with the skin-prickling energy of live music, experiencing the classics with an orchestra is like seeing them again for the first time. Some film scores stand up on their own as brilliant classical albums, and others work better when they’re woven into the story being told on screen, but all come alive like never before when you hear them played live. Here’s our pick of the best upcoming Film In Concert performances not to miss.
Twilight
“This is the skin of a killer, Bella.” See Edward’s dazzling ice cold skin, Bella’s broody teenage angst and Jacob’s questionable lace front wig on the big screen near you in February 2026. From 1 – 26 February 2026, Twilight In Concert brings the blue-tinged town of Forks, Washington to a city near you as the iconic teen movie’s score is brought to life by a 12-piece orchestra.
Twilight In Concert opens at Usher Hall, Edinburgh in February 2026. Find tickets here
Frozen
If ‘Let It Go’ has been stuck in you or your child’s head since the first time you watched Frozen, then this is the perfect outing for your household this Christmas. Taking place at London’s Eventim Apollo, you can see Elsa, Anna, Hans, Olaf and more, in this sparkly tale of friendship, family and true love with a live orchestra playing the film’s memorable score.
Labyrinth
You might only think of David Bowie when you think of the music for Labyrinth, but Trevor Jones’ dark fairytale of a score is every bit as powerful as ‘Dance Magic Dance’. Jones made a name for himself in the 80s as the go-to for edgy, alternative fantasy scores (counting Excalibur, Time Bandits and The Dark Crystal as credits, before he picked up his first BAFTA nod for Last Of The Mohicans), but his score to Jim Henson’s musical masterpiece is his most enduring. And if that’s not enough, the live show comes with a band to play all the best Bowie bits too. Touring concert halls this winter after a debut at London’s Eventim Apollo in April, this is the closest you can get to the heart of Labyrinth without having to cross the Bog Of Eternal Stench.
Love Actually
“Love actually is all around” this winter as the beloved Christmas film goes on a concert tour from 28 November – 17 December. See the star-studded cast on the big screen and feel the cosy warmth of multiple tales of love, family and friendship during the festive period, brought to life by a live orchestra.
The Holiday
Is there a better nexus event for love than a house swap on an early version of AirBnb, where a glamorous LA film big-wig ends up in the Cotswolds and a sweet under-appreciated journalist finds romance in Hollywood? Is there a dreamier romcom protagonist than Jude Law? Is there a more romantic festive film than The Holiday? The answer to all of these questions is no, and the only thing to do about it is see The Holiday in concert with a live orchestra this festive season. With a UK tour stopping in Poole, London, Brighton, Birmingham, York and more.
The Holiday In Concert touring the UK this December. Find tickets here
Disney in Concert
Music and film have gone hand in hand since the very beginning of moving pictures, but it was Disney – through classical sound experiments on his Silly Symphonies and Fantasia – that did more to elevate the form than most. That legacy continued across more than a century of animated classics, now celebrated by the Novello Orchestra in a live show that brings together Disney’s best scores, songs and suites alongside the animated magic on the big screen. Expect everything from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Frozen, and The Jungle Book to The Lion King. And expect to go home singing ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ (again).
Disney in Concert: The Sound Of Magic opens in 2026 at venues around the UK. Find tickets here
Home Alone
The father of film music has written some of the most memorable soundtracks in history (see below), but John Williams’ Home Alone score is special. Set the film to anything else and you’d just have a fun family movie about an annoying kid torturing criminals. Add in Williams and you have a Christmas miracle – a film bursting with heart and magic that lifts all the slapstick into something untouchable. Williams even wrote an original carol for the film, which now seems so much a part of Christmas it’s impossible to imagine the season without it. Book early for the Sheffield and Hull performances (and don’t forget the babysitter).
Home Alone in concert plays at Sheffield City Hall on 9 December and Connexin Live in Hull on the 10 December. Find tickets here
Hook
Two years before he won his first Oscar, for Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg decided to do panto. If you’re craving the charm of an end-of-the-pier seaside show but with $70m worth of blockbuster Hollywood magic, 1991’s Hook is still pretty unbeatable – a gloriously fun, rip-roaring storybook adventure that flies to one of John Williams’ best (and most underrated) scores. Hear the film properly at London’s Eventim Apollo on 20 December, just in time for Christmas.
Hook in concert plays at London’s Eventim Apollo on 20 December. Find tickets here
Spider-Man No Way Home
Multiversal madness and mayhem run amok as Spider-Man and Dr Strange fight to put the universe back to normal, alongside Peter Parker variants from alternate timelines, historic Spider-Man villains and so much more. Hear the heroic score played live by a symphony orchestra, as Tom Holland, Zendaya and Benedict Cumberbatch play their iconic Marvel roles on the big screen at the Royal Albert Hall, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and plenty more venues from November.
The Music of Zimmer vs Williams
John Williams and Hans Zimmer are two of film’s most prominent composers, producing the scores for blockbuster hits such as Harry Potter, The Dark Knight Rises, E.T., Jurassic Park, Inception and many more. Hear your favourite songs, motifs and riffs from both these cinematic juggernauts performed by a full symphony orchestra at The Brighton Centre on 18 December.
The Music of Zimmer vs Williams hits the Brighton Centre on 18 December. Find tickets here
