Live 360° Immersive Music IN THE DARK Experience Returns to London in 2026

Marking its return in 2026, following a run of shows in November, London based in the dark experience will return to the capital. The 360° immersive audio event has announced its first performances of the new year at St Andrew's Church in Holborn. 

Taking place on 22nd, 23rd, 29th, and 30th January, in the dark offers a unique 60-minute show where 30 musicians perform full acoustically live in total darkness, while audience members wear sleep masks to enhance the senses. Known for creating a unique listening experience shaped by sensory deprivation, unamplified live sound and a choreographed 360° journey of music that moves around the audience, the breakthrough event has redefined how people listen and engage with live performance. Celebrated not for spectacle but for its intimacy, in the dark invites audiences to discover how profoundly they can hear when sight is removed, leading a shift that brings uncommon clarity and a powerful, deeply human encounter.

The project started in Cambridge in 2017 and has quickly become a phenomenon. The original shows all sold out within an hour, and alongside the rapid sales, remarkable feedback ignited from audiences and industry alike. It quickly became clear that the concept resonated deeply with audiences and could sustain regular shows while actively evolving into a must-attend event on the entertainment calendar. After several years of development, the first London season launched in 2024 with a troupe of professional musicians, drawn from the West End with the Royal College of Music, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, alongside other leading institutions.

The first London season was an immediate success, with in the dark receiving the Offies Assessors Choice award and attracting an exceptional response from the audience and critics. With momentum building, the team is now setting its ambitions high, with future plans across the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and North America. To date, in the dark has presented more than 60 performances attended by over 8,000 people at an array of renowned venues. It has been described as the “Cirque du Soleil of the senses” and was founded by Andrea Cockerton, who is an award-winning arts entrepreneur recognised for her ethical approach to events and the music industry. Andrea's honours include the NESTA / Observer Magazine New Radicals award in 2018 and the SheSaidSo Alternative Music Power 100 Honouree Award.

Andrea Cockerton, in the dark, founder comments, “In a world obsessed with being seen, we're asking people to disappear for an hour. in the dark is a quiet, sound, rebellion. No phones, no spectacle, no distractions… just the rare chance to actually feel music again.”

What sets in the dark apart is its sheer bravery and approach to performance. No other ensemble attempts to place 30 musicians in complete darkness without a conductor and without speakers. The musicians rely on their instincts and their ears, creating an unfiltered world of immersive sound. This is where every venue becomes an instrument with its own intrinsic acoustic personality, and every performance is different, every seat offers a new audio experience, collectively creating an authenticity and immediacy of shared human experience.