Guides London Film Festival 2026 Wed 7 to Sun 18 October Updated 6 Sep 2026
BFI London Film Festival 2026: dates, prices and what to book
7 to 18 October 2026, across BFI Southbank, the IMAX and cinemas around the city. Tickets from £10, and £6 if you are 25 or under.
The BFI London Film Festival runs from Wednesday 7 to Sunday 18 October 2026, twelve days across BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX and a spread of cinemas around central London. It is the largest public film event in the country and most of it is open to anyone with a ticket, which surprises people who assume it is an industry affair.
What it costs
Tickets start at £10, and at £6 if you are 25 or under, which is the best value in London cinema for those twelve days. At BFI Southbank and the IMAX a weekday matinee before five is £13, and weekend matinees before noon and evening screenings are £18. Family strand screenings are £10 for adults and £6 for children, and relaxed screenings are £6 for everyone.
What actually sells out
Galas and anything with the director in the room go first, often within hours of booking opening. The rest of the programme, which is most of it, stays available far longer than people expect, and the festival releases returns on the day. If the film you wanted has gone, check again the morning of the screening.
How to use it
The festival is the only chance to see a good deal of this programme on a British screen at all: a lot of it has no distributor and will not return. Booking two or three of the smaller titles beats queueing for one gala. Screenings run tight to time and latecomers are not always admitted, so treat the start time as the start time.
London Film Festival: what is on
Tue 13 to Sun 18 OctoberTuesday
13 October-
Film
BFI London Film Festival 2026
Until 18 Oct
The 70th edition, twelve days of premieres, documentary, series and immersive work.
Sunday
18 October-
Film
LFF Closing Night Gala: The Debut
The UK premiere of The Debut closes the 70th festival, Jesse Eisenberg directing Julianne Moore. Quarter past seven at the Royal Festival Hall, with two later screens the same night.
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What is on right now
All 2170 listingsThis guide is rewritten each year before the dates come round. For what is actually happening this week rather than what happens every year, the listings below are dated, checked against the venue and carry the venue's own link.
Next up
Or pick a part of town
Soho Covent Garden Islington Bloomsbury Camden Shoreditch Dalston Battersea Fitzrovia Crouch End
Questions people ask
When is the London Film Festival 2026?
7 to 18 October 2026, across BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX and other London cinemas.
How much are tickets?
From £10, and from £6 if you are 25 or under. Weekday matinees are £13 at BFI venues and evenings are £18. Relaxed screenings are £6.
Is it open to the public?
Yes. It is the largest public film festival in the country and most screenings are on general sale, not restricted to the industry.
What sells out first?
The galas and anything with a director or cast attending. The wider programme stays bookable much longer, and returns go back on sale on the day.
Is there anything cheaper?
The £6 rate for 25 and under applies across the festival, and relaxed screenings are £6 for everyone.
Every listing on this page is checked against the venue's own page and the page is rewritten each year, usually six to eight weeks before the dates. Times and prices can change on the night; the venue link on each event is the one to trust. How we choose what goes in.