Ballet Nights’ New Year’s Day Concert is back to celebrate 2027 in style

Ballet Nights returns for a special New Year's Day Concert at Cadogan Hall in London to welcome 2027 with a glamorous bang after a sold out run in 2026. One of Europe’s only dance celebrations on this day, the New Year’s Day Concert on Friday 1 January 2027 is a toast to dance, past, present and future.

The unique Ballet Nights format pairs world-class dancers with live classical and contemporary music, and sets the tone for an inspired year ahead.

Building on an ambitious inaugural concert, this new edition promises the thrill of seeing international stars and an exceptional range of live music. The programme features former Royal Ballet principal, the acclaimed Alina Cojocaru OBE, who will showcase the revival of Afsked, a duet choreographed by her creative partner and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Kim Brandstrup. She will perform with UK contemporary dance star Seirian Griffiths, who has performed with BalletBoyz, Akram Khan and Matthew Bourne.

Principals of English National Ballet Katja Khaniukova and Aitor Arrieta will perform in the critically-acclaimed Don Quixote Suite, and Chloe Keneally and Martinho Santos showcase the Snow pas-de-deux from a great classic of the winter season, The Nutcracker.

The first day of the year also counts a few further surprises: Jordan James Bridge premieres his new choreography, danced by Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Katherine Ochoa and Luca De-Poli, and James Wilton Dance returns.

Rentaro Nakaaki, first soloist at the English National Ballet, will perform his very own piece, Nature Boy. Rentaro’s featured roles include Nutcracker Prince; the title role in Akram Khan’s Creature; Abdur Rahman in Tamara Rojo’s Raymonda and one of the Four Fates in Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella, amongst others.

The evening’s music selection spans the greatest composers’ works from Mozart and Bach to Tchaikovsky’s classics, alongside contemporary scores, brought to life in performances by soprano Hannah Dienes-Williams, baritone Patrick Alexander Keefe - a winner of Glyndebourne's John Christie Award - and Quartet Concrete, the Ballet Nights’ string quartet ensemble. The fresh spirit of New Year’s Day is encapsulated by each act of the programme, specially curated to reflect an auspicious new beginning under the sign of joy and excellence.

Each piece will be introduced by one of Ballet Nights’ charming compère, Giles Pearson, who will bring to the event the signature warmth that has come to define Ballet Nights galas.

This special edition includes New Year treats such as VIP events where guests can meet with the artists, enjoy glasses of champagne and get memorable photos taken by a professional photographer to remember the first event of the year. All tickets are available on https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/ballet-nights-the-new-years-day-concert-2027/book/1385634/

Founder & Artistic Director, Jamiel Devernay-Laurence, said: “At Ballet Nights, we’ve been thrilled to share the show in London, across the regions, and on international stages. But what makes the New Year’s Day concert truly special is welcoming audiences from around the globe. It’s the chance for those who’ve discovered our magic online to finally join us in person and celebrate dance in a new, shared way.”