This October, the Royal Opera House is offering two new tours to top off the spooky season, offering visitors the chance to hear about the dark history of Covent Garden and take a look at the costumes, makeup and props from some of ROH’s many spine-tingling productions.
At select times on Sunday 30 October, Boo! Street Family Tour: a Halloween journey through Covent Garden will take attendees on an outdoor walk from Bow Street Police Museum to the Royal Opera House. Designed for history lovers aged 7 and up, the tour will focus on tales of murder, mystery, and the police officers who took on a tidal wave of crime, sparked by the arrival of local theatres in the 17th century. Tickets cost £10 for adults and £6 for children, and include a complimentary trick or treat goody gift bag from the Royal Opera House and Bow Street Police Museum. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Running between 4 and 9:30pm on Monday 31 October, Behind the Scenes: Spooktacular Special Effects Tour will take visitors on a unique backstage experience, complete with props from some of The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera’s goriest productions: Salome, Frankenstein, Don Giovanni, and La Sonnambula. Designed for ages 18+, the tour offers a chance to learn some of the closely guarded tricks of the trade: how to fabricate gaping scars, fake a severed head, summon a thunderstorm on stage, and use prosthetics. It ends, following a short visit inside the Royal Opera House’s famous amphitheatre, with a complimentary cocktail or mocktail in Piazza, the Royal Opera House’s terrace bar overlooking Covent Garden. Tickets cost £32.
These two tours join the Royal Opera House’s regular offering, which includes a standard behind-the-scenes tour of the historic building.
