Shakespeare’s Globe evacuated mid-show after firework lands in venue

Shakespeare’s Globe was evacuated mid-show last night when a firework landed inside the auditorium.

According to spectators, a firework entered from above the open-air theatre, located near Blackfriars station in central London, and landed adjacent to the standing section of the auditorium. This occurred towards the end of a performance of Antony and Cleopatra, though no-one was touched by the object as it fell.

Audience members were then escorted outside of the theatre space and into a separate section of the building, before being allowed to leave around 20 minutes later.

The nearby fireworks display was said to have been organised by fans of an Algerian football club, celebrating the club’s birthday. You can see footage of the fireworks in a social media post below:

waiting for my train at embankment and a ton of these fireworks started going off by the millennium bridge? does anybody know what that's about?? pic.twitter.com/s5aZYLB9dF

— maddie hindes (@madeleinelily) August 7, 2024

The venue said in a statement today: “At 10pm on Wednesday 7 August, fireworks and flares were set off from Millennium Bridge. The Globe building was immediately locked down, and the audience and company were invacuated and held until 10.50pm when the police gave notice that it was safe to leave. All audiences, company members, and staff were evacuated and got home safely.

“We are continuing to gather the facts regarding exactly what happened. The Globe box office will be in contact with all audience members who attended last night’s performance.

“As a major visitor destination in London, we have emergency measures in place. These protocols were followed in a calm and considered manner, and we would like to thank all our audience members, company members, staff, and volunteers for supporting us last night for a safe response to the situation.”