Van Morrison is playing a five-night London residency this September
The first artist to headline Olympia’s new ARC venue
There aren’t many artists left who can casually announce a five-night London residency and make it feel like an event. Van Morrison is one of them.
The legendary singer-songwriter is returning to the capital this September for a special run of shows at British Airways ARC at Olympia, becoming the very first artist to hold a residency at the brand-new venue following its launch earlier this summer.
The fully seated shows will take place on 23, 24, 27, 28, and the 29th of September 2026, giving fans five chances to catch one of Ireland’s most influential musicians in what’s expected to be a far more intimate setting than the arenas and festival stages he still regularly commands.
Morrison remains one of those rare artists whose catalogue has become so deeply embedded in music culture that even people who think they don’t know his work almost definitely do.
Songs like Brown Eyed Girl, Into the Mystic and Moondance have long escaped the boundaries of classic rock fandom and entered the strange category of music that just permanently exists in public life. Pub jukeboxes. Film soundtracks. Wedding playlists. Expensive whiskey adverts. They’re everywhere.
Over the decades, Morrison has built one of the most respected and unpredictable careers in modern music, blending rock, folk, soul, jazz, blues and Celtic influences into a sound that’s become unmistakably his own.
The residency announcement also arrives shortly after Morrison received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jazz FM Awards 2026, another addition to a career already packed with honours, accolades and influence stretching back more than six decades.
He’s also remained remarkably prolific. His latest album, Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge, sees Morrison returning heavily to the blues, offering fresh interpretations of songs associated with artists including B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Lead Belly. Alongside the London residency, he’s also scheduled to appear at several major European festivals this year, including Montreux Jazz Festival.
As for the venue itself, the British Airways ARC at Olympia is shaping up to be one of London’s more interesting new live music spaces. Opening officially on 16 June, the venue forms part of the massive ongoing redevelopment of Olympia London and is expected to host concerts, cultural events and large-scale productions moving forward. Landing Van Morrison as its first residency artist feels like a fairly strong statement of intent.
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday, the 15th of May.
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