More details about the upcoming sumo expedition to London have emerged, and we must again credit our friends at Inside Sport: Japan for the up-to-the-minute coverage across multiple media formats.
Together with London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Kyokai has announced a koen to take place at the famous venue over the 15th-19th of October, 2025.
Tickets will go on sale for the event in “early 2025,” according to the Royal Albert Hall itself. Click here to follow the ticket page for the latest ticket information and to sign up for ticket notifications.
Royal Albert Hall has issued a warning on its site that only tickets purchased directly from the venue or its approved agents (including its resale partner, Twickets) are valid. Curiously, following in the wake of this year’s Ticketmaster fracas in the UK after the launch of the Oasis reunion tickets, the RAH has also shared on its page that:
Ticket prices are adjusted based on demand. We carefully monitor demand and adjust on a daily basis. We do not change prices during an on-sale.
To editorialise, I’m not sure that statement makes a ton of sense, given that the tickets will presumably be on sale from the original on-sale date until they sell out, and prospective ticket buyers will certainly be coming from multiple time zones. In any case, it seems that dynamic pricing will be in play. With the Kyokai only visiting London once every few decades or so, they can of course allow the ticketing partner to take the brunt of any blowback from fans. It will be intriguing to see how the tickets are eventually priced, given that dynamic ticketing has been a massively unpopular – and certainly unfriendly – development with average consumers in a market that already has extremely high tourism costs.
As ISJ points out on its socials, and other punters have already speculated in a lengthy thread on SumoForum, misinformation may continue to occur in the lead up to the event (some of which has apparently been propagated by the venue itself). And of course, weary longtime fans should expect a flurry of well-meaning but incomplete analysis and coverage from Western media. However, we certainly welcome all newcomers to the sport to participate in the conversation!
We would also like to follow the esteemed outlet’s lead by reiterating that based on all available information, the October trip would not be an official basho. But it may well be a fun time, and we encourage readers to share their stories of any attempts to acquire tickets or attend the event with us, as preparations get closer in the new year.
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I would suppose that in this context “on-sale” means time-limited promotions, say, “get four tickets for £150, this weekend only” or somesuch, during which the dynamic pricing will be disabled.
There definitely needs to be a bit more clarity. The NHK doesn’t help things when they say it’s, “an official tournament.” https://x.com/SumoFollower/status/1864472929674637681?t=a8vhow_ImA58-3HZuvNAHA&s=19
Presumably this means something akin to the FujiTV tournament or other 1 or 2 day Basho with a purse for the winner. Probably round robin of top Makuuchi wrestlers…. something more intense and entertaining than a Jungyo but not a honbasho. The key distinction that it will likely not count for rankings of the next honbasho. No special banzuke.
Dynamic pricing?! Thieving bar-stewards. Pick a goddamned price per seat level and stick to it. Unimpressed.😠
I am signed up for notifications via work and home email, as well as via sms on ‘phone, so as soon as that happens I’ll be on it. I’ll probably start keeping an eye out myself pro actively and will let y’all know how my efforts go!
Yes, I wondered about the use of the word ‘official’, however I’m thinking that it’s being used as ‘official tour by the JSA’ rather than an unofficial one organised by ‘snatch, grabbit, and run Inc.’
It will be interesting to see how it pans out. Still seriously excited by this.
It should be fun and I think the official tournament style will take it a bit further than the usual Jungyo stop.
Thank you for this! I’m REALLY looking forward to it. I didn’t attend the news conference yesterday, but I managed to contribute to BBC News’ coverage of it and correct the worst mistakes (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9831r9nr9do). I’ll try to get the audio of the news conference to see if there’s any other interesting bit mainstream coverage have missed.
I believe that they said they’re negotiating TV coverage (not sure if in the UK or worldwide, or both) but they couldn’t share any detail on that. I’d love to see an international streaming service getting the rights, but I’m probably too optimistic.
I’ve heard that there were a lot of questions about women being not able to compete in professional sumo – Hakkaku, the wrestlers and the ambassador were not willing to reply on that. I’ve seen a couple of ‘adversarial’ takes in the media, which is disappointing. Here we all know there are very valid issues to be raised and discussed (women, injuries, the heya system etc.) but I’d hope that the coverage won’t be dominated by scandals, criticism and fat jokes.
If I find out any information about tickets, I’ll be happy to share. The Royal Albert Hall is a big venue (5k places) – my guess is that tickets might sell out but if we’re on it early enough, we should be able to get them!
“I’ve heard that there were a lot of questions about women being not able to compete in professional sumo – Hakkaku, the wrestlers and the ambassador were not willing to reply on that.”
As you said, that’s a tough one. Especially since it is a fair and valid criticism. It’s probably smart for Hakkaku not to comment. The growth of female participation in amateur sumo is definitely a positive. The more that grows, the better. Frankly, there are not women in the Premier League and it’s taken a long time to get female referees. There will probably be a female yobidashi long before there’s a female rikishi.
Sign up for email notifications from the RAH for ticket release dates. Also, if you REALLY REALLY want to get ahead and be even MORE sure of tickets, become a Friend of the RAH….supporting their charity work BTW, and get the opportunity to purchase advanced release tickets, which I note are available for this event. I think it’s about GBP45-50 per annum. I guess it depends just how much you want to be sure of those tickets!! Also, it’s worth, for those unfamiliar with the RAH, to check out the seating plan!
The UK tabloid press is a mindless bottom-feeding mass; try not to pay any attention. It is just the same here in the Benelux and France, sensationalism, and drama about nothing whatsoever.
I am so happy with this news – as a medical student in 1991 I was living in Paddington just across the park from the Albert Hall in a University of London residence, some of my neighbours went but although I’d been learning Japanese at an evening class for some reason I didn’t – I’ve regretted that for a long time! Best thing for me is the dates, as although I now live in Toronto my sumo-appreciating wife and I will be in Europe for work from the 11th – 14th and can extend our trip to take this in. Albert Hall feels like a good fit for sumo, a classy and historic venue with associations both to classical music and one-off sports events a mile or two from the very centre of London.
How lovely that this has worked out for you in this way!!
Set my alarm for 4:45am Toronto time, joined the queue (they gave me a random position in the top 90) and got our 2 tickets for the Saturday evening by 5:15am. Excellent, can’t wait for October!
@ Andy:
I sure feel this event with be quite exceptional.
Like i saw you hint in some reply above, do you think with how extraordinary and rare this event is, it will make itself kinda turn out more like a “mini-honbasho/tournament” and england and all the craze about this event will make it chip in a lot more expensive amount of price money ? Which all of this might motivate the Rikishi to feel a bit more competitive about it than a normal Jungyo ?
Also, do you think NHK will ship some of their most famous and popular english commentor all the way too to england for this event ? (I’m particuarly thinking about Mr. Murray Johnson)
So that the event over there will at least some real knowledgeable commentor about sumo among probably the pleiad of celebrity guest that they will probably want to be part of this event.
(Perhaps even John Gunning would have been fun to see him there too, since he seem to originate from around that part of the globe. But i don’t know if he is still doing sumo commentary. It’s been a while since i last hear him do that.)
I LOVE all that sudden buzz around the London event in 2025 october! It‘s really thrilling. Of course subscribed to the ticket service. Dynamic pricing seems consequent for all the economic sickness nowadays. Hotels do it since fifteen years or more, I hate it, but I take advantage, too. I think they have no idea what people like to pay for the extraordinary sumo experience, so they will analyze first and find some balance.
About the ‚official‘ meaning of this koen and the joyfully upheld misunderstandings about the specifics of honbasho system, I won‘t be too upset. Everybody is longing for delusion in this world! BTW, John Gunning spoke of a ‚normal koen‘, so I‘d like to know how this is finally defined. Could someone explain?
Finally I‘d like to express my admiration for Kitanowaka! It must be quite challenging to be asked posing with a mawashi in front of Royal Albert Hall by the relentless media gang! Really cool how he did it!
I’m very excited and desperately want to go, but I am already dreading the nightmare tickets will be. Especially with trying to get my and a few friend’s schedules aligned to go together! And then find train times which work DX