Cheapside Business Alliance is delighted to be a to partner of this year’s City of London Nocturne, taking place on 12th & 13th June 2026, bringing an exciting and inclusive race programme to the area.
City of London Nocturne is a festival of bike racing in the heart of the Square Mile, developed in partnership with the City of London Corporation, as part of its ‘Global City of Sport’ strategy.
The night-time criterium (circuit race), brings a world-class cycle race to the City’s streets, with the reimagined Nocturne spanning two action-packed days, and introducing an exciting new format designed to create a spectacular festival of bike racing.
This year’s two-day edition of the festival will feature:
GOSH City Criterium | Friday 12th June | 12:00-7:00pm
- The City Criterium is a Charity Pro-Am team format event that blends corporate team building with a pro racing experience.
- City firms are invited to enter teams of four riders to participate in a team relay format on a closed road race circuit around Guildhall.
- Teams will enjoy a unique and exhilarating racing experience, premium hospitality, all while raising crucial funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH) Charity.
- Each team will include a pro rider and City of London Nocturne will be hosting an auction before the event where teams can choose to bid for their preferred rider. Money raised by the event will help GOSH Charity build a world-leading new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Nocturne | Saturday 13th June | 12:00-10:00pm
- The programme will include community activities, disability cycling, British Cycling sanctioned races for amateur cyclists and iconic fun races including the Brompton Folding Bike race, Penny Farthing Race and Voi Bike Challenge, makes it a must-see spectacle in London.
- The racing culminates with the Elite Races which are registered on the UCI calendar and are expected to attract the leading British and International male and female pro riders. The elite races will be televised and broadcast live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
- The event will take place on a thrilling 1.3 km closed-road circuit, weaving through Cheapside and Bank, right in the heart of the City of London. Big screens, music and entertainment will create a festival atmosphere around the racing.
The festival is free to attend, with an additional limited number of tickets available to purchase for the finish line hospitality area.
James Pope, Founder & Organiser of Nocturne, said:
“We’re incredibly excited to bring world-class bike racing back to the streets of the City of London with the launch of the City of London Nocturne. The original Nocturne events captured the imagination of riders and fans alike, and this new chapter builds on that heritage with an even bigger, more dynamic festival of cycling right in the heart of the Square Mile.
“Our vision is to create a spectacular sporting event that showcases the City in a completely different way – fast, exciting and accessible to everyone. With iconic novelty races, elite competition and a festival atmosphere on the streets, our goal is to make the City of London Nocturne a highlight of the capital’s sporting calendar for many years to come.”
Chris Hayward, City of London Corporation Policy Chairman, said:
“It’s great to see the Nocturne returning to the Square Mile this summer. Bringing world-class cycling into the heart of the City will give people the chance to experience our streets in a completely different way. It’s exactly the kind of event that helps make the Square Mile a magnetic destination where people choose to live, work, learn and explore.”
Sarah Bissell, Deputy Director of Relationship Fundraising at GOSH Charity, said:
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Nocturne for this exciting new event, which offers a fantastic opportunity for teams to take on a unique challenge while raising vital funds for GOSH Charity. Every penny raised will take us one step closer to building a world-leading new Children’s Cancer Centre at GOSH, which will help shape the future of children’s cancer care and give more children the chance to beat cancer once and for all.”
The GOSH City Criterium is a team race, and an entry package is £5,000, which includes team entry for four riders, a pro rider allocated to your team, access to rider enclosure and hospitality area, complimentary food and drinks served throughout the day and access to training events and resources.
The event is supporting GOSH Charity’s “Build it. Beat it.” appeal, which is raising £300m to help build a state-of-the-art Children’s Cancer Centre at GOSH that will help transform children’s cancer care and save more lives.
The new facility will have new inpatient wards, intensive care units, new operating theatres and a cancer day care centre where children can receive their chemotherapy treatment. The Children’s Cancer Centre will also feature a new hospital school and outdoor spaces including a roof garden, to make sure children can still be children while going through their treatment. Find out more about the Children’s Cancer Centre here.
Race entries now open. To find out more and enter races go to www.racenocturne.com