Southbank Centre

Art, Arts centres South Bank
4 out of 5 stars
(15user reviews)
The Southbank Centre
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Southbank Centre Graffiti wall (Tove K Breitstein / Time Out)
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Tove K Breitstein / Time Out
Southbank Centre Performance (Tove K Breitstein / Time Out)
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Tove K Breitstein / Time Out
Southbank Centre views (Belinda Lawley / Time Out)
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Belinda Lawley / Time Out
Gift Shop (Ed Marsahll / Time Out)
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Ed Marsahll / Time Out
Southbank Centre window (Scott Wishart / Time Out)
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Scott Wishart / Time Out

This riverside titan of arts and entertainment has morphed and expanded in the past few years securing its position as one of the most attractive cultural hotspots in London, helped by its accessible location and proximity to the National Theatre and Tate Modern. The Southbank Centre caters for the widest spectrum of people and interests, peddling visual art, music, literature events and performance in its several venues – the Royal Festival Hall, The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall (including the Purcell Room) and the Saison Poetry Library. Recently it has become a go-to destination for foodies too. Skylon, a swanky British-themed restaurant within RFH, caters for those with a bit of cash, while a range of spanking new chain restaurants (Wagamama, Strada, Ping Pong) jostle for attention alongside the pie-touting Canteen.

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Venue name: Southbank Centre
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Address: Belvedere Road
Waterloo
London
SE1 8XX
Transport: Rail/Tube: Waterloo; Tube: Embankment
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  • Things to do

    Southbank Centre Beach

    A hefty 85 tonnes of the granular golden stuff make up this giant sandpit on the banks of the Thames. It’s free, completely kid-friendly and handily located for other Southbanky activities and food spots for all-day summer fun.

    pop-ups Until Sunday September 9 2018 Free
  • Things to do

    ABBA: Super Troupers

    Enter the world of the iconic Swedish foursome in this immersive exhibition charting ABBA's music, lyrics, creative process and influence. Part of the Southbank Centre’s Nordic Matters season, the exhibition brings together objects from private archives...

    Exhibitions Until Sunday July 29 2018
  • Things to do

    Language Shift

    As languages die out at a rate of one every two weeks, the National Poetry Library has launched its Endangered Poetry Project with the aim of collecting poems in as many of these languages as possible. Language Shift is an exhibition from artist Mary...

    Exhibitions Thursday July 26 2018 - Sunday September 23 2018
  • Theatre

    Monstersaurus

    This new show from the creators of 'Aliens Love Underpants' promises more otherworldly fun and mayhem. Featuring an original score, magic, and plenty of opportunities for the little monsters to get involved. 

    Children's Tuesday August 7 2018 - Sunday August 12 2018
  • Music

    Chilly Gonzales

    Music venues Friday September 7 2018 - Monday September 10 2018
  • Music

    Clare Bowen

    Pop Wednesday September 12 2018
  • Music

    Bill Ryder-Jones

    The former guitarist with The Coral struck out solo a few years ago and while he already has a few orchestral collections out there – released as scores to short films – on his third album we find Ryder-Jones following a more common pop-song structure....

    Rock and indie Thursday September 20 2018
  • Music

    Moses Sumney

    Folk, country and blues Friday September 21 2018
  • Music

    Steve Hackett: Genesis Revisited

    Rock and indie Thursday October 4 2018 - Thursday October 11 2018
  • Music

    Bach And The Cosmos: Bach Remixed

    Music venues Tuesday October 16 2018
  • Show more

Average User Rating

4.4 / 5

Rating Breakdown

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  • 4 star:5
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  • 1 star:1
LiveReviews|15
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tastemaker

A London institution featuring wonderful events and exhibitions. Even if you aren't visiting for a particular event, it's always worth popping in to see what's going on and soak up the great atmosphere. 

Tastemaker

Love the Southbank! Have been here countless times over the years to see a wide range of events, from attending the Women of the World Festival, through to watching Slavoj Zizek in debate with Yanis Varoufakis (quite something to see!) and seeing the legend Marianne Faithfull perform - it never fails to host the cream of the crop in culture and the arts. 

tastemaker

The 'Adventures in Moominland' special exhibition, on until August, is a wonderfully magical look into the life of the woman (Tove Jansson) who brought these beautiful characters and their world to life in both print and animation.


An unremarkable large 2D poster of a Moomin novel pulls back to reveal a hidden tunnel that leads your small tour group down into a darkened room. Faced with the much-loved Moomintroll, it is here that your tour begins.The 1/2-hour or so that follows takes you on a winding trail of walking, crawling and wading through a number of Moomin-inspired sets from campsites to lighthouse picnics, snowy forests to tropical jungles. At each location your well-versed tour guide shares captivating backstories of the characters' adventures and the true-to-life history of the illustrator on which they are inspired.


The interactive story-telling will keep both children and adults entertained for the duration and is well worth the ~£15 price tag. 

tastemaker

I paid a visit to the centre this weekend to take part in the Nordic Matters event. The event was really well done and was completely free -we were even taught has to make cinnamon buns. The venue is lovely, overlooking the Thames and is a great place to spend the day with the children but a fun hangout for adults too. I'd highly recommend having a look at the upcoming Nordic events, there is sure to be something for everyone!

moderatorStaff Writer

The best arts venue in London – Southbank Centre consistently presents the most diverse and inspiring programme in the city, from music to dance to literature to singing and everything in between.

tastemaker

whats not to love about the south bank right? 


There's so much to see and do and man the selection of food is just gorgeous! at night you can stroll on by the river and admire the sights.. love love love it! every time a friend wants to visit London I always recommend taking them here! 

tastemakerTastemaker

I am so involve with the Southbank Centre it's ridiculous. Over the summer I had the chance to visit a few different events here: David Byrne's Library and the Big Sing as part of the Meltdown Festival (which Byrne curated this year), as well as a crafting session to make confetti-filled balloons as part of the Festival of Love. Not to mention the beautiful balcony on the Thames on the 5th floor just down from the incredible Saison Poetry Library... wow. Do whatever you can to visit - there is so much happening that there truly is something for everyone. And hey, if all else fails, grab a drink and hang out on the balcony or the outdoor café terrace.


London. My favourite town. I've recently rediscovered the joys of the city, after many years of being blinded by out of town shopping centres. Most weekends, I will journey up by train or tube to meet with my daughter. We shop, chat, eat and walk the length and breadth of Oxford and Regent Street; always ending our day in Carnaby Street or Leicester Square. Many a Sunday, we sit and watch the world go by at the Southbank, stopping to have a bite to eat in one of the many popular eateries. But best of all, is our midweek trips to Theatreland. I've dragged my teenage son to the Donmar, to watch the incredible Corianlanus, the same week I treated my daughter to The Light Princess at the National and then as a family night out we went to see the mesmerizing 'Warhorse'. Next, on the cards, is another Mother and Son day to see 'Blaze' at Peacock Theatre, a Mother and Daughter day to 'Sing-a-long-a Moulin Rouge' and family trip to the wonderful 'Wicked' (we've seen it before!). London has so much to offer and so much to do (even with moaning teenage children).I love it! especially the free events in the summer at The Scope, Southbank and Trafalgar Square.


Try to visit Skylon when you are at the Southbank, the service is good and you can enjoy a drink in a spotlessly clean glass. It's nice to see a variety of musical entertainment coming to the Southbank; chart music does not reflect the wider spectrum of talent.


A good place for shows but also to sit and dream away.


The Southbank Centre is fabulous arts hub in London. It stages a wide variety of theatre and musical performances to cater to all tastes. There are always interesting festivals hosted at Southbank. It is the perfect place to windle away a saturday afternoon.

0 of 1 found helpful

I have not found it possible,on the new website, to get a good listing of classical music. It was very well organized in the magazine, and sketchier in the current website, This is not usable.

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