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The Southbank Centre is a classic example of brutal 60s concrete architecture. Everyone has an opinion (usually negative) on its distinctive design - famous detractors include Prince Charles, who once described it as looking like a "nuclear power station". Yet, if the The West End is the centre of popular culture in London, it is the Southbank Centre that is the centre of true excellence in the arts. Comprising the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery, the complex consistently produces classical and world music events and fine art exhibitions of high renown. Over 150,000 hours of music have been performed at the Royal Festival Hall - the largest venue in the Southbank Centre - since its completion in 1951. Welcoming over three million visitors a year, the Royal Festival Hall is primarily a classical music venue. It benefits from the residency of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonia and four associate ensembles. The programme also includes events from opera to the London Jazz Festival. The Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room host regular recitals, dance performances and choral concerts. Free lunchtime concerts held in the foyer offer a more relaxed musical experience. The Hayward Gallery has been the originator or host of influential exhibitions since 1968. The colossal Poetry Library houses the Arts Council modern collection, while the BFI Southbank (previously the National Film Theatre) shows 2,000 films (art house and classics) a year alongside many film festivals and director-led seasons. A happy architectural accident has also made this complex the best spot for skateboarding and BMXing in the capital, meaning it is loved by London's counter-culture as much as by its highbrow elite. In the last ten years, the building of Tate Modern and the London Eye adjacent to the centre has been the final step in making the South Bank of the Thames into the beating heart of a thousand years of British culture.
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Local
Entertainment Near Southbank Centre |
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7 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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10 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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10 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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Local
Event Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Event |
| London Jazz Festival 2009 |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| If jazz is dead, someone forgot to tell the thousands of performers and fans who flock to the annual London Jazz Festival. Now in its ...More...
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| London Event |
| Kinetika Bloco |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The Kinetika Bloco, a 100-strong group of carnivalesque performers will appear in a free concert at the Royal Festival Hall's Clore Ballroom for the London ...More...
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| London Event |
| Cologne Christmas Market |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The Cologne Christmas Market returns to the Southbank Centre as chalet-style stalls are set up, running along the riverside stretch from the London Eye to ...More...
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| London Event |
| Sandi Toksvig's Christmas Cracker |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Comedienne Sandi Toksvig hosts a seasonal Christmas Cracker at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, a fun filled variety show featuring special guests including Ronnie ...More...
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| London Event |
| Ed Ruscha: Fifty Years of Painting |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Los Angeles based artist Ed Ruscha, regarded as one of the most influential and pioneering American artists, coming to prominence as one of the pioneers ...More...
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| London Event |
| World Press Photo |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| American photographer Anthony Suau is the winner of the World Press Photo of the Year 2008 and you can see his award-winning photograph along with ...More...
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| London Event |
| Ennio Marchetto |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The award-winning international sensation Ennio Marchetto returns with his special Christmas show at the Southbank Centre this December. The legendary quick-change artist uses origami techniques ...More...
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| London Event |
| Into The Hoods |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| ZooNation's award-winning interpretation of Sondheim's musical Into The Woods presents a contemporary and urban twist on the 1980s Broadway hit. One of the UK's finest ...More...
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| London Event |
| Peter & the Wolf |
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Belvedere Road, ,
Lambeth,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Following a sold-out debut at Royal Festival Hall earlier this year, this stunningly beautiful rendition of Peter & the Wolf returns to Southbank Centre this ...More...
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Local
Hotels Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Hotels |
| London Marriott County Hall |
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Westminster Bridge Road,
London,
SE1
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5 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| A simply unbeatable location for anyone who loves to keep themselves busy. London's County Hall is at the heart of the South Bank, surrounded by ...More...
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| London Hotels |
| Park Plaza County Hall |
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1
Addington Street,
London,
SE1
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13 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Close to Waterloo, the 4 star Park Plaza is – as the name suggests – just behind County Hall. Near to the Thames, it’s also ...More...
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Local
Event Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Event |
| London Jazz Festival 2009 |
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Southbank Centre,
Belvedere Road,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| If jazz is dead, someone forgot to tell the thousands of performers and fans who flock to the annual London Jazz Festival. Now in its ...More...
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| London Event |
| World Press Photo |
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Southbank Centre: Royal Festival Hall,
Belvedere Road,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| American photographer Anthony Suau is the winner of the World Press Photo of the Year 2008 and you can see his award-winning photograph along with ...More...
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Local
Sights and Attractions Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Sights and Attractions |
| The Poetry Library |
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Level 5,
Royal Festival Hall,
Belvedere Road,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The most comprehensive and accessible collection of poetry from 1914 in Britain, The Poetry Library within the Southbank Centre contains 90,000 items and is still ...More...
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| London Sights and Attractions |
| The Hayward Gallery |
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Belvedere Road,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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1 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The Hayward Gallery has been the originator or host of influential exhibitions since 1968. It mounts temporary exhibitions of contemporary and historical art. The gallery, ...More...
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Local
Shopping Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Shopping |
| Konditor & Cook |
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22
Cornwall Road,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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7 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Konditor & Cook specialise in the creation of amazingly tasty cakes which are also sold on to some of the finest restaurants in the city. ...More...
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| London Shopping |
| I Knit London |
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106
Lower Marsh,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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9 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Stocking a wide range of yarns, needles, patterns and accessories, I Knit London started as a knitting community in Vauxhall in January 2006, meeting at ...More...
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Local
Dining Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Dining |
| Canteen |
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Royal Festival Hall,
Belvedere Road,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The menu here reads like a comforting childhood reminiscence with some sophisticated bunting thrown on top. Devilled kidneys on toast, followed by an excellent slow-roast ...More...
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| London Dining |
| Giraffe |
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Unit 1,
Royal Festival Hall Riverside,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| If you happen to be with the kids on the South Bank this summer this is a great little eatery in which to recharge their ...More...
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Local
Education Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Education |
| Morley College |
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61
Westminster Bridge Road,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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14 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Morley College, one of the oldest adult education colleges in the country, dates back to the early 1880s when it was set up by visionary, ...More...
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Local
Leisure Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Leisure |
| Jubilee Gardens |
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3
Belvedere Road,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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5 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The concrete promenade along the South Bank greatly benefits from this large patch of green grass for striders, strollers and sightseers to relax on. ...More...
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| London Leisure |
| The London Bicycle Tour Company |
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1a
Gabriel's Wharf,
56 Upper Ground,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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7 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Located on the South Bank, in the heart of one of London's prettiest thoroughfares, The London Bicycle Tour Company is ideally placed for a spot ...More...
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Local
Pubs Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Pubs |
| The White Hart |
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29
Cornwall Road,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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6 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The chief attraction at this popular local is the wide choice of hand-pumped draught beers on offer as well as a very extensive range of ...More...
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| London Pubs |
| King's Arms |
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25
Roupell Street,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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7 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| A short walk from the South Bank Centre, The Old Vic and The National Theatre this traditional old watering hole is a good place to ...More...
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Local
Business Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Business |
| Skylon |
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Southbank Centre,
Belvedere Road,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| London Business |
| Southbank Centre: Royal Festival Hall |
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Belvedere Road,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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