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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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8 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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9 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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Local
Event Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Event |
| Yevgeny Sudbin: Chopin |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The young Russian pianist Yevgeny Sudbin performs a night of Chopin at Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the Southbank Centre's International Series. Still not ...More...
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| London Event |
| The Chocolate Festival |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Well timed to take place the weekend before Easter, The Chocolate Festival returns to the Southbank Centre with demonstations by top pastry chefs, chocolate sculptures ...More...
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| London Event |
| B.Supreme |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| B.Supreme, the festival that celebrates women as performers, dancers, rappers, artists and film-makers working in Hip Hop, returns to the Southbank Centre for its fourth ...More...
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| London Event |
| The Sixteen: Sacred Music |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| This Easter the Southbank hosts The Sixteen: Sacred Music, a fascinating three-concert series taking the audience on a journey in music and film through landmarks ...More...
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| London Event |
| Ether Festival 2010 |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The eccentric Ether Festival returns for the ninth year this April as the Southbank Centre opens its doors to innovation in music, art and cross-arts ...More...
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| London Event |
| Meltdown Festival 2010 |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Meltdown at the Southbank returns once again as a highlight of the summer festival season with the guitarist Richard Thompson at the helm as artistic ...More...
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| London Event |
| London Literature Festival |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Words, stories and author events are all part of the London Literature Festival, as you'd expect. Comedy, music and documentaries are some of the less ...More...
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| London Event |
| Ernesto Neto |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The Hayward Gallery reopens on 17th June 2010, following closure from February to May for essential repairs, with two spectacular exhibitions, Ernesto Neto and The ...More...
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| London Event |
| Move: Art and Dance Since the Sixties |
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Belvedere Road, ,
London,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The Hayward Gallery blurs the boundaries between art and dance with their exhibition, Move: Art and Dance Since the Sixties, a major show which examines ...More...
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| London Event |
| London Jazz Festival 2010 |
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Belvedere Road, ,
Lambeth,
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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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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7 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 |
| Yevgeny Sudbin: Chopin |
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Southbank Centre,
Belvedere Road,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| The young Russian pianist Yevgeny Sudbin performs a night of Chopin at Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the Southbank Centre's International Series. Still not ...More...
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| London Event |
| B.Supreme |
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Southbank Centre,
Belvedere Road,
SE1
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0 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| B.Supreme, the festival that celebrates women as performers, dancers, rappers, artists and film-makers working in Hip Hop, returns to the Southbank Centre for its fourth ...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 |
| Konditor & Cook |
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63
Stamford Street,
South Bank,
London,
SE1
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8 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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Local
Restaurants Near Southbank Centre |
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| London Restaurants |
| 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 Restaurants |
| 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 |
| Gordon's Wine Bar |
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47
Villiers Street,
Covent Garden,
London,
WC2N
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8 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| London's oldest wine bar and family-run underground tavern.
Home to Samuel Pepys in the 1680s, the building housing Gordon’s is now home to a regular, thriving ...More...
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| London Pubs |
| The Sherlock Holmes |
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10
Northumberland Street,
Covent Garden,
London,
WC2N
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9 minutes distance from Southbank Centre
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| Part Victorian pub, part museum dedicated to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous sleuth.
Thirsty Sherlock Holmes fans look no further than this homage to the ...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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| ...More...
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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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