SOUTHBANK CENTRE

About SOUTHBANK CENTRE

Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre that sits in London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the southern bank of the Thames.  The site is home to the much loved Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Hayward Gallery, Poetry Library and Arts Council Collection of visual arts as well as all the spaces in between, indoors and outdoors.

Born out of the Festival of Britain in 1951, we are proud to be the UK’s only permanent festival site.  The festival spirit is the very heart of Southbank Centre and inspires everything that we do.  Our employees are at the centre of delivering our mission, which is ‘to create a permanent sense of festival where the world meets to celebrate the power of the imagination’.

Our festivals are based on a range of themes and subjects which span all art forms. We work with some of the most important and influential artists and partners from around the world, including our outstanding resident orchestras, to deliver a programme that celebrates the diverse experiences of people and cultures.  We believe that art has the power to help change society for the better and that art must be available to the many and not just the few.  For these reasons we present as many free activities as possible and provide a unique educational offer to thousands of schools, young people and adults to immerse themselves in imaginative creative learning programmes all year round.

Our Values

• Culturally active - We believe in the power of art, ideas and creativity to inspire, educate and effect change.  We’re not afraid to look at the world with fresh eyes, give people a voice and find new ways of doing things.
• Creatively challenging - We bring rigour and passion to our quest for outstanding artists, ideas and experiences.
• Playful - We believe in being bold, unexpected and fun.
• Entrepreneurial - We believe that commercial entrepreneurship can live happily beside the demanding requirements of art making to the profit of both.
• Celebratory - We celebrate humanity in a way that is both delightful and profound through harnessing the power of learning and a sense of shared congregation.