The Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank.

Venue: Southbank Centre
Town: London, GB

The Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces - the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell Room - as well as the Hayward Gallery and National Poetry Library. It is the largest centre for the arts in the UK. The Southbank Centre drew around 3.7 million visitors to its venues in 2024 and stages approximately 5,000 performances each year. Three to four major art exhibitions are presented at the Hayward Gallery annually. Together with the Barbican Centre, a similar arts venue, the Southbank Centre is also known for its brutalist architecture, which now has listed building status. The centre referred itself to the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport called upon Arts Council England to investigate the Southbank Centre after its chair, Misan Harriman allegedly promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes in the 2026 Golders Green attack aftermath. Southbank Centre's site is on the South Bank of the River Thames, between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge. It is fronted by The Queen's Walk and formerly extended to 21 acres (85,000 m2), from County Hall to Waterloo Bridge, however in 2012 management of Jubilee Gardens transferred to the Jubilee Gardens Trust and the car park on the remaining land beyond Hungerford Bridge was sold in 2013, to extend the gardens as part of the Shell Centre redevelopment. The closest Underground stations are Waterloo and Embankment. Misan Harriman became chairman of the Board of Governors of the Southbank Centre in 2022, succeeding Susan Gilchrist, who had held the role since 2016. Elaine Bedell was appointed as Chief Executive in 2017; from 2009 to 2016 that position was held by Alan Bishop, former chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi International and Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information. September 2005 saw the arri