Top Free Things to do in South Bank
You don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy a great day out sightseeing in South Bank.
Want to enjoy more culture this year? Join the club at one (or more!) of South Bank's leading cultural institutions and you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to compelling reasons to visit for an enriching day of arts and culture by the river.
Free tickets, food and drinks discounts and exclusive members events – by becoming a member of your favourite cultural institution, you can score a host of great perks while showing your support for the arts.
If you’re thinking about investing in a membership this year – here’s a rundown of what’s on offer in South Bank to help you decide.
*Membership prices and perks accurate as of February 2025
Southbank Centre Membership
One of London's best-value cultural institution memberships, there’s no ‘tiered’ approach to a Southbank Centre membership – joining the club as a member gives you access to all the perks! A huge programme of literally thousands of events happening every year across Southbank Centre's concert halls and gallery, means you’ll always find plenty of great reasons to visit.
Members get free access to all Hayward Gallery exhibitions – a particularly enticing perk if you’ve enjoyed an exhibition so much you’d like to come back and see it again, while other perks include restaurant discounts and access to the famous 6th-floor Member's Lounge at Royal Festival Hall.
What’s the cost: £69 per year Direct Debit or £70 once-off payment. Joint membership available for an additional £20 (if you both live at the same address)
What’s included:
- Unlimited free entry to all Hayward Gallery exhibitions, and Members’ private views
- Access to presale tickets for all Southbank Centre events
- No booking fees
- Access to the Member’s Lounge café and bar on the top floor of the Royal Festival Hall
- Discounts at Southbank Centre shops (20% off Southbank Centre shop and 10% off at Foyles)
- Discounts at restaurants and bars at Southbank Centre including: 20% off at wagamama, Wahaca, Skylon, Strada, La Gamba, Honest Burger, Côte Brasserie, Beany Green, 10% off at Comptoir Libanais, Giraffe, Ping Pong, Pret a Manger, 40% off food at Las Iguanas
Summer on the riverside terrace
BFI Membership
Support British film culture and score discounts on film screenings all-year round with this very competitive cinema membership. By joining the BFI you’ll get access to priority booking for BFI Southbank film screenings and events, as well as presale access to all London Film Festival tickets (including for films and events happening at partner venues – for LFF fans this perk alone is worth signing up for, as the biggest previews typically sell out extremely fast!).
Other BFI Membership perks include free and discounted tickets, no booking fees, discounts at the BFI’s bars and shops plus fascinating members-only events such as salon discussions and tours where you can connect with a community of fellow cinema lovers.
What’s the cost? £44 per year Direct Debit or £50 once-off payment
What’s included:
- Priority booking for BFI festivals and BFI Southbank
- Free vouchers redeemable against two standard BFI Southbank tickets
- Up to £2 off BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX tickets for you and your guests (up to four tickets in total).
- No booking fees for BFI festivals, BFI IMAX and BFI Southbank
- Exclusive events at BFI Southbank every month including exclusive member screenings, member talks, tours and salon discussions
- Monthly BFI Southbank and BFI festivals programme guides delivered to your home
- 10% off food and drink at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX
- 15% off BFI Shop
- 15% off BFI Player film rentals
- 15% off Sight & Sound magazine annual subscriptions
National Theatre Membership
For dedicated theatre fans, a National Theatre membership is a prime way to ensure you always get first dibs on the best seats in the house, while showing your support for theatre's trailblazing work.
A standard membership gets you access to priority booking a week ahead of the general public, making it much easier to get your hands on the best-value seats. By going up a tier to ‘Member Plus’ you also get access to the ‘late release’ tickets (popular with those holding out for critics’ reviews before committing to a show).
What’s the cost? Member from £84 (Direct Debit), Member Plus from £210 per year
What’s included:
- Book up to a week ahead of the general public
- What’s on Guide posted to you, 3 times per year
- Be the first to hear about productions and enjoy behind-the-scenes interviews with cast and creatives in the printed Supporter newsletter
- Book nearer to the date of the performance, with special access to tickets for the final weeks of a show’s run (Member Plus)
Friends of Garden Museum
The Garden Museum is a quirky museum devoted to the history of gardening and garden design. In addition to the museum’s permanent displays, they also host several temporary art exhibitions a year, as well as talks and discussions by leading garden designers and landscape architects. By becoming a Friend of the Museum you can visit the museum and its exhibitions for free as many times as you want, and enjoy discounts and priority booking on tickets to Garden Museum events.
What’s the cost? Annual membership £45
What’s included:
- Free unlimited entry to the Garden Museum and all temporary exhibitions
- Exclusive Friends Private Views of major exhibitions
- Discounted tickets for Garden Museum talks, events and Garden Visits
- A complimentary copy of the regular Garden Museum Journal
- 15% discount on purchases in the Garden Museum Shop
British Flowers Week at The Garden Museum
Merlin Annual Pass
The Merlin Annual Pass is the smart way to enjoy Britain’s most famous family attractions including South Bank icons SEA LIFE London Aquarium, the lastminute.com London Eye, Shrek’s Adventure! London and The London Dungeon for less. With the Pass you’ll be able to access 25+ Merlin attractions across the UK, including world-famous theme parks such as Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures, all for one annual price.
There are several different kinds of Pass that you can buy, allowing you free access on a certain number of days per year, starting at the Discovery Pass (200 days) and going up to the Platinum Pass (364 days). The days typically excluded from the Merlin Pass are bank holidays and school holidays (plus all Saturdays if you are on the Discovery Pass), so if you can only visit attractions during periods such as school holidays or weekends it may be better value to get a higher tier pass.
What’s the cost:
Discovery Pass £99 (200 days, off-peak only)
Silver Pass £179 (295 days)
Gold Pass £249 (340 days)
Platinum Pass £299 (364 days)
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