From hidden gardens to free exhibitions, pop-up festivals and unusual sightseeing attractions, here's a look at great things to see and do in South Bank that won't cost you a penny.
Free South Bank events: Winter 2024/ 2025
Throughout the year South Bank's cultural institutions and venues present a variety of free events, ranging from free talks and concerts, to exhibitions, film screenings and hands-on activities for kids. Here's a look at what's on for free this season.
Get cosy at Gabriel’s Wharf with a festive afternoon of carol singing, mulled wine and gift shopping. Putting that festive cheer in the air as we count down the days to Christmas this free party in the quirky Gabriel's Wharf courtyard presents great opportunities to search for that perfect gift while enjoying live entertainment and a super festive atmosphere. Throughout the afternoon you can join in classic carol singing, enjoy performances from a live steel pan band and festive tunes from the DJ. Make sure to stick around to try a delicious mug of mulled wine while you watch the sunset!
This annual free alternative Christmas party turns the famous Leake Street graffiti tunnel into South Bank's zaniest festive party venue with a quirky variety of entertainment throughout the night. Start warming up those vocal chords for a singalong like never before. This year's after-work party is centred around music, with 'Christmassaoke' courtesy of Lucky Voice with Rock Choir and Pink Singers on hand to drown out any off-key notes. Also on the programme there's saucy cabaret from drag host Pi The Mime, salsa dancing workshops, quirky wreath-making classes, giant board games, a craft market, and even an appearance from the glittering London School of Samba!
To keep you going through the evening there's also a great mix of pop-up bars and food trucks and of course everyone's favourite underground Leake Street bars Passyunk Avenue, Draughts and Mamuska! will be joining in the festivities. While entrance is free, donations will be collected by cash or card through the night for the Waterloo Foodbank.
WHEN & WHERE: 1 Nov to 15 Dec at Southbank Centre (exhibition space Level 1, Royal Festival Hall)
Artists Jeremy Deller and John Costi have been working with Koestler this year as curators on their annual exhibition devoted to artworks created by people within the UK's criminal justice system. The extensive exhibition has been brought together from more than 7,500 entries that include a wide variety of themes and mediums including painting, works on paper, sculpture, writing, music and design.
Look out for free guided tours of the exhibition led by guides who have their own personal experiences of criminal justice settings. Tours take place Wed: 2pm & 6pm, Fri: 6pm, Sat & Sun: 3pm & 4pm.
WHEN & WHERE: 9 Oct–5 Jan at HENI Project Space at Hayward Gallery
Visit this new exhibition for free at Hayward Gallery's HENI Project Space by Taiwanese artist Huang Po-Chih. Drawing upon his family heritage – particularly his mother’s experiences as a garment worker in Taoyuan, Taiwan – Huang engages with the personal narratives of individuals involved in the textile industry across China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan. The exhibition installation features video, photography, text-based work and sculpture to highlight the stories of the people and materials central to the East Asian textile industry.
Join professional tour guide Alison Rae for this free walking tour through South Bank history, with a special focus on travel, transport and how the river has shaped London's growth. Taking in unusual landmarks and forgotten sites, this walk reveals the unique road, rail and maritime links, both past and present, that have shaped South Bank's position as a key London hub.
The walk lasts 1.5 hours covering approximately 2.4km. The walk starts at the Rennie Garden pocket garden on Blackfriars Bridge. Find out more here.
Tomorrow’s Warriors present their Extraordinary Winter Showcase, featuring some of the finest young jazz musicians on London’s bubbling scene right now. Tomorrow’s Warriors is a talent development organisation, creative producer, learning and training provider, charity and consultancy specialising in jazz. The live music showcase takes place in the Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall and last approx 1hour 45minutes. No tickets and booking is required!
WHEN & WHERE: Wed 1 Jan from 1pm at Southbank Centre
Join London’s most radical and vivacious ceilidh band, the Ceilidh Liberation Front, and kick the new year off with dancing for everyone. Combining music, dance, and a sprinkling of theatrics, this is ceilidh music as you’ve never heard (or seen!) it before. This is a family-friendly experience and everyone's welcome, no prior experience or knowledge of ceilidhs is necessary. No tickets or booking is required.
WHEN & WHERE: Monthly at the Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall
Join Creative Encounters for a social evening of conversation, music and making. Each month a different artist leads an evening of playful creativity. Aiming to be a place where you can meet and socialise with new people while trying something different, there’s an emphasis on getting to know others through interacting with hands-on creative activities. All events are free and each month there's a different theme and artist. The Creative Encounters sessions start from 5:30pm and last 3 hours.
WED 11 DEC Join theatre-maker Nick Cassenbaum for a playful evening to build your own festive survival kit WED 18 DEC Stacy Makishi invites you to encounter rowdy rituals and soothing provocations to end the year. WED 15 JAN An evening of zine-making with sweet-thang zine, accompanied by poetry and music from Black Geographies Collective. WED 29 JAN Performances and workshops from the UK’s first queer pan-Asian cabaret company, The Bitten Peach. WED 5 FEB Writer Rhianna Illube presents A Wednesday Kind of Love, with an evening of writing, exchanging and debunking love stories. WED 26 FEB Listen to relaxing and meditative South Asian classical music and explore poems from the National Poetry Library with Rangoli and Rhythms by the Sonia Sabri Company.
WHEN & WHERE: Thursdays at the Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer, Southbank Centre
The Southbank Centre's futuretense series is all about showcasing the best new British and international music, allowing you to discover artists on the up, and find your next musical obsession – for free!
Typically happening twice a month on Thursdays at 6pm, the music is an eclectic mix of new pop, rap, soul, alternative, jazz, folk, electronica and more with two different acts playing at each edition. Acts scheduled to perform at futuretense this autumn include:
THU 5 DEC Serene sounds and soul-searching lyrics with Isaiah Shoticaury + IMVN THU 16 JAN Find your new favourite artists with punk-fuelled sounds from band Alien Chicks and cellist Slow Cooked THU 23 JAN Expect something altogether new with experimental electronic music from BODUR and Su, I Think. THU 6 FEB Step into soulful music at this edition featuring two rising neo-soul stars in the UK music scene, Izzy Withers and Kemi Ade THU 13 FEB Catch cheeky tunes and cautionary tales at a free double bill of R&B, hip-hop and neo-soul from up-and-coming artists Jeffrey the KiDDD and The Black Esper
Quirky attractions
In addition to world-famous attractions like the London Eye, South Bank has several smaller attractions that are free to visit including some fascinating cultural spaces where you can often catch pop-up exhibitions, talks, free workshops and other interesting events.
Go behind the scenes at Sherling High-Level Walkway
Described as central London's biggest factory, every aspect of the National Theatre's theatre production works - from metalwork, carpentry and painting to prop manufacture and rehearsals - takes place inside the theatre complex itself. You can view the theatre's workshops from the Sherling High-Level Walkway where informative exhibition boards outline the different production preparations taking place. Open 12pm-6pm on Wed and Sat, entrance via Dorfman Theatre.
Led by ceramic artists Emma Louise Payne and Yasemin Gava, this beautiful gallery located inside the historic County Hall building is devoted to promoting the work of contemporary ceramic artists. The gallery hosts several group exhibitions a year. Aiming to support the ceramic art form "in all its stages and guises" the gallery also has its own on-site pottery studio and kiln and a resident artist programme. The gallery is open Tue-Sun and all exhibitions are free. Find out more here.
One of the largest libraries of its kind in the world, the state-of-the-art Lambeth Palace Library is home to The National Library & Archive of the Church of England. The collection contains tens of thousands of books, maps, manuscripts, letters and other written materials, some of which are 1,000 years old! The library is free to visit and hosts free temporary exhibitions that highlight treasures from the library’s collection, as well as free evening lectures (space is limited so make sure to book). See what's on here.
Launched in spring 2023, Branch Out at The Garden Museum is a programme of free events and activities exploring gardening, art, floristry, plant science, history, design and more, every Thursday at lunchtime. From seed swaps with the gardening team to nature-inspired art and craft workshops, Branch Out presents the opportunity to try something new every week. As space is limited, we advise arriving early to secure your spot.
Photo by Peter Li courtesy BFI
Watch archive films at the BFI Mediatheque
Explore highlights from the world’s greatest film and TV archive in BFI Southbank’s free digital viewing space, the Mediatheque. Visitors can view over 95,000 titles from the BFI National Archive. The available film footage covers more than a century of film and TV material including news reels, feature films, TV shows and commercials. Simply choose a booth and touch the screen to start your viewing. Headphones are provided, but you are also welcome to bring your own. Find out more here.
The National Poetry Library(located on the 5th floor of the Royal Festival Hall) is the largest public collection of modern poetry in the world. In addition to a massive selection of anthologies, magazines and journals, the library hosts free temporary exhibitions themed around poetry and poets. Every Friday from 10.30am–11am the children's Little Library area hosts Rug Rhymes, a free poetry reading session aimed at children aged 5 and under.
Iconic sights
They say the best things in life are free and when it comes to iconic sightseeing opportunities that won't cost you a penny, you are spoiled for choice in South Bank! Take a stroll along the river and stop and sit for a while to soak up the views.
Possibly London’s most famous riverside promenade, the Queen’s Walk is stacked with iconic views. Favourite photo opportunity stops include the world-famous views of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the grandeur of the London Eye and the views of St Paul’s Cathedral as seen from Observation Point in front of Gabriel’s Wharf. Read our guide to what to see on your Queen's Walk stroll here.
This 300-metre-long tunnel runs all the way beneath Waterloo Station connecting South Bank with the Lower Marsh High Street in Waterloo. Leake Street is London’s longest graffiti wall and every inch of space is covered with an ever-changing collection of street art murals. Anybody is free to leave their mark and the graffiti changes daily. A great place to take some fun photos and to watch local graffiti artists at work!
Watch the street performers
While strolling the Queen’s Walk take time out to watch the street performers. Every day brings a different collection of talented buskers, acrobats and other performers to the banks of the river. Performers can be found at the dedicated busking spots near the Southbank Centre in front of Jubilee Gardens, next to Hungerford Bridge and on the pedestrian crossings of the Golden Jubilee Bridges.
A picnic in the park
Next to the London Eye, take time out from the crowds with a picnic on the lawns atJubilee Gardens. Behind the iconic Oxo Tower is the pretty Bernie Spain Gardenand its lush herbaceous borders. A little more off the beaten track, is Archbishop's Park (once part of the expansive Lambeth Palace Gardens), where you’ll find an excellent kid's playground and some ping pong tables. The small St Thomas Gardens next to the hospital have a handful of picnic tables and benches offering some of the best views of Big Ben.
More ways to save in South Bank
While the following activities aren't all free entry, here are some more top tips on how to make the most of South Bank on a budget.
NATIONAL THEATRE FRIDAY RUSH Looking for bargain-priced tickets for the National Theatre's shows? A limited number of £20 tickets are available to purchase directly at the box office in South Bank on the day of a show from 10am. Even better yet, every Friday at 1pm £10 Friday Rush tickets are released online for each of the following week’s performances. An incredible offer worth setting an alarm for!
LAMBETH AND SOUTHWARK RESIDENTS DISCOUNTS If you are a resident of the Lambeth or Southwark boroughs you can become an OV Local member at the Old Vic, which entitles you to 20% off tickets, food and drinks at the Old Vic. Find out more here. Lambeth residents can also get £8 tickets to exhibitions at the Hayward Gallery Wed–Fri and after 5pm on Saturday, as can visitors aged under 30. Find out more and book online here.
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