From hidden gardens to free exhibitions, pop-up festivals and unusual sightseeing attractions, South Bank has a wealth of different attractions that won't cost you a penny to enjoy.
Throughout the year South Bank's cultural institutions and venues present a variety of free events, ranging from free talks and concerts, film screenings and hands-on activities for kids.
For most free events you can just pitch up, although some events (particularly those aimed at families) tend to have more limited space and you may be required to register for your free tickets online beforehand.
WHEN & WHERE: Sat 6 Sep & 20 Sep, from 12pm–6pm at Gabriel's Wharf
Gabriel’s Wharf, the quirky enclave of independent shops next to Oxo Tower, hosts its annual arts festival in September. Taking place across two weekends, the event presents an eclectic programme of free art workshops, live music and performances.
Festival highlights on SAT 6 SEP include Japanese drumming from Tamashii School of Wadaikoo-Do, choir music from City Academy Songbirds and a reading from author Tom Chivers from his new London Clay: Journeys in the Deep City. Meanwhile, on SAT 20 SEP there's New Orleans-style jazz from Doolally Tap and a performance from the award-winning duo Alina Bzhezhinska (harp) & Tony Kofi (saxophone).
WHEN & WHERE: 13–21 Sep at Oxo Tower Wharf
The annual celebration of design returns to South Bank with a variety of art and design-focused events at Oxo Tower's makers' studios and design boutiques.
Events to look out for include: Kagoshima: Stories in Craft from South Japan exhibition at wagumi (13-21 Sep), the Singular Circles rings exhibition at JeDeCo and accompanying jewellery design talk (Mon 15 Sep at 1pm), complimentary jewellery consulations at Loveness Lee and the launch party for the new Wingback x Frahm collection jacket (Thu 18 Sep at 7pm).
WHEN & WHERE: Thu 25 Sep from 7:30pm
To celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Arundel Choirbook - one of only two surviving choirbooks from the reign of King Henry VIII - Lambeth Palace’s Great Hall plays host to a special concert of medieval music from the Arundel Choirbook and its contemporaries.
Performed by the Iken Scholars, under the baton of director Matthew Dunn, the concert will place music from the Arundel Choirbook in conversation with the wider environment of 16th-century church music, presented in suitably ancient surroundings. This event is on a pay-as-you-wish basis, with tickets reserved via Eventbrite with a £1 donation.
WHEN & WHERE: Thursdays at the Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer, Southbank Centre
In collaboration with BBC Introducing, the Southbank Centre's futuretense series showcases the best new British and international music, allowing you to discover artists on the up, and find your next musical obsession – for free! Gigs kick off from 6pm and the music is an eclectic mix of everything from punk to pop, rap and metal, with two different acts playing at each edition.
Acts on the upcoming schedule include:
THU 11 SEP | British-Kurdish producer, pianist, and songwriter Pelin Pelin, and Pollyfromthedirt.
THU 18 SEP | Dublin-born Sierra Leonean rapper Ahmed, With Love and hybrid rock-rap band Third Kulture.
THU 16 OCT | Up-and-coming R&B with pop artists Ashley Iman and Harrison Mayo.
THU 30 OCT | An all-women line-up with electro-pop by ALESSIA and all-female Arabic psychedelic rock band Seera.
THU 6 NOV | Danceable, off-kilter hyperpop club music from a DJ and producer duo on the rise Big Softy.
THU 4 DEC | Genre-blending rapper and producer JoeJas and immersive hip-hop and punk storyteller RetroPxssy.
THU 11 DEC Jazz, soul and alt-R&B from rising stars GESELLE and KeepVibesNear.
WHEN & WHERE: Monthly at the Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall
Join Creative Encounters for a social evening of conversation, music, art and making. Each month a different artist leads an evening of playful creativity on a different theme. All events are free and there's no need to book.
WED 1 OCT | Collage in Motion | Capturing figures in motion, with illustrator and collage artist Beth Suzanna
WED 29 OCT | Poetry and Paint | Immersive poetry and painting with the Black Women Art Network
WED 12 NOV | Drawn Together | Finding beauty in the mundane with artist and facilitator Olivia Twist
WED 26 NOV | The Londoner's Printing Press | Typography and collaborative print-making
WED 10 DEC | Spice-Blending Stories | Festive winter chai making with artist and researcher Roo Dhissou
WED 17 DEC | Mingle & Mould | Pinch and coil pot making making workshop with Princess Fingall
Many of South Bank's cultural venues, independent galleries and museums host free exhibitions throughout the year that are free to attend. Here's a look at the latest free exhibitions to explore in South Bank this season.
WHEN & WHERE: Sat 13 Sep–Sun 9 Nov
The latest exhibition at the contemporary ceramics gallery County Hall Pottery is a cross-disciplinary show that brings together five leading ceramic artists, each paired with a creative practitioner from a different discipline. Spanning music, woodworking, architecture, and culinary arts, these partnerships reimagine ceramics as a shared language of innovation, functionality, and artistic dialogue.
WHEN & WHERE: Until Feb 2026 at National Theatre
Presented in the Wolfson Gallery at National Theatre (next to the Lasdun restaurant), this richly detailed exhibition highlights the imaginative and authentic ways that ancient Greek dramas have been presented at the National over the decades. The exhibition includes costume designs, rehearsal footage, model boxes, listening stations, and digital screens, while the stories behind these objects are brought to life through recitals of ancient Greek verse, and recordings of music, speeches and dances from these past productions.
WHEN & WHERE: Until 6 Nov. Open Mon-Fri and on first Sat of the month
2025 marks the 500th birthday of the beautifully illustrated ‘Arundel’ or ‘Lambeth’ Choirbook (Arundel, Sussex, c. 1525), one of only two surviving choirbooks from the reign of King Henry VIII. The Lambeth Palace Library marks the book’s quincentenary with this special exhibition that sees the historic Choirbook going on display alongside other interesting and unusual musical holdings from the library's incredible collection.
Bring your little ones along to South Bank to join in free storytelling sessions, creative workshops and interactive activities that will spark their imaginations.
WHEN & WHERE: Fortnightly on Friday mornings at the Clore Ballroom in Royal Festival Hall
Every fortnight, songwriter Emma Lee Moss performs a magical collection of songs for children at the Southbank Centre's free WordPlay sessions at the Clore Ballroom. Aimed at children aged 0-5 (and their families), WordPlay is all about the joy of words and communication, centred on sing-alongs and storytelling that let little imaginations grow.
There are two sessions: the 10:15am session is aimed at children aged 0–2 and the 11:30am session is for those aged 3–5. Upcoming sessions: Fri 19 Sep, 24 Oct, 14 Nov, 28 Nov, 12 Dec.
WHEN & WHERE: Monthly Saturdays at 1:30pm at the Clore Ballroom in Royal Festival Hall
Aimed at young families (aged 5-11), the monthly Saturday Sessions provide a fun and energetic place for kids to come together and watch a performance, make something and play with other children and their families. These are free drop-in events and there's no need to book. Following the session, there's a ballroom boogie with DJs for the kids from 2:30pm.
SAT 4 OCT| Storytelling with Hannah Lee
SAT 8 NOV | Breakdancing with Rain Crew
SAT 6 DEC | Singing Together
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.
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.
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. The Mediatheque is very popular, so we recommend arriving early to grab a space (they open from 11am Tue-Sun). 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.
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.
This peaceful space on top of the iconic Queen Elizabeth Hall has become a much-loved feature of the Southbank Centre. Home to over 200 wild native plants, a luscious lawn and gorgeous views across the river, the garden is open Tuesday to Sunday throughout the spring and summer. Entrance is free and there’s a café-bar on-site. The garden reopens for 2025 on 1 April.
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!
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.
Next to the London Eye, take time out from the crowds with a picnic on the lawns at Jubilee Gardens. Behind the iconic Oxo Tower is the pretty Bernie Spain Garden and 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.
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.
You don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy a great day out sightseeing in South Bank.
