South Bank’s summer festival season kicks into gear in June, and with a jam-packed sporting calendar this summer too, it’s a bumper month for fantastic events!
From art to music, theatre, film, Pride parties and sporting pop-ups, here's a look at ten of the biggest must-visit events to look out for this month.
WHEN & WHERE: 14-23 June at Southbank Centre
Chaka Khan curates the 29th edition of Meltdown, one of Southbank Centre's biggest annual events. In addition to two concerts by the iconic singer herself, major acts on the lineup include Todrick Hall, Mica Paris, Emeli Sandé, Incognito, War and Rahsaan Patterson. The programme also includes loads of free events including dance parties on the open-air Riverside Terrace stage.
WHEN & WHERE: 8 & 9 June, at Passyunk Avenue, Leake Street
The Major League Baseball World Tour comes to London with the New York Mets taking on the Philadelphia Phillies, and the all-American dive bar Passyunk Avenue on Leake Street is going all out to celebrate this historic occassion! The Leake Street graffiti tunnel will be transformed into a two-day American food festival honouring Philadelphia’s iconic Reading Terminal Market, with DJ sets, competitive street games, live media broadcasts and a giant open-air screen.
WHEN & WHERE: 6-10 June at Garden Museum
Always a special highlight of the Garden Museum’s summer programme of events, the annual British Flowers Week celebration sees the museum filled with a variety of gorgeous floral displays. Celebrating seasonal, British-grown flowers, the event champions sustainability and seasonality in flower growing and floristry. This year’s theme is Reimagine, inspired by the museum’s latest art exhibition Gardening Bohemia: Bloomsbury Women Outdoors.
WHEN & WHERE: 13 June to 10 August at The Old Vic
An MP with an instinct for compassion. An ex-serviceman with a life in free fall. And a parliamentary protection officer who’s having none of it. This volatile new play at The Old Vic stars BAFTA Award winner Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, Line of Duty) as a hard-working opposition backbencher whose ideals of public office are tested by the demands of a man in crisis, played by James Corden.
WHEN & WHERE: 18 June to 1 September at Hayward Gallery
The first mid-career survey dedicated to the work of the New York-based, Bahamian artist Tavares Strachan (born in 1979), showcases the remarkably inventive ways in which he has celebrated unsung explorers and cultural trailblazers. Featuring monumental new sculptural commissions alongside striking large-scale collages, neon works, bronze and ceramic sculptures, and mixed-media installations, this landmark exhibition at the Hayward Gallery takes visitors on a journey of discovery.
WHEN: 14 June to 14 July
Football fever is set to take over the UK this month as Euro2024 kicks off in Germany. Across South Bank there are plenty of places to watch The Euros live. Take your pick from friendly local pubs like The Thirsty Bear or The Fountain & Ink, head to dedicated sports venues like Passyunk Avenue or the immense BrewDog Waterloo bar at The Sidings, and check out Between the Bridges where they are screening the tournament in the courtyard on their huge screen wall..
WHEN & WHERE: 22 June to 10 August at National Theatre
25 years after its first staging, British theatre company Complicité’s ‘Astonishing, transfixing, transcendent’ (New York Times) production returns to the Olivier stage at National Theatre. This promises to be one of the National’s biggest plays of the summer with tickets already sold out on several nights. Grab yours while you can!
WHEN & WHERE: Open from 31 May at County Hall
This fun new interactive experience (an official collaboration with Lionsgate films) opens to the public at County Hall on the first weekend of June. Get your tickets for what promises to be an exciting immersive adventure through some of the most memorable locations from the Paddington stories with characters to meet, interactive games and lots of surprises along the way.
WHEN & WHERE: Throughout June & July at BFI Southbank
The BFI presents an eclectic two-month season devoted to pan-African cinema from 1956 to 2024. The season features works from critically acclaimed directors, as well as artists whose names are less recognisable, but whose work contributes to the myriad of richly diverse and powerful film cultures across Africa and its diasporas. Exploring a huge variety of themes and genres, the season also includes a great programme of introductions, Q&As and discussions.
WHEN & WHERE: Sat 29 June from 4pm at Southbank Centre
An open-air party for the queer SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) and South Asian diaspora, this fabulous Pride event is curated by Ryan Lanji (Hungama) and Drew Demetry (Nafs.Space) with DJ sets right through the evening and into the night. Note that the event is recommended for audiences 14+, for family-friendly content, you should attend before 9pm.
