Southbank Centre
Welcome to one of the world's leading centres for the performing arts.
2026 is a big year for South Bank as the neighbourhood marks the 75th anniversary of the Festival of Britain.
The South Bank was the flagship location for the nationwide 1951 Festival, which saw the opening of the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, a landmark moment that spearheaded the wider revival of the South Bank into the thriving cultural district that we know and love today.
Throughout 2026, the Southbank Centre presents a variety of major events to celebrate its incredible 75-year history with some huge names set to perform on its illustrious stages – and outside on the terraces too!
Meanwhile, more milestones are being marked next door at the BFI with the 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival taking over South Bank in October, and 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the first ever performance on the National Theatre's iconic Olivier stage.
The hottest theatre shows and performances, exciting exhibitions and all the biggest blockbusters destined to set the box office alight this year – here’s our look ahead to all the biggest events coming to South Bank in 2026 that you do not want to miss!
On Stage
Arcadia
WHEN: 24 January – 21 March
WHERE: at The Old Vic
Acclaimed director Carrie Cracknell brings the late Tom Stoppard’s witty, moving and flirtatious masterpiece to The Old Vic this winter.
The play is presented in the round – as indeed are all plays showing at The Old Vic this year – and stars Isis Hainsworth as Thomasina Coverly, Seamus Dillane as Septimus Hodge, Leila Farzad as Hannah Jarvis, and Prasanna Puwanarajah as Bernard Nightingale.
Ancient Grease
WHEN: 4 March to 31 May
WHERE: at The Vaults, Leake Street
Leake Street’s cult underground theatre venue The Vaults returns to in-house productions with the brand-new immersive parody musical, Ancient Grease. This self-confessed 'dirty love letter' to the hit movie musical, reimagines the iconic characters from Grease and sets them among the Gods of Mount Olympus Academy.
From the same creatives behind the hit shows like Mulan Rouge, Stranger Sings and The Witches of Oz, the team explains that; “As Grease grows older, the love for it grows stronger, so we decided to reimagine the narrative and bring a new message: put your leather catsuit away. Don’t change for anyone.”
Ancient Grease, a new original musical parody at The Vaults
Summerfolk
WHEN: 6 March to 29 April
WHERE: at National Theare
Director Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge) brings Maxim Gorky’s razor-sharp and eternally relevant portrait of class, privilege and denial to the National Theatre’s biggest stage, the Olivier, in a new adaptation created by Nina Raine (Consent) and Moses Raine (Donkey Heart).
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
WHEN: 21 March to 6 June
WHERE: at National Theatre
Lesley Manville plays Marquise de Merteuil, master in the art of survival who wields her influence with intelligence and control, alongside Aidan Turner as the magnetic Vicomte de Valmont. Together they turn seduction into strategy and weaponise desire in this striking new staging of Christopher Hampton’s celebrated adaptation of the Choderlos de Laclos’ novel.
Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the National Theatre
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
WHEN: 1 April – 23 May
WHERE: at The Old Vic
Clint Dyer directs a bold new staging of the play based on Ken Kesey’s countercultural masterpiece. Aaron Pierre plays Randle P. McMurphy, a gambler and provocateur whose defiance unsettles the ward alongside Giles Terera as Dale Harding.
You Are Here
WHEN: 3 & 4 May
WHERE: across the entire Southbank Centre site
Explore improbable sound clashes, massed choreography, art, film, live music and spoken word inspired by youth scenes and counterculture from 1951 to now, in this spectacular one-off performance created, directed and designed by Danny Boyle, Gareth Pugh and Carson McColl, commissioned especially for Southbank Centre's birthday weekend.
Rebellion meets euphoria, as an epic cast of performers brings history to life on a trip from punk to grime, northern soul to acid house, dancehall to disco. This promises to be an unforgettable celebration of the impact of British youth culture on music, fashion and rebellious politics over the past 75 years. Details on how to get tickets are due to be announced in the first months of 2026.... Watch this space!
Pride
WHEN: 11 June to 12 September
WHERE: at National Theatre
Funny, fierce and full of heart, Pride unites the director and writer of the original film, Matthew Warchus and Stephen Beresford, with composers Christopher Nightingale, Josh Cohen and DJ Walde. Together, they share the inspiring story of a group of disparate gay men and lesbians who formed the LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support Miners), and quickly found themselves entwined with a small pit village in South Wales.
Set to an original score with songs inspired by protest anthems, pop, rock, disco and the Welsh choral tradition, this brand-new stage musical has all the characteristics of a summer hit.
Colossus by Stephanie Lake Dance Company
WHEN: 25 – 27 June
WHERE: at Southbank Centre
Undergraduate students from the London Contemporary Dance School at The Place feature in COLOSSUS an exhilarating contemporary dance performance created by Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake with 60 dancers.
In the Brain by Shecter II
WHEN: 22 – 25 July
WHERE: at Southbank Centre
Hofesh Shechter OBE returns to the Southbank Centre with IN THE BRAIN, his new full-length work that will be performed by his young company, Shechter II. This new work is an invitation to let go – to move, to surrender to the music and be swept away in rhythm.
Colossus by Stephanie Lake Dance Company
Art & exhibitions
New public art at Southbank Centre
Southbank Centre’s impressive public art commissions always present something different that captures the public’s imagination. This year, they have commissioned a host of exciting new works that will join favourites like Jeppe Hein’s much-loved Appearing Rooms fountains.
New installations for 2026 include Stepping Out by artist Luke Jerram, an interactive artwork that will invite visitors to play an outdoor staircase as a musical instrument, and a parade of performers on the Riverside Terrace created by the inimitable Sir Quentin Blake.
Yin Xiuzhen and Chiharu Shiota
WHEN: 17 Feb – 3 May
WHERE: at Hayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery presents two concurrent exhibitions (your entrance ticket gets you access to both) featuring immense, immersive and deeply emotive exhibitions by two exciting Asian contemporary artists; Chiharu Shiota from Japan and Yin Xiuzhen from China. Both exhibitions include famous signature works, as well as brand new commissions that have never been seen before in the UK.
Skate Space 50
WHEN: 7 May to 21 June
WHERE: at Southbank Centre
This new exhibition explores the 50 years history of Southbank Centre’s iconic Skate Space beneath the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Frequently celebrated as the birthplace of British skateboarding culture, the exhibition looks at the five generations of skating community that have made this place their home-from-home, through photography, moving image and sound.
Anish Kapoor
WHEN: 16 June – 18 October
WHERE: at Hayward Gallery
In the summer, the Hayward Gallery presents a landmark new exhibition by Anish Kapoor. Spanning new monumental works that defy the boundaries of sculpture alongside seminal works that helped make him a household name, the presentation offers a series of spectacular encounters with Kapoor’s mind-bending art across the entire gallery and its terraces. Undoubtedly one of London's must-see exhibitions of the year!
Mount Moriah at the Gate of the Ghetto 2022. Mixed media 13.8x6.8x3.9 cm Photograph: Attilio Maranzano ©Anish Kapoor. All rights reserved, DACS, 2025
Music & Festivals
Multitudes
WHEN: 16 April – 1 May
WHERE: Southbank Centre
After a thrilling sold-out debut in 2025, the Southbank Centre’s multi-arts festival powered by orchestral music is back, presenting an exciting lineup of performances that bring together visual arts, classical music, dance and theatre.
This year's festival highlights include Mat Collishaw and the BBC Concert Orchestra conjuring Dante’s Inferno, Philharmonia Orchestra’s Forged in Sound: Heavy Metal Orchestrated, and Aurora Orchestra’s theatrically-staged exploration of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.
Steel Scenes: the Steel Pan Weekender
WHEN: 25 & 26 July
WHERE: Southbank Centre
In 1951, the Trinidad All-Steel Percussion Orchestra performed at the Festival of Britain outside of the Royal Festival Hall – an event that was the very first time that steel pans had been heard in the UK! The Steel Pan Weekender celebrates this 75th anniversary with new commissions for steel pan performed live by orchestras from across the country, together with talks, films and other mass performances.
Aurora Orchestra performing Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring
Oratorio for London
WHEN: 19 September
WHERE: at Southbank Centre
Featuring multiple choirs from across the capital, Oratorio for London is a newly-commissioned, large-scale choral work and site-wide festival celebrating the power of the human voice and the cultural diversity of London, featuring text written by Sabrina Mahfouz in collaboration with young Londoners.
Goalhanger: The Rest Is Fest
WHEN: 4 – 6 September
WHERE: at Southbank Centre
Exploring the future, and what it holds, is a key theme for this brand new festival co-produced with podcast production powerhouse Goalhanger. The three-day Southbank Centre takeover brings together live editions of their chart-topping podcasts, including The Rest Is…History, The Rest Is…Politics and The Rest Is…Entertainment.
Creative Intelligence
WHEN: 11 to 13 September
WHERE: Southbank Centre
Southbank Centre revives the Festival of Britain’s spirit of looking forward and celebrating innovation with the Creative Intelligence festival. Over three days, the Southbank Centre will become a playground for creative technologies, exploring how AI and digital innovation are reshaping how we live, imagine and create.
Expect a host of installations, demonstrations and prototypes that sit at the intersection of creativity and technology, alongside discussions with leading artists and thinkers on what transformations technology is bringing to the arts.
The Rest Is Politics
2026 film highlights
2026 is set to be a huge year for epic blockbusters that are best enjoyed on the very biggest screens possible. Home to Britain’s biggest cinema screen – the BFI IMAX – South Bank is the ultimate destination for kicking back and soaking up some major Hollywood action.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the very best in arthouse, Hollywood, archive retrospective, British-backed filmmaking and innovative new talent, the BFI Southbank is unmatched!
40th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival
WHEN: 18 to 29 March
WHERE: at BFI Southbank
This long-running annual film festival is a celebration of queer filmmaking from around the world. Screening the very best in brand-new contemporary LGBTQIA+ cinema, this festival is well-known for being the place to catch some of the year's most exciting new films before they hit the mainstream cinemas on wide release. In addition to films, there's also a brilliantly curated events lineup that includes archive title screenings, Q&As, panel discussions, workshops and DJ parties.
70th London Film Festival
WHEN: 7–18 October
2026 marks the 70th edition of the UK’s biggest film event. As ever, film fans can expect the crème de la crème of the film world to descend on the South Bank for 10 days of non-stop movies created by some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
For two weeks, South Bank becomes Tinseltown with dozens of red carpet screenings at the Royal Festival Hall, and hundreds more film screenings, both big and small, at the BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX to choose from, showcasing an incredible variety of filmmaking from across the world.
2026 BFI Southbank themed seasons
2026 kicks off with a David Lynch season (January) followed by a survey of the action-packed work of Kathryn Bigelow (February). In May the BFI celebrates the creations of director Guillermo del Toro, while in June Marilyn Monroe is in the spotlight.
Other interesting themed seasons to look forward to include Great Expectations – British Postwar Cinema 1945-1960 in May, and a major two-month survey of Brazilian cinema throughout May and June as part of the UK/Brazil Season of Culture 2025/26.
Christopher Nolan season at BFI IMAX
As part of the build-up to the summer release of Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, The Odyssey, BFI IMAX presents a new monthly series giving fans the opportunity to watch the acclaimed filmmaker’s breathtaking work in IMAX 70mm on the biggest cinema screen in the country.
Travel through time, space, history and memory on an exploration through the cinematic worlds of Christopher Nolan, with each film playing chronologically – from The Dark Knight Trilogy in January to Oppenheimer in June.
Matt Damon in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey
The Odyssey
WHEN: Opens at BFI IMAX from 17 July
Christopher Nolan is famously passionate about shooting on IMAX cameras, and according to popular legend, he favours the BFI IMAX for viewing the final edits of his films before they are released to the public. As one of the only IMAX cinemas in the world with the capacity to project IMAX films on 70mm, it goes without saying that the 70mm screenings of Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic are going to be something extra special.
As for the film itself, The Odyssey has a ridiculously star-studded cast that includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron… and the list goes on and on!
Dune: Part 3
WHEN: Due to open at BFI IMAX in December
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two became one of the most popular IMAX films ever shown at the BFI IMAX, with sold-out screenings taking place several months on the trot back in 2024. It goes without saying that this third (and final) film is one that the fans cannot wait to get stuck into! Timothee Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides for the completion of the trilogy, with this final film said to be based on the events of the book Dune Messiah.
Avengers: Doomsday
WHEN: Due to open at BFI IMAX from 18 December
Expect things to get very superhero-heavy in the latter part of the year as The Avengers make their return to the big screen. Following a relatively lacklustre period for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doomsday is already being pitched as a return to the all-conquering might of the late 2010s heroes.
Following the events of Endgame, Doomsday sees the Avengers joining forces with a ton of other Marvel favourites, including the Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and the "original" X-Men (from the films starring Patrick Stewart as Professor X), to face the dastardly super-villain, Doctor Doom (played by none other than Robert Downey Jr!).
