25 things to see in South Bank in 2025
Inspired new festivals, thrilling stage debuts, epic concerts and contemporary art galore – our guide to the biggest cultural...
Southbank Centre’s iconic Meltdown is the longest-running artist-curated festival in the world and 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of this essential music event.
Previous Meltdown curators have included Christine and the Queens, Grace Jones, Nile Rodgers, Yoko Ono, Massive Attack, Jarvis Cocker, Patti Smith and David Bowie. As curator, artists are invited to bring their own eclectic tastes to the South Bank for eleven days of music and creativity with dozens of gigs and other events on the programme including opening and closing performances by the artist-curator themselves.
The 2025 curator for the festival’s 30th edition has been revealed as London’s very own Little Simz!
Little Simz’ Meltdown will take place from Thursday 12 June until Sunday 22 June 2025. The first names for Little Simz’ Meltdown will be announced in the Spring.
One of the UK’s most captivating and visionary artists, Little Simz’s third album Grey Area (2019), featuring explosive singles “Offence” and “Boss” catapulted her up into the heights of fame, consolidated by successive award-winning albums Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021) and NO THANK YOU (2022), and a triumphant performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2024.
Commenting on her Meltdown 2024 curatorship, Little Simz said: “I'm super excited to be the 2025 Meltdown festival curator! My team and I are preparing eleven days of art, music, workshops and more. So many incredible artists have curated this festival so it's a true honour to be a part of it. Thank you to the Southbank Centre for having me. Meltdown 2025 the Simz way is going to be epic. I'll see you there.”
Meltdown tickets and festival lineup
The programme and tickets for this year’s Meltdown festival will go live in the spring via the Southbank Centre website.
Southbank Centre members get priority access to pre-sale booking. Membership costs from £69 per year and includes unlimited free access to all Hayward Gallery exhibitions, plus access to the Southbank Centre member’s lounge and discounts of up to 40% off at Southbank Centre shops, bars and restaurants.
Find out more and sign up to become a Southbank Centre member here.
