Open House Festival

Organised by the Open City organisation, Open House is an annual Londonwide festival that sees hundreds of private homes, offices, studios and other interesting London spaces opening up to the public.

The free event is a celebration of London’s eclectic architecture and neighbourhoods and an opportunity to learn more about the city’s unique history and contemporary culture from a different perspective. Activities running during the festival include drop-in open days, guided tours, performances, exhibitions and other activations at venues across the city.

This year there are plenty of interesting activations happening in South Bank as part of the Open House festival. All events are free and some require prior booking. You can browse and book Open House events at programme.openhouse.org.uk. Booking for events opens on 21 August.

All events are Free!

Open House 2024 in South Bank

Sat 14 Sep, hourly tours from 10am-4pm
Lambeth Palace Library Open Day

Opened in 2021, the high-tech Lambeth Palace Library adjoins the historic home of the Archbishop of Canterbury and is the home of the Church of England’s priceless archive of centuries-old books and manuscripts. For this year's Open House Festival the library will be hosting hourly guided tours of the building and the world-class restoration studios. Find out more here.

Sat 14 Sep 10am–3:30pm
Drop in Day at Florence Nightingale Museum

Visit the Florence Nightingale Museum at St Thomas hospital in South Bank for free today as part of the 2024 Open House festival! At 11:30am and at 3:30pm you can also join a free guided tour of the museum's highlights showcasing star objects from the museum's huge collection. Find out more here.

Sat 14 Sep and Sun 15 Sep
Unit 1.20 at Oxo Tower Wharf Open day

Unit 1.20 is a workshop, showroom and teaching space for a small team of leatherworkers at Oxo Tower Wharf. For Open House the workshop opens to the public for a series of free drop-in workshops and talks. The workshops show how to make a key ring (which you will get to take home) from scrap leather, while the talk explores London's history of shoemaking and tanneries, asking 'Where have London's shoemakers gone?'. Find out more here.

Sun 15 Sep at 11:30am, 1:15pm & 3pm
The Lambeth Walk

An exploration of Old Lambeth, that reveals the area's links between industry and art, repurposed buildings and shows off unexpected green spaces and award-winning architecture. Starting outside the Garden Museum, the walk takes a circular route that covers areas of both South Bank and Vauxhall. Find out more here.

Tue 17 Sep from 11am–1:30pm 
Lost & Hidden Architecture Walk: From Palace to Pottery & Politics Past

Led by professional Lambeth Tour Guide Alison Rae this in-depth history walk explores the changing uses of South Bank's historical landmarks. Starting outside the Garden Museum, the walk takes in the stories and hidden architecture of spaces that include the Lambeth Palace, St Thomas Hospital and County Hall.

Fri 20 Sep from 11am–1:30pm 
Lost & Hidden Architecture Walk: Between & Under Bridges

This guided tour covers the history and architecture of the area between Blackfriars Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, taking in famous landmarks such as National Theatre, Sea Containers London and the Royal Festival Hall. The tour ends with the chance to visit the artist studio of Feliks Topolski and to view some of the many incredible paintings contained within the studio archives.