Royal Festival Hall

The largest of Southbank Centre's venues is the world famous Royal Festival Hall, a 2,700 auditorium, hosting live music, talks, comedy, dance and many other genres of live performance.

Playing host to a variety of events throughout the year, most notably the world's largest artist curated festival Meltdown, Royal Festival Hall has acclaimed classical music seasons, with world orchestras coming from across the globe to play throughout the year.

Originally built for the 1951 Festival of Britain, which helped transform South Bank into the cultural and artistic hub it still is today, it's the only surviving structure from the time. In 1981 it became the first post-war building to be Grade I listed and helped set the standard for South Bank's brutalist architectural style, which is seen in the National Theatre, Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall and even the IBM Building on the bank of the Thames.