Europe's largest arts centre on the South Bank, with free foyers, free gigs and exhibitions, sofas to work on and balconies with a sweeping free view over the Thames.
FREE
The lowdown
The Southbank Centre grew out of the 1951 Festival of Britain, and its Royal Festival Hall is the great survivor of that optimistic moment. The concert halls are ticketed, but the vast foyers are free and open to all, one of the most generous public spaces in London.
You can walk in off the riverside and use it like a living room, sofas and tables to read or work at, a free programme of foyer gigs, talks and pop-up performances, and regular free exhibitions dotted through the building. The huge Clore Ballroom hosts free dance classes and concerts that anyone can wander into.
Head up through the levels to the balconies and terraces for a free, wide view over the Thames to the City and Westminster, with the whole buzz of the South Bank below. Few free spaces in London give you this much for the price of nothing at all.
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