Royal Festival Hall
Welcome to one of the world’s leading performance venues
Situated in the heart of London, on the banks of the River Thames is the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, a beacon for arts and culture for over 70 years.
The 2,700 capacity Royal Festival Hall auditorium fast became one of the world’s landmark performance venues when it opened as part of the 1951 Festival of Britain. And since the introduction of the Greater London Council’s ‘Open Foyer’ policy in 1983, this Grade I listed building has been open daily, free for anyone to visit and enjoy its light spacious interior.
Find out the latest events happening in our Royal Festival Hall, and discover the best places to eat, drink and shop while you’re here, below.
What’s inside?
- the Royal Festival Hall auditorium
- Welcome Desk & Ticket Office
- Festival Bar & Kitchen
- Ballroom Cafe
- The Clore Ballroom
- National Poetry Library
- Archive Studio
- Members’ Lounge
- Skylon restaurant.
On now and upcoming
Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere
Sola Olulode: First Kiss
Naomi Rincón Gallardo: Sonnet of Vermin
Ruth Crawford Seeger: Three Chants for Women's Chorus
For your visit
Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open daily.
Monday & Tuesday, 10am – 6pm*
Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
*If we’re hosting a performance, the building will stay open until the event ends.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our site.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.
While you’re here
Eating & drinking
Get the lowdown on the best places to eat and drink at Southbank Centre
Shopping
Find inspiring products for all in our shops across our venues and online
Related spaces
The Clore Ballroom
Situated on Level 2, this versatile space plays host to music, talks, dance, performance, workshops and more.
Archive Studio
Helping make our historical collections accessible to you, our Archive Studio is on Level 2.
National Poetry Library
Find the world’s largest collection of modern poetry in the National Poetry Library on Level 5.