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Southbank Centre

Arts centre in London, England

About

The Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank.

It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell Room – as well as the Hayward Gallery and National Poetry Library. It is the largest centre for the arts in the UK. The Southbank Centre drew around 3.7 million visitors to its venues in 2024 and stages approximately 5,000 performances each year. Three to four major art exhibitions are presented at the Hayward Gallery annually. Together with the Barbican Centre, a similar arts venue, the Southbank Centre is also known for its brutalist architecture, which now has listed building status.

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