Southbank Centre featured free events, 29 July – 4 August 2019

These are some of the selected free events taking place at The Southbank Centre. Click on the event title for further information.

Location and times

Royal Festival Hall / London’s leading classical music venue
Hayward Gallery / Hayward Gallery is a world-renowned contemporary art gallery
Queen Elizabeth Hall / Enjoy classical music, gigs and performance events
Purcell Room / Literature, performance, classical, jazz and electronic
National Poetry Library / Find the most comprehensive collection of poetry from 1912 in Britain on Level 5 of Royal Festival Hall
Southbank Centre Archive Studio / An extensive archive of information accessible for the first time

Buses and underground

Waterloo and Waterloo East stations in the South of the river Thames and Embankment station in the North provide good underground and rail services. The area is served by many bus routes. Click here or the image below for directions.

Southbank Centre Map — Southbank Centre Locations. Click to enlarge

Disco Loco

Various times | 14 Jul 2019 – 26 Aug 2019| Run times may vary | Riverside Terrace, Level 2 | Free

Sunglasses? Check. Disco pants? Check. Time for some alternative family entertainment with Disco Loco.

The wild and wonderful family party welcomes revellers of all ages to an afternoon of DJing and performances.

Boogie to back-to-back tunes from the Disco Loco Allstar DJs and marvel at live music, dance and cabaret, hosted by the genial MC Chu-i.

Disco Loco have been entertaining families across East London since 2006 in a programme of arts, culture and a spirit of togetherness, running inclusive monthly events for families.

Sun 14 Jul: Rhyss Pieces, Symoné
Sun 21 Jul: Fantabulosa’s Xnthony, Porridge Radio
Sun 28 Jul: Shakaonafire, Grace Shush
Sun 18 Aug: Fantabulosa’s Ginny Lemon, Dream Nails
Mon 26 Aug: XOEY 5.0, Rubyyy Jones

Part of Southbank Summer programme

Chicago

Wednesday 31 July 2019 | 9pm |Riverside Terrace, Level 2

Come on babe, why don’t we paint the town? Hit up our outdoor screening of the showstopping musical film about crime and the art of celebrity.

At an event presented by Electric Pedals, jump on one of the bikes to pedal power our screen, or bring a blanket and cushion and get comfortable while you watch.

Plus, sing along to the swinging soundtrack whenever the mood takes you.

Nightclub sensation Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones) murders her philandering husband, and Chicago’s slickest lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), is set to defend her.

But when Roxie (Renée Zellweger) also winds up in prison, Billy takes on her case as well – turning her into a headline act.

Neither woman will be outdone in their fight for fame and celebrity.

Presented by Electric Pedals.

SIREN

1 Aug 2019 – 22 Aug 2019 | Run times may vary | Outdoor spaces, Riverside Terrace, Level 2 | Free

Have a banging night and strike a blow for women and non-binary artists on the techno scene at the same time.

SIREN is a collective formed in 2016 with the purpose of creating a space for those under-represented in dance music, both on line-ups and in crowds.

Throwing queer parties in London, their music explores techno in its broadest sense, covering everything from electro to minimal, acid to breakbeat.

As a collective, their parties, zines and NTS shows aim to be musical and political platforms for women and non-binary people, as well as a space to critique current trends within electronic music and create their own alternatives.

SIREN DJs and their guests play a mix of vibrant dance music across their residency.

Little Gay Brother

Friday 2 August| 5.30pm | Outdoor spaces Riverside Terrace, Level 2 | Freee

Rethink gender and pleasure on the dance floor with the liberated queer performance collective’s touring festival show.

Step into a world where freedom of expression, and the anarchy of hedonism are celebrated.

The joyfully flamboyant collective and club night challenges perceptions of gender through dance, music and humour.

Their shows create ecstatic environments where anything feels possible.

As the performance reaches its height, everyone gets the opportunity to join in with the irresistible disco vibes.

This summer, get ready to lose your inhibitions at a party without prejudice and enjoy a show that celebrates pleasure without limitations.

5.30pm Jonathan Bestley
7.30pm Little Gay Brother Show
8pm Maze & Masters
10.30pm Terry Vietheer

Age recommendation
Please note that after 9pm this event may contain adult content.

Event information
This event finishes at 1am.

ID and bag checks are in place on entry. We have a zero tolerance drugs policy across all of our venues at Southbank Centre.

Only alcohol purchased at Southbank Centre bars can be consumed at this event.

SIREN DJs and their guests play a mix of vibrant dance music across their residency.

Disco Wonderland

Saturday 3 August| 4pm | Outdoor spaces Riverside Terrace, Level 2 | Free

These are the good times: join us for a day of singing and two-stepping to some of the greatest tunes by this year’s Meltdown curator, Nile Rodgers.

From the solitude of the shower to the tabletops of the nightclub, people have been belting out CHIC classics for years.

Special guests, Some Voices Choir, honour that hallowed tradition with a day of workshops and music on our riverside stage. Perfect your vocals and harmonies to some disco classics, then head to the dancefloor as they perform two live sets.

London Disco Society take us into the early hours with a decade’s deep back pocket of grooves.

Come down, join in and let your shower singing loose.

Part of Nile Rodgers’ Meltdow

4.00 – 4.30pm: DJ Set
4.30 – 5.30pm: Disco Wonderland Workshop with Some Voices
5.30 – 6.30pm: Some Voices DJ Set
6.30 – 7.00pm: Some Voices Set 1
7:00 – 8.00pm: London Disco Society
8.00 – 8.30pm: Some Voices Set 2
8.30 – 01:00: London Disco Society

Some Voices Choir started in 2010 with just seven choir members meeting up to sing and socialise. Now with over 800 members, meeting in 12 rehearsal venues across London, Some Voices has grown and developed a signature style of performing original arrangements of popular songs that range from Bowie to Bjork, from Stevie Wonder to Stevie Nicks, from Folk to Hip Hop, and everything in between – all with a Some Voices twist.

The London Disco Society are a DJ collective created simply from the love of Disco and the rich culture that only a genre nearly 5 decades deep can retain. Duo Oscar Kingsley and Rory Cordz joined forces in 2011 gaining initial success from a run of monthly intimate parties in London. They regularly headline events across the UK or support world class acts such as Joey Negro, DJ Pierre, Horse Meat Disco, and David Morales.

Meltdown Mardi Grass

Sunday 4 August| 12pm | Outdoor spaces Riverside Terrace, Level 2 | Free

Funk and soul flood our riverside stage at a carnival-style party.

Our Meltdown Mardi Gras features a battalion of brass, an outdoor procession, lindy hopping, break-dancing and a whole heap of disco classics.

Kickstart the day with a procession of style as our resident youth organisation Kinetika Bloco head down to the Riverside Terrace.

Dat Brass, a high octane 11-piece band take to our summer stage for a set, while lindy hopping, break-dancing troupe Swing Patrol battle it out with our Southbank Centre cloakroom dancers.

Then it’s your turn to take centre stage – learn some moves at a swing dance workshop and then show everyone what you can do in a dance-off.

12 noon –1pm: DJ Set
1pm – 1.45pm: Kinetika Bloco Junior Procession and Performance
1.45pm – 3pm: DJ Set
3pm – 4.30pm: Dat Brass x Swing Patrol x Southbank Centre Cloakroom Dancers
4.30pm – 5pm: Swing Patrol Swing Workshop
5pm – 5.30pm: People’s Dance Battle
5.30pm – 7pm: DJ Set

Kinetika Bloco is a performance group with an exuberant mix of musicians and dancers, creating a ‘unique new British Carnival sound with a decidedly London edge’ (BBC Radio 2).

Drawing influences from the Caribbean, Brazil, West and Southern Africa, as well as New Orleans jazz, funk and hip-hop, the Kinetika Bloco youth organisation create work with a team of professional tutors.

Hailing from the streets of London, and raised by its punk-jazz underbelly, Dat Brass are a high octane, 11-piece hip hop outfit who blend anthemic horn lines, lyrical verse, pounding percussion and razor sharp scratch.

Swing Patrol is a community of over 1,500 swing dancers, including a first-class teaching team, four award-winning performance troupes, a dedicated admin and volunteer team, and a passionate group of social dancers. Responsible for the overall vision and leadership of the Swing Patrol family is curator Scott Cupit.

Disclaimer: WISE16 publish public notices from London Borough of Southwark with the aim to encourage participation. Please visit Southwark Council’s website for further in