Southbank Centre: Your culture fix
Staying in is more exciting with our new Inside Out events and Unlimited festival kicks off.
What’s on Festivals & series Art & exhibitions
At the top of their voices
Every January, the TS Eliot Prize backs the best new poetry coming out of the UK and Ireland, and this year – despite everything – is no different. But ‘now is a particularly exciting time,’ in poetry, says chair of the judging panel, Lavinia Greenlaw. ‘When we are in extremis, we write and read poems, even if we’ve never written or read them before’.
Our digital edition of the prize readings is just one of the new events announced as part of our Inside Out series. This weekend also sees Unlimited festival continue with voices raised in irreverent comedy, multimedia performance and even more poetry.
find out more →Unreal poetry
TS Eliot Prize
SUN 24 – SUN 31 JAN
Hear the ten shortlisted poets read from their work and the announcement of the winner in an event hosted by poet Ian McMillan. Lavinia Greenlaw, Mona Arshi and Andrew McMillan are this year’s judges for the coveted poetry prize.
find out more →Honest to goodness
Fearne Cotton: Speak Your Truth
THU 4 – THU 11 FEB
Called ‘a beautiful book’ by writer Elizabeth Gilbert, Fearne Cotton’s Speak Your Truth explores how to find your voice, assert yourself and speak out with confidence. Hear about it from the author herself in an online talk.
find out more →Talent show
Saturn Returns
SUN 17 JAN
What makes a choreopoem? Writer and director Sonny Nwachukwu gives an interactive insight into his work, which explores the experiences of the African and Caribbean diaspora.
BSL & STT: Live event
Abnormally Funny People
SUN 17 JAN
Comedians including Rosie Jones, Cherylee Houston, Tim Renkow, Laurence Clark and Goz Ugochukwu present stand-up, sketches, songs and celebrity cameos.
BSL & STT: Live event
Within Sight
SUN 17 – TUE 19 JAN
Poet and theatre maker Ellen Renton performs her debut solo show. Her soft-spoken but hard-hitting poetry dismantles ableism, inspiration porn and the myth of the Paralympics.
CAP: Broadcast
find out more →Hitting home
The Cinematic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall
FRI 29 JAN
So drenched in profound emotion is the band’s tearjerker track ‘To Build a Home’ that it’s been nabbed for the soundtrack of almost any TV drama you can think of. Listen in as the group performs new album To Believe, alongside the hits.
find out more →discover what’s onFunny you should say that
10 minutes with some abnormally funny comedians
Our broadcast performance Abnormally Funny People is coming up soon as part of Unlimited. Before you watch this gang of comedians strutting their funny stuff, get to know four of them a little better.
read now →In the picture
Andreas Gursky: Redefining Photography
‘Crystalline, cosmically ambitious panoramas’. That’s how the Financial Times describes the incomparable photographs of Andreas Gursky. Since he’s 66 this week, our birthday present is a video of our 2018 exhibition of his remarkable work.
watch now →Video killed the radio star
Playlist: The Inspirational Trevor Horn
Got the lockdown blues? Days melting into one? One music-maker who’s always understood longing, frustration and the power of daydreams is Trevor Horn. Sing along to our playlist of songs he helped create, featuring The Buggles, Cher, Seal and Grace Jones.
listen now →see all storiesBrighten up your day
Winter Light
UNTIL SUN 28 FEB
We’re telling you about it in our emails, but our Winter Light exhibition is also lovely when it’s encountered by surprise. So if you’re in the area, bring someone from your household on your daily walk and add a little sparkle to their afternoon.
Image credit: Morley Von Sternberg
find out more →Change of scene
Up to 50% off at Southbank Centre Shop
If lockdown’s taken the shine off your four walls, you can spruce up your decor with our January sale. We’ve got up to 50% off on homeware, books and accessories, including the snazziest prints and crockery.
shop now →Name that tune
Plug in for toe-tapping music
Need a musical break? Try one of our playlists to discover new artists and shake it out with a dance around the room. We’ve got mixtapes hand-picked by Joan As Police Woman, Marius Neset and Susheela Raman, to name a few.
listen now →Support the Southbank Centre
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