There is free art in the Hayward Gallery right now, which is not how the Hayward usually works.
The Southbank Centre runs a continuous free programme across five venues, and in October 2026 it includes eight free events, several of them exhibitions in rooms that normally sell tickets.
Everything free, as published on 6 October 2026
Site wide, Tuesday 6 October to Sunday 8 November. An installation by a much-loved illustrator and author marking the 1951 Festival of Britain. Free.
Hayward Gallery, Tuesday 6 October to Sunday 18 October. A multimedia exhibition by a Taiwanese artist, described as serving up humour and societal critique. Free.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Friday 16 October to Sunday 29 November. An exhibition of work by people in criminal justice settings, curated by PIC. Free.
Royal Festival Hall, Wednesday 21 October to Sunday 1 November. A book swap: bring a favourite, leave with something new. Free.
The Clore Ballroom, Wednesday 21 October, 6pm. A workshop making a giant collaborative visual poem from words and stamp-making. Free.
Hayward Gallery, Thursday 15 October, 6pm. A Members’ private view of Anish Kapoor’s work. Free, for Members.
Two more are school-group sessions in the Hayward Gallery, free, on Wednesday 7 October at 10am for primary schools and Thursday 8 October at 10am for secondary schools.
So a visit in the second half of October gives you a Festival of Britain installation, a Taiwanese multimedia show, a criminal justice exhibition and a book swap, in four different buildings, for nothing.
Five venues, and most people only know one
The Royal Festival Hall. The big concert hall, and the building people mean when they say Southbank Centre.
The Hayward Gallery. The brutalist exhibition galleries, usually ticketed.
The Queen Elizabeth Hall. The mid-sized concert hall, which also hosts exhibitions.
The Purcell Room. The small recital room.
The National Poetry Library. A free poetry library inside the complex, which almost nobody outside poetry knows is there.
Plus The Clore Ballroom, the open space inside the Royal Festival Hall used for free events, and the outdoor spaces.
The practical consequence: a single trip can cover a concert hall, a gallery, a library and an outdoor installation, and the free programme is spread deliberately across all of them rather than concentrated in one.
Free public art outdoors
Separate from the events programme, the Southbank Centre maintains free artworks and installations across its outdoor spaces, which are there whether anything is on or not.
That makes the site itself worth walking through, and it is the reason this stretch of riverside works as a free afternoon even on a day with no programme.
Do not put your bag down
The house rule most likely to cause you a problem, and it is unusually firm.
Keep your personal belongings with you at all times. Security will be called if you leave your items unattended.
There is no cloakroom culture here. And on luggage: multiple bags or very large items encroach on the space available to other visitors, and they ask you to be considerate.
So this is not the place to arrive with a suitcase, which matters because it sits between Waterloo and the river.
They publish a harassment policy, and who to ask for
Worth repeating because it names a person rather than a process.
The Southbank Centre states it will take action if anyone on site experiences harassment, intimidating behaviour or discrimination, and gives three routes: ask for the Duty Manager, email hello@southbankcentre.co.uk, or telephone 020 3879 9555.
One honest note on their website
Checked on 6 October 2026: there is no working opening times page. The address that should hold it returns a Website Unavailable error.
Hours are set per venue and per event rather than centrally, so the event listing is the reliable source. For a specific building, check the event you are attending rather than looking for a site-wide time.
Where it is
On the South Bank between Waterloo Bridge and the Hungerford footbridges, directly on the river.
Waterloo is the nearest station, with Embankment across the footbridge and Charing Cross just beyond. There are bus, tube, rail, river and road routes published, and the river boat piers are a short walk.
The Southbank Centre is a registered charity.
How to plan it
Free art in the Hayward: until 18 October.
The longest-running free thing: the Festival of Britain installation, to 8 November, site wide.
A free hour with no plan: the outdoor public art and the National Poetry Library.
Checking hours: look at the event, not the venue, because there is no working central opening times page.
Do not bring luggage, and do not leave a bag unattended.
A problem on site: ask for the Duty Manager.
Southbank Centre
- Address
- Belvedere Road, South Bank, London SE1 8XX, between Waterloo Bridge and the Hungerford footbridges
- Nearest
- Waterloo, with Embankment and Charing Cross across the footbridge
- Hours
- Set per venue and per event. Checked 6 October 2026, there is no working central opening times page, so check the event you are attending
- Booking
- Free events are ticketed but free. Contact on 020 3879 9555 or hello@southbankcentre.co.uk
- Price
- A continuous free programme across all five venues, including free exhibitions in the Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall. Concerts and some exhibitions are ticketed
- Standing
- Five venues on the river: the Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and National Poetry Library, plus the Clore Ballroom and outdoor spaces
How to get in
Eight free events were running as at 6 October 2026, including free exhibitions in the Hayward Gallery, which usually sells tickets, and in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Free outdoor public art stands permanently. Personal belongings must stay with you at all times and security is called for unattended items, so do not arrive with luggage.
Where to go next
The South Bank covers the riverside walk the centre sits on, and Tate Modern is twenty minutes east along the same path.
Free things to do covers the rest, and the National Theatre is the next building along.
Questions we get asked
Is the Southbank Centre free?
Much of it is. There is a continuous free programme across all five venues, and as at 6 October 2026 eight free events were running, including exhibitions in the Hayward Gallery and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Concerts and some exhibitions are ticketed, and the outdoor public art is permanently free.
What free exhibitions are on at the Southbank Centre?
As at 6 October 2026: a Festival of Britain installation running site wide until 8 November, a Taiwanese multimedia exhibition in the Hayward Gallery until 18 October, an exhibition of work from criminal justice settings in the Queen Elizabeth Hall from 16 October to 29 November, and a book swap in the Royal Festival Hall from 21 October to 1 November.
What venues are part of the Southbank Centre?
Five: the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room and the National Poetry Library. The Clore Ballroom inside the Royal Festival Hall hosts free events, and there are outdoor spaces with permanent free public art.
What are the Southbank Centre's opening times?
They are set per venue and per event rather than centrally, and checked on 6 October 2026 there was no working opening times page on their site. Check the specific event or venue you are visiting rather than looking for a site-wide time.
Can you leave bags at the Southbank Centre?
No. You must keep personal belongings with you at all times, and security will be called if items are left unattended. They also ask visitors not to bring multiple bags or very large luggage, as it encroaches on space for others.
Is there a poetry library at the Southbank Centre?
Yes, the National Poetry Library is one of the five venues within the complex, and it is free to use. It is the least known of the five.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 294 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
