Royal Festival Hall

Royal Festival Hall is a concert venue within the Southbank Centre complex on Belvedere Rd, on London’s South Bank near Hungerford Bridge. It opened in 1951 as the Festival of Britain’s sole permanent construction, designed by a London County Council team headed by Robert H. Matthew and J. L. Martin, with Peter Moro as associate architect. The building gained Grade I status in 1988, the first post-war public building to receive it. After an eight-month closure, it reopened in 1965 with its outer walls slightly extended and refaced. An Open Foyer policy started in 1983, enabling public access and free events such as lunchtime concerts and evening jazz.

The main auditorium has fixed, raked seating and a capacity of 2,700, and its organ was completed in 1954. The Clore Ballroom and Poetry Library are among the venue’s spaces; Spirit Level contains the Blue and White Rooms. Other facilities include the Southbank Centre Shop, Riverside Terrace Cafe, Central Bar and Skylon restaurant. Its programme has covered orchestral, jazz and contemporary music, alongside ballet, opera, lectures, recitals, readings and visual exhibitions.