Imagine, London’s biggest children’s festival, returns for its twentieth anniversary with over fifty percent of its programming entirely free.
The Hayward Gallery presents the first major retrospective of the legendary artist Louise Bourgeois to focus exclusively on her work using fabrics and textiles.
Purcell Sessions invites cultural pioneers to experiment and innovate on the stage of the intimate Purcell Room, creating a space for new artistic encounters.
ONLINE | FAMILY | THE ORIGINS OF CARMEN POWER
Wednesday 9 – Sunday 20 February, All day, Online, For ages 7 – 13, Speech-to-Text transcribed, Free.
In this playful online quest, monsters, magic powers and unicorns help share Carmen’s real-life experience of cancer. On your quest, you'll meet Carmen who, through this playful quest, shares her real-life experience of having cancer when she was seven years old. In this self-guided online experience, Carmen uses play and imagination to express the challenges she faced and overcame. Innovative theatre-maker Toby Peach, who experienced cancer as a teenager, has developed this imaginative and often joyful digital story with Carmen in order to tell her story in her own words.While this is about one child's story, it also has a universal message about finding our inner strength and resilience, and asks us what we can learn from life's most unexpected moments. Made in association with the Unicorn Theatre, with support from Arts Council England, John Thaw Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Unlimited.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/origin-carmen-power-0?eventId=893558
PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | INTOTHECLOUDS: 19 – 36 MONTHS
Wednesday 9 – Thursday 10 February, Wed: 10am, 12pm, 2:30pm Thu: 10am, 2:30pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium, 13 – 24 months, Ticketed.
Fluffy and soft and bright: welcome to the Cloud Factory in a playful, sensory and highly visual theatre experience for babies. High in the sky, clouds sit above us, out of reach and all alone, but Claud has an idea! Far away and high on a hill, Claud builds a cloud factory and, with a little help from you, fluffy dreams may come true. Developed in partnership with Small Steps Big Changes, and more than 50 babies and their families across Nottingham.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/intotheclouds-19-36-months?eventId=894357
LITERATURE | FAMILY | RUG RHYMES
Wednesday 9 – Friday 11 February, 10:30 – 11:00, Little Library, The National Poetry Library, Level 5 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages under 5, Free.
What rhymes with rug? National Poetry Library puppets Federico and Firebird are back for a short session of nursery rhymes, poems and rhyming stories. Share songs and poems with your little ones in a session led by National Poetry Library staff.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/rug-rhymes?eventId=894098
MUSIC | LITERATURE | FAMILY | SLUMBER STORIES
Wednesday 9 – Thursday 10 February, Wed: 10:30 – 11:15, 12:00 – 12:45, 13:30 – 14:15, 15:00 – 15:45; Thu: 11:00 – 11:45, 12:45 – 13:30, 14:15 – 15:30, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 0 – 5, Free but ticketed.
Drift into a calm and mindful night-time routine with tales and music from around the world, brought to us by vocalist Supriya Nagarajan and sound artist Duncan Chapman. Slumber Stories are a series of intimate, live performances of diverse storytelling accompanying a bespoke sound installation. Designed to help create a tranquil bedtime ritual for the whole family, Nagarajan and Chapman bring tales from different parts of the world to life with live singing and musical interludes.Bring a cushion or mat and take a seat (or even lie down) on the floor to relax to a tapestry of cross-cultural literary experiences. Created and produced by Manasamitra.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/slumber-stories?eventId=891804
PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | INTOTHECLOUDS: SEND AUDIENCES AGES 5-11 YEARS
Wednesday 9 February, 11:00, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium, For ages 5 – 11, Relaxed performance, Ticketed.
Fluffy and soft and bright: welcome to the Cloud Factory in a playful, sensory and highly visual theatre experience. High in the sky, clouds sit above us, out of reach and all alone, but Claud has an idea! Far away and high on a hill, Claud builds a cloud factory and, with a little help from you, fluffy dreams may come true. This performance is designed specifically for young audiences with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or children who are not neurotypical. Developed in partnership with Small Steps Big Changes, and more than 50 babies and their families across Nottingham.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/intotheclouds-send-audiences?eventId=893523
LITERATURE | FAMILY | LITTLE LIBRARY
Wednesday 9 – Sunday 20 February, 11am – 6pm, Little Library, The National Poetry Library, Level 5 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, Free.
Take off your shoes, kick back on a cushion and share a poem or story in the Little Library space for children at the National Poetry Library. Relaunched for Imagine Children’s Festival, the Little Library was created by the Swedish Institute and Swedish Embassy in London and inspired by the Rum for Barn (Room for Children) in Stockholm. You can find books in Nordic languages on the shelves, along with lots of poetry books in English.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/little-library?eventId=894103
WORKSHOP | PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | WE TOUCH, WE PLAY, WE DANCE: 18 MONTHS – 3 YEARS
Wednesday 9 – Friday 11 February, 13:30, Blue Room, Spirit Level at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 18 months – 3, Ticketed, £7.
We Touch, We Play, We Dance is a gentle performance for little ones aged 18 months to 3 years to discover the power of dance. Touch is an improvised and interactive dance show performed by four dancers and a DJ. Adults and children are offered the chance to watch, play and dance as the performers move delightfully and deftly to a live mixed music score. A beautifully crafted, gentle and playful experience that reaffirms the potency of touch and dance in the digital age. Second Hand Dance is a disabled-led dance company based in England that works locally, nationally and internationally. The company creates joyful, inspirational touring shows and digital dance experiences for children and adults.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/we-touch-we-play-we-dance-18-months-3-years?eventId=894023
PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | INTOTHECLOUDS: 6 – 18 MONTHS
Wednesday 9 – Thursday 10 February, Wed: 1:30pm; Thu: 11:00, 12:00, 1:30pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium, For ages 6 – 12 months, Ticketed.
Fluffy and soft and bright: welcome to the Cloud Factory in a playful, sensory and highly visual theatre experience for babies. High in the sky, clouds sit above us, out of reach and all alone, but Claud has an idea! Far away and high on a hill, Claud builds a cloud factory and, with a little help from you, fluffy dreams may come true. Developed in partnership with Small Steps Big Changes, and more than 50 babies and their families across Nottingham.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/intotheclouds-6-18-months?eventId=893519
WORKSHOP | PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | WE TOUCH, WE PLAY, WE DANCE: 0 – 18 MONTHS
Thursday 10 – Friday 11 February, 10:30, Blue Room, Spirit Level at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 0 – 18 months, Ticketed.
We Touch, We Play, We Dance is a gentle performance for little ones aged 0 – 18 months to discover the power of dance. Touch is an improvised and interactive dance show performed by four dancers and a DJ. Adults and children are offered the chance to watch, play and dance as the performers move delightfully and deftly to a live mixed music score. A beautifully crafted, gentle and playful experience that reaffirms the potency of touch and dance in the digital age. Second Hand Dance is a disabled-led dance company based in England that works locally, nationally and internationally. The company creates joyful, inspirational touring shows and digital dance experiences for children and adults.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/we-touch-we-play-we-dance-0-18-months?eventId=894043
MUSIC | FAMILY | GROOVE BABY PRESENTS: GROOVE SENSATIONS
Friday 11 February, 10:30 – 11:15, 12:30 – 13:15, 14:30 – 15:15, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 0 – 5, Free.
Come on a sensational sensory voyage specially created for under-threes and their grown-ups, as Groove Baby returns to Imagine Children Festival. The tunes range from beautiful electronic soundscapes to hard-grooving funk and jazz. The GB Trio incorporates animations and actions into their eclectic set designed to entrance young and not-so-young. Get ready for an auditory, visual and interactive feast! Groove Baby produce grown up concerts your baby can groove to! Started in 2013, they play across the UK, giving parents and carers the chance to hear outstanding music while treating the small ones to an engaging and enriching live music experience. Singing, dancing and playing along are all welcome.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/groove-baby-presents-groove-sensations?eventId=893879
MUSIC | FAMILY | PEPPA PIG: MY FIRST CONCERT
Friday 11 February – Sunday 13 February, various times, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, BSL-interpreted performance on Sunday at 10:30am, For ages 2+, BSL-interpreted on Sunday 10am, ticketed, £15 child, £20 adult.
Everyone’s favourite Pig family leads a fun, interactive introduction to live orchestra for the whole family. Peppa Pig, along with Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig and George, invites you to Peppa Pig: My First Concert. Peppa and George learn all about the different sounds that instruments make together. Join them as they enjoy some of their favourite music from the show, as well as discovering some trotter-tapping orchestral pieces.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/peppa-pig-my-first-concert?eventId=891164
MUSIC | FAMILY | MMM AH WHOOSH
Saturday 12 February – Sunday 13 February, 10:30am, 13:30pm, Blue Room, Spirit Level at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, For ages 0 – 5, ticketed.
Under-fives are welcomed to a wondrous world of music and animation inspired by our first breaths, hums and gurgles, in a family-friendly gig with Mellow Baku. The jazz and soul singer immerses you in a swirling world of colour and takes you on a musical journey through Afro-centric soulful folk, jazz and scat. Baku’s new show celebrates the wondrous world of the language of children. Join her to discover the sounds of the song, from Mmm to Ahh to Whoosh! A charismatic live artist, Baku has performed across the UK and around the world for over a decade. Influenced by her cultural heritage, she fuses soul, folk and jazz improvisation. Presented by Mellow Baku and The Spark Arts for Children in partnership with Attenborough Arts Centre and Warwick Arts Centre.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/mmm-ahh-whoosh?eventId=891814
FILM SCREENING | FAMILY | CRAFTY CARTOONS WITH BINO & FINO
Saturday 12 February, 10:30 – 13:30, 13:30 – 15:30, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For all ages, Free.
In this family event, watch as the lovable brother and sister duo appear on-screen, then follow their lead to craft and dance across the ballroom floor. Nothing should stand in the way of the hallowed Saturday morning cartoon tradition, so this year we’re bringing the cartoons to you. Join us to adventure with loveable brother and sister duo Bino and Fino on screen, then get stuck into some on-screen inspired craft, all before showing off your moves on the ballroom floor. With Bino and Fino’s thirst for learning there’s always something new to discover, be it an African dish, an animal, a tropical lightning storm, or a folktale. Created in 2008, this fun educational children’s cartoon has been translated into ten different African languages. Screenings across the weekend include Yoruba, Twi, Swahili, Hausa and French. All episodes have English subtitles.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/crafty-cartoons-bino-fino?eventId=893934
PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | THE DARK
Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 February, 11am, 2pm, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room; Touch tours at 10am Saturday (for the 11am show) and 1pm Sunday (for the 2pm show). For ages 5 – 10, ticketed, £9 child, £10 adult.
A brave young boy befriends the darkness in a captivating and accessible performance, written for children aged five to ten. Featuring vibrant new choreography and live music, The Dark is a universal, empowering story about facing your fears. To help guide us through The Dark, the show was developed in partnership with researchers, medical practitioners, and blind and visually impaired children at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Southampton General. Through a series of workshops, interviews and conversations, they explored the power of sound in space and the fear of the unknown. Working with blind artists, audio description experts and dancers helped transform these ideas into a three-dimensional soundscape, and challenged the performers to rethink how their bodies move through dark or unknown spaces.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/dark?eventId=891181
FAMILY | FAMILY ACTIVITY TRAIL BY ANNA BRUDER
Saturday 12 – Sunday 20 February, 11:00 – 16:00, Level 2, Green Side at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For all ages, Non-ticketed.
Collect a trail sheet and lead your family on a do-it-yourself adventure, packed with discoveries galore! Follow the directions while solving the clues on a puzzling wander through Imagine Children’s Festival.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/family-activity-trail-anna-bruder?eventId=894516
LITERATURE | FAMILY | FRANCESCA SIMON & STEVE MAY: TWO TERRIBLE VIKINGS
Saturday 12 February, 11:00, Level 5 Function Room at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 7 – 9, Ticketed.
Join Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon and Dennis the Menace illustrator Steve May to discover their hilarious new series, Two Terrible Vikings. Can you imagine a world where parents want you to be bad? Meet Hack and Whack, two truly awful twins who are adored by their proud parents for causing havoc and being the worst Vikings in the village. Find out lots of interesting facts about Vikings, learn how to draw your own naughty characters and expect plenty of mischief, anarchy and total chaos in this fun-filled event.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/francesca-simon-steve-may-two-terrible-vikings?eventId=893970
LITERATURE | FAMILY | LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG DREAMS: GUESS WHO?
Saturday 12 February, 11am – 12pm and 1:30 – 2:30pm, Foyle Pavilion, Level 3 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 4 – 7, Ticketed.
Have your questions at the ready as the creator of the popular book series Little People, BIG DREAMS challenges you to figure out the famous mystery characters. The empowering series, created by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, celebrates the important life stories of well-known people from history and around the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. Have your yes or no questions at the ready as 30 giant character cards flip down to reveal a famous mystery character. The session ends with an activity letting you draw your own book cover.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/little-people-big-dreams-guess-who?eventId=893938
MUSIC | FAMILY | LUNCHBOX JUKEBOX
Saturday 12 – Sunday 20 February 2022 excluding Wednesday 16 February, 12:30 – 13:30, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For all ages, BSL-interpreted, Free.
Every lunchtime we’re handing over the reins to you and asking for your favourite tunes to soundtrack the snacking. The Clore Ballroom becomes the best lunch spot in town with you serving up the best bangers. Just add your favourite songs to our playlist at the link in the Event Information. Come and refresh yourself with the rhythm, drink to the drums and show off your DJ talents!
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/lunchbox-jukebox?eventId=894215
LITERATURE | FAMILY | GROWING UP, MAKING MISTAKES AND BECOMING YOU!
Saturday 12 February, 2 – 3pm, Level 5 Function Room at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 9+, BSL-interpreted, Ticketed.
Rudimental’s Leon Rolle and writer Derek Owusu’s new book, About This Boy, is about finding confidence, being yourself and never giving up on your dreams! They help children discover their inner confidence – sharing top tips on how to pursue passions, stay positive and find happiness, no matter what life throws at you! The pair share stories from their own lives, alongside some of the mistakes and challenges they faced growing up and how they dealt with them. Rolle (aka Locksmith) talks about growing up in Hackney, playing semi-professional football and forming the global music band Rudimental.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/growing-making-mistakes-and-becoming-you?eventId=894132
FAMILY | WELLBEING WIND DOWN
Saturday 12 – Sunday 20 February 2022 excluding Sunday 13 February, 3:30 – 4pm, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 5+, Free.
Using yoga, concentration and mindfulness exercises, these daily wind-downs help families manage nerves and stress while encouraging children’s creativity. The sessions are run by the mindfulness experts from the Tangled Feet theatre company’s Mindfulness Project.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/wellbeing-wind-down?eventId=893891
MUSIC | FAMILY | FUN DMC
Sunday 13 February, 13:30 – 16:00, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For all ages, Free.
For those too young for the club, Spin Doctor hosts a kid-friendly block party of stomping hip-hop, funk and disco anthems. Fancy dress encouraged. Whether you’re the proud parent of a Lil Wayne or Lil Kim, a Kid Cudi, junior Jay-Z or a Missy Elliot, this is the jam for you and yours.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/fun-dmc?eventId=893874
MUSIC | FAMILY | FAR FAR AWAY
Monday 14 – Tuesday 15 February, 10am, 11am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, Level 5 Function Room at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 0 – 5, Ticketed, £10 adult, £8 child.
Step into Aurora Orchestra’s Tchaikovsky and the Magical Toy Box, a concert for kids featuring singing ducks, dancing shoes and space rockets. The multi-sensory performance interweaves Tcaikovsky’s ballet and piano music with a specially commissioned story from Kate Wakeling, an Aurora Orchestra writer in residence.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/far-far-away?eventId=893517
FAMILY | COSMIC KIDS YOGA: LIVE WITH JAIME
Monday 14 February, 10:30, 12:30 14:00, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall auditorium, For ages 5+, Ticketed, £8.50.
Breathe deep and stretch with Jaime Amor, creator of Cosmic Kids Yoga, as she guides you through a live version of her trademark yoga and storytelling sessions. Amor has spent the past 10 years introducing children, parents and teachers to yoga in her own unique way. She blends storytelling with yoga to make it fun and engaging for families, and makes a positive difference to children’s wellbeing worldwide.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/cosmic-kids-yoga-live-jaime?eventId=893842
PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | PALAVER PARTY
Monday 14 February, 10:30 – 12:30pm, 1:30 – 3:30pm, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For all ages, BSL, Free.
Palaver Party is about being free to be whoever you want to be. Drag, cabaret, performance and disco usher in a family extravaganza. This party is the perfect place to explore self-expression, difference and all the things that make us unique. It’s also a perfect way to mark 20 years of Imagine Children’s Festival. Wear whatever makes you happy, and get ready to dance the afternoon away. Palaver Party comes from production company Fatt Projects, led by artist Adam Carver.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/palaver-party?eventId=893925
PERFORMANCE | LITERATURE | FAMILY | STORIES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH POP-UP PROJECTS
Tuesday 15 February, 10:30 – 12:30 and 13:30 – 15:30, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 5+, BSL-interpreted at 10:30am.
Through craft, storytelling, live illustration and a staged performance of A Swallow’s Kiss, explore the 10 Stories to Make a Difference collection. 10 Stories to Make a Difference is a collection of ten original illustrated stories for young readers, all inspired by the theme of difference. The collection features a mix of well-known and emerging writers and illustrators, giving a platform to untold stories and diverse new voices. A Swallow’s Kiss, written by Sita Brahmachari and illustrated by Jane Ray, is one of the stories in the collection. It’s inspired by the experiences of people at the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants who they’ve worked with for a number of years. The story focuses on Blessing, a young girl who discovers a bag of paper birds bearing wishes written by refugee children from around the world. This event culminates in a staged reading of the book, performed by Amaka Okafor, directed by Pooja Ghai and with design by Rosa Maggiorra.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/pop-projects-stories-make-difference?eventId=893907
WORKSHOP | DANCE | FAMILY | ZOONATION YOUTH COMPANY HIP-HOP HALF TERM
Wednesday 16 February, 10:30 – 3:30, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 5+, Free, non-ticketed.
Pop, lock and laugh your way through a family-friendly hip-hop dance class, a lunchtime DJ dance jam and a special performance from ZooNation Youth Company. The Southbank Centre’s Associate Artists share the knowledge of their superstar dancers and choreographers in a glorious day of movement for all the family. No experience necessary! The day features a dance class telling the story of the styles originating from and influenced by hip-hop culture, a lunchtime DJ dance jam, a social grooves session and a special performance by ZooNation Youth Company.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/zoonation-youth-companys-hip-hop-half-term?eventId=893899
WORKSHOP | LITERATURE | FAMILY | WRITING MAGICAL OBJECTS WITH MICHELLE HARRISON
Wednesday 16 February, 11:00 – 12:00, 13:30 – 14:30, Foyle Pavilion, Level 3 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 9+, Ticketed.
Create your own stories and turn everyday objects into magical items with Michelle Harrison, author of the Pinch of Magic adventures. Dive into a world of magic, superstition and folklore with this fun and engaging writing workshop.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/writing-magical-objects-michelle-harrison?eventId=894133
PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | JOSEPHINE
Wednesday 16 February, 12:30, 15:30, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room, For ages 8+, Relaxed performance at 12:30, Ticketed, £9 child, £12 adult.
With passion, wit and jazz, this play tells Josephine Baker’s story, from the slums of St Louis via the bright lights of Paris and into the hearts of the world. Dancer, actor, activist, campaigner, spy and mother to the multicultural Rainbow Tribe, Josephine broke the mould and high-kicked the pieces to the curb. But, almost 50 years after her death, Café Josephine, a down-at-heel New York diner dedicated to her memory, faces closure. With a sultry, Harlem Renaissance-inspired score, spring-heeled Charleston dancing and a hatful of historical figures, Josephine blurs the real with the imagined. Written by Leona Allen and Jesse Briton, directed by Jesse Briton and designed by Debbie Duru; with composer and musical director Nadine Lee, composer Simon Lee and movement director and choreographer Ingrid Mackinnon. The Egg, Wales Millennium Centre and Oxford Playhouse’s co-production of Holm Theatre’s Josephine.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/josephine?eventId=891199
WORKSHOP | FAMILY | CLUB ORIGAMI
Wednesday 16 February, 13:30, 15:30, Blue Room, Spirit Level at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 2 – 5, Ticketed, £7 adult and £7 Child with maximum ticket booking of two adults per child ticket.
What can we make with a single square of paper? With dance and live music, Club Origami invites the audience to create new ways of moving and thinking. As you scrunch the paper, feel how your imagination begins to dance. This show sweeps kids through a spirited and inspiring adventure in a land made purely of paper and play. Club Origami is presented by Little Big Dance – a pioneering national initiative creating new dance work for children aged five and under, led by South East Dance. in partnership with DanceEast, Take Art and Yorkshire Dance and funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Arts Council England, co-commissioned by Birmingham Hippodrome, Dance Umbrella, Strike-a-light and Spark Arts.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/club-origami?eventId=891828
MUSIC | FAMILY | YOLANDA’S BAND JAM
Wednesday 16 February, 14:00 – 15:10, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall auditorium, For ages 3 – 11, Ticketed, £16/£12 and £14/£10.
In a live version of her CBeebies TV show, saxophonist YolanDa introduces kids to the joys of music with singing, dancing and playing. Dubbed ‘Jools Holland for kids’, YolanDa’s Band Jam is an acclaimed kids TV show, which encourages children to explore music. Turning it into a stage show to share the fun in person, she brings crowd-pleasing songs and plenty of live music.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/yolandas-band-jam?eventId=891194
PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | BUTTERFLIES
Thursday 17 – Friday 18 February, 10:30am, 12:30am, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, For ages 3 – 9, ticketed, £9 child, £12 adult.
Though an uplifting tale of friendship, courage and facing your fears, theatre production Butterflies explores anxiety for children aged three to nine. Three friends embark on an adventure to chase their butterflies away. They cross new seas to uncharted lands, on a journey filled with discovery. The only trouble is they’re all a bit worried about it! During their voyage the group ride the waves, walk high bridges, skirt deep caves and climb to the sky, before reaching dry land braver than ever before. Created in response to young children's experience of anxiety, Butterflies is told using innovative staging, breathtaking physicality, touching humour and an original musical score. This new version of the show, which toured to great acclaim in 2018, features an updated storyline exploring how Covid-19 has affected the anxiety levels and resilience of children. Butterflies is a co-production between award-winning theatre ensemble Tangled Feet and Half Moon, the UK’s leading small-scale theatre company creating work for young people.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/butterflies?eventId=891153
MUSIC | DANCE | FAMILY | SHAYSHAY’S SHAPE-SHIFTING SHENANIGANS
Thursday 17 February, 10:30 – 13:30, 13:30 – 15:30, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For all ages, Free, non-ticketed.
Jump aboard an adventure with ShayShay, Sophie Brain and Mahatma Khandi, from the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea and everything in between! Our favourite quest-makers lead us in singing, dancing and riddle-solving: all the tools needed to shape-shift. The only problem is they can't decide what to be: a boy or a girl? A bird or a fish? A flower or a shooting star?
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/shayshays-shape-shifting-shenanigans?eventId=893960
PERFORMANCE | FAMILY | LITTLE MURMUR
Thursday 17 February, 12:00, 14:30pm, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room, For ages 7 – 11, ticketed, £9 child, £12 adult.
Based on the true story of one child’s struggle with letters and words, Little Murmur is about facing challenges and overcoming the odds. Jump into a world of dance, technology and illustration to see this heartfelt journey take flight, telling an honest and funny tale about the trials and tribulations of seeing things differently. Little Murmur explores the exaggerated realities of living in a world you can struggle to process. Watch bodies and words fly like flocks of birds, a murmuration, a little murmur. It’s time to be mesmerised by this stunning visual treat for ages seven and over. This work has been commissioned as part of Vital Spark, which is a movement addressing the lack of diversity in the performance for the young audiences sector.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/little-murmur?eventId=891158
MUSIC | FAMILY | DO YOUR OWN THING DJ TAKEOVER WITH HEART N SOUL
Friday 18 February, 10:30 – 13:30 14:30 – 15:30, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For all ages, Makaton-interpreted at 10:30am, Free.
Break out your best moves at a free family party with the Do Your Own Thing DJs, taking over The Clore Ballroom with their favourite tunes. Heart n Soul brings us dancing, performances and a brilliant display of art created during lockdown. Do Your Own Thing is Heart n Soul’s creative project for children and young people with learning disabilities, offering training in music, dance, radio DJing and digital arts. Heart n Soul is an award-winning creative arts company that believes in the talents and power of people with learning disabilities.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/do-your-own-thing-dj-takeover-heart-n-soul?eventId=893930
LITERATURE | FAMILY | MAKE A COMIC BOOK WITH MAISIE CHAN
Friday 18 February, 11 – 12, 13:30 – 14:30, Foyle Pavilion, Level 3 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 7 – 11, Ticketed.
Create your own comic book with mutant characters with the author of Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths, at an event for ages 7 – 11. Join Maisie Chan as she tells you all about Danny Chung, the lead character from her book. Danny is a boy who hates maths, is annoyed and embarrassed by his Chinese grandmother and who loves drawing comics. Chan shows you how to create your own comic book, like Danny does in the book. Find out how a comic book is laid out and how to write and illustrate it as well as learning all about Chinese New Year.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/make-comic-book-maisie-chan?eventId=894090
MUSIC | FAMILY | BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA: FAMILY CONCERT
Friday 18 February, 11:00, 12:45, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room, For ages 6+, Ticketed, £12/ £6.
Colourful chamber music takes us from slow and lyrical to faster and dance-like in a family-friendly concert with musical insights from conductor Iván Fischer. Hear strings, brass, woodwind and percussion instruments play in beautiful harmony, in a concert from the Budapest Festival Orchestra.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/budapest-festival-orchestra-family-concert?eventId=893515
WORKSHOP | LITERATURE | FAMILY | POEMS MADE FROM WORDS FOUND IN THE BIN
Friday 18 – Saturday 19 February, 11 – 1pm, 2 – 4pm, Level 5 Function Room at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 6+, socially distanced, Free.
With the help of artist Rhiannon Armstrong, recycle words that were headed for the bin to create a poem of your own. Using old material from the Southbank Centre, find inspiration and let your imagination run wild as you create something wonderful. Artist Rhiannon Armstrong and colleagues are on-hand to guide you in the right direction, so don’t worry if you’ve never written a poem before. And once your poem’s finished, it becomes a GIF to be shared with your friends and family.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/poems-made-words-found-bin?eventId=893524
LITERATURE | FAMILY | JOURNEY TO THE LAST RIVER WITH TEDDY KEEN
Friday 18 February, 15:15 – 16:15, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room, For ages 7 – 12, Ticketed.
Head deep into the Amazon rainforest with Teddy Keen’s story of The Lost Book of Adventure, a tale that has been hidden from the world, until now. Dare you risk everything to know what lies hidden in the remote jungle mountains? Discover the wonders of the Amazon through Keen's own expeditions there. Warning: contains piranhas, tarantulas and things that will scare Mum and Dad out of their skins.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/journey-last-river-teddy-keen?eventId=893867
COMEDY | FAMILY | BIG LAUGHS FOR LITTLE BELLIES
Saturday 19 February, 10:30 – 13:30, 13:30 – 15:30, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, Free.
It’s Imagine Children Festival’s 20th birthday party, so you're in for a bag of laughs with comedians and all-round funny people. This event puts you at risk of absolutely laughing yourself silly, possibly laughing your head off... or even completely splitting your sides!
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/big-laughs-little-bellies?eventId=894136
LITERATURE | FAMILY | NADIA SHIREEN: GRIMWOOD
Saturday 19 February, 11:00 – 12:00, Level 5 Function Room at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 7+, Ticketed.
Watch how Nadia Shireen draws the wildly funny characters of Grimwood, and hear her read from the laugh-your-head-off series. In Grimwood, fox cub siblings Ted and Nancy are on the run from Princess Buttons, the scariest street cat in the big city! Shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny prize, author and illustrator Nadia Shireen brings her wildly funny Grimwood characters to life in this interactive family event.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/nadia-shireen-grimwood?eventId=893974
WORKSHOP | FAMILY | GARLAND OF RAGAS
Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 February, 11:00 – 12:30, 1:30 – 15:00, Level 2, Blue Side at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For all ages, Free.
Celebrate the arrival of spring and the life of influential musician Ravi Shankar by making colourful paper flowers incorporating imagery from the Shankar family archives. Take your flower home, or leave it to be added to a garland for our new Ravi Shankar Archive Studio display.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/garland-ragas?eventId=894542
LITERATURE | FAMILY | ELLE MCNICOLL: LIKE A CHARM
Saturday 19 February, 11:00 – 12:00, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room, For ages 8+, relaxed performance, Ticketed.
Elle McNicoll uncovers her mystical new book, Like a Charm, in conversation with Aisha Bushby. When Ramya moves back to Edinburgh, she isn’t looking for an adventure; she just wants to get through school. But she’s soon pulled into her family’s magical secrets, and has her eyes opened to an underground world of unseen mystical creatures. Armed with her late grandfather's notebooks, she sets out to discover more and comes up against the mysterious and deadly Sirens. Like a Charm is a beautifully written, compelling magical fantasy with McNicoll’s trademark compassion and celebration of difference. McNicoll’s debut novel, A Kind of Spark, won the Blue Peter Book Award and the overall Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and is currently being adapted for TV. She is an advocate for better representation of neurodiversity in publishing.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/elle-mcnicoll-charm?eventId=893984
LITERATURE | FAMILY | JULIA DONALDSON & FRIENDS: A POCKETFUL OF SONGS
Saturday 19 February, 12:00 – 13:00, 15:15 – 16:15, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium, For ages 4+, BSL-interpreted at 12pm, Ticketed.
Julia Donaldson presents a musical show filled with much-loved characters, including Zog, The Highway Rat, Superworm and The Gruffalo. Together with Julia’s guitar-playing husband Malcolm, two actors and a four-piece band, the enormously successful author performs a medley of songs based on her picture books with Axel Scheffler. Funny and entertaining, the show encourages families to clap and sing along to songs based on the much-loved stories. This event celebrates the launch of A Pocketful of Songs, an illustrated book and CD. Before becoming one of the UK's most celebrated writers for children, Julia Donaldson began her career as a songwriter, creating songs for children's television and radio. She still enjoys performing her songs when she visits schools, theatres and book festivals. Many of her bestselling picture books, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, have been turned into animated films which have become family favourites on the BBC every Christmas.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/julia-donaldson-friends-pocketful-songs?eventId=896674
LITERATURE | COMEDY | FAMILY | ADAM KAY: A HILARIOUS & GROSS HISTORY OF THE HUMAN BODY
Saturday 19 February, 2 – 3pm, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room, For ages 7+, Ticketed.
Follow writer, comedian and former doctor Adam Kay on a hilarious and deliciously disgusting tour of the history of medicine and the human body. Kay answers questions like ‘why did hairdressers cut off their customers’ legs?’ and ‘why did people get paid for farting?’ The olden days were pretty fun if you liked wearing chainmail or chopping people's heads off, but there was one tiny little problem back then, as Kay’s Marvellous Medicine confirms: doctors didn't have the slightest clue about how our bodies worked. You can draw along with comedian, writer and illustrator Henry Paker and challenge your parents to the ultimate True or Poo quiz. A Q&A with Kay follows the event.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/literature-poetry/adam-kay-hilarious-gross-history-human-body?eventId=893866
LITERATURE | FAMILY | HANNAH LEE: THE RAPPING PRINCESS
Saturday 19 February, 14:00, Level 5 Function Room at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, For ages 4+, Ticketed.
Sit down with Hannah Lee for a rhythmic interactive reading of her new picture book, The Rapping Princess. Learn about fairy tales, discovering your own talents and the perfect ingredients to writing your very own rap as the author guides you through the story. The Rapping Princess is a gorgeous fairy tale about finding your voice and standing out from the crowd. Shiloh might not be able to sing like her sisters, but she has other talents, and sometimes it's about embracing your differences and celebrating them!
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/hannah-lee-rapping-princess?eventId=893852
COMEDY | MUSIC | FAMILY | THE MIGHTY KIDS COMEDY BEATBOX SHOW
Sunday 20 February, 11:00 – 12:00, 13:00 – 14:00, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room, For ages 5 – 11, Ticketed, £12, £9.
Beatboxing and comedy collide in this family show, where you can marvel at some mind-blowing music, win prizes and laugh through your pantaloons. Fantastic family fun, with Jarred Christmas (as seen on CBBC’s Joke Machine and The Dog Ate My Homework) and world champion beatboxer and UK Loopstation Champion, Hobbit.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/mighty-kids-beatbox-comedy-show?eventId=892767
LITERATURE | FAMILY | ESCAPE WITH JACQUELINE WILSON
Sunday 20 February, 15:00, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, BSL-interepreted, For ages 8 – 12, Ticketed.
Join us for an afternoon with Dame Jacqueline Wilson and discover how she started her writing career, as well as hearing about her new books, The Runaway Girls and The Primrose Railway Children. Former children’s laureate and author of more than 100 books, Wilson is one of Britain’s bestselling children’s authors. Known for characters like Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather, she has legions of loyal fans both in the UK and throughout the world.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/escape-jacqueline-wilson?eventId=890909
LITERATURE | FAMILY | LITTLE POETS, BEAUTIFUL VOICES WITH JOSEPH COELHO
Sunday 20 February, 15:15 – 16:15, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room, For ages 5 – 10, Ticketed.
Joseph Coelho shares his latest picture book, My Beautiful Voice, illustrated by Allison Colpoys, about a little girl who finds courage through poetry. Have fun guessing poetic riddles, pulling poetic faces and discovering just how easy it is to be courageous with poetry!
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/little-poets-beautiful-voices-joseph-coelho?eventId=893980
LITERATURE | FAMILY | TOP DRAW!
Sunday 20 February, 10:30 – 13:30, 13:30 – 15:30, The Clore Ballroom, Level 2 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, Free.
Imaginations at the ready! Journey with us on an ink-filled day of illustration and storytelling. It’s Imagine Children Festival’s 20th birthday and we’re bringing Top Draw back. We draw our way through fantastical lands, mythical creatures and tongue-twisting characters to arrive at the big picture!
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/top-draw?eventId=894055
LITERATURE | FAMILY | A MORNING WITH MICHAEL ROSEN
Sunday 20 February, 10:45am – 11:45am, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium, For ages 5+, BSL-interpreted, Ticketed.
The former Children’s Laureate introduces Sticky McStickstick, his moving and inspirational new picture book – a story of perseverance and hope. Chronicling Michael Rosen’s recovery from Covid-19, it is a testament to the support of family, doctors, nurses, therapists – and his trusty NHS walking stick. It speaks of the importance of overcoming fear and learning to accept help. Rosen also discusses and reads a selection of his best-loved poems and stories from his extensive writing career. Get ready to explore the satisfying sounds, skilful wordplay and humorous rhymes from one of the most renowned figures in children’s literature. An event full of fun and reflection, sprinkled with Rosen’s inimitable humour!
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/family-young-people/morning-michael-rosen?eventId=894077
EXHIBITIONS
VISUAL ART | LOUISE BOURGEOIS: THE WOVEN CHILD
9 Feb – 15 May, from 10am, Hayward Gallery, £15, Free for Members
The first major retrospective of this legendary artist to focus exclusively on her work using fabrics and textiles. In the last two decades of her career, Bourgeois began to incorporate clothes from all stages of her life into her art. This developed into a varied body of work – from monumental installations, to figurative sculptures and abstract collages – incorporating textiles such as bed linen, handkerchiefs, tapestry, and needlepoint. Bourgeois’s fabric works mine the themes of identity and sexuality, trauma and memory, guilt and reparation that are central to her long and storied career. ‘I have always had a fascination with the magic power of the needle. The needle is used to repair the damage. It's a claim to forgiveness.’ Louise Bourgeois: The Woven Child sums up this wonderfully inventive and compelling final chapter in this extraordinary artist’s work.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/art-exhibitions/louise-bourgeois-woven-child
EVENTS
CLASSICAL MUSIC | JULIA FISCHER PLAYS MOZART: STRAIGHT OUT OF SALZBURG
Wed 2 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £14 – £65
The violinist uncovers the sheer joy of Mozart’s teenage masterpieces over three concerts with Thomas Søndergård and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Imaginative, insightful and with a sound to die for, Julia Fischer is a byword for everything that’s most inspiring – and captivating – in 21st-century violin playing. Mozart is at the centre of her musical universe although, as she puts it, each of Mozart’s violin concertos is like ‘a new world’ in its own right.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/julia-fischer-plays-mozart-straight-out-salzburg?eventId=722094
CLASSICAL MUSIC | VASILY PETRENKO CONDUCTS HOLST’S THE PLANETS
Thursday 3 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £10 – £50
A host of well-known melodies await us in Holst’s The Planets, reminding us of the emotional power of music. Each of the seven movements paints a rich musical picture of one of the astrological figures that the planets in our solar system are named after. Opening tonight’s concert is a brand new work by Dani Howard – a young, up-and-coming British composer who has quickly established herself on the international classical music scene. Mao Fujita joins the Orchestra for Rachmaninov’s much-loved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – a nimble ode to what has to be one of the most instantly recognisable themes of the repertoire.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/vasily-petrenko-conducts-holsts-planets?eventId=832591
CLASSICAL MUSIC | JULIA FISCHER PLAYS MOZART: SINFONIA CONCERTANTE
Friday 4 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £14 – £65
In the second instalment of her Mozart journey with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the violinist brings all her insight to bear on the sublime Sinfonia Concertante. At the peak of his fame, a government official had the nerve to ask Richard Strauss to supply a professional referee. ‘Mozart’ was his reply – and it’s true: Strauss’ effortless verve and heart-on-sleeve candour makes the perfect complement to the wit, energy and elegance of the young Amadeus.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/julia-fischer-plays-mozart-sinfonia-concertante?eventId=829096
CLASSICAL MUSIC | UNCLASSIFIED LIVE: HIDDEN IN THE MARGINS
Friday 4 February, 8pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £12 – £22
Immerse yourself in the eclectic sounds produced by a new generation of visionary music makers, brought to life by a full orchestra. Alker presents her pick of intriguing, exploratory music alongside interviews with her line-up of crossover artists. The orchestra is conducted by Robert Ames. In Daniel Elms’ debut album, Islandia, works for chamber orchestra, electric guitar and synthesisers take inspiration from his home city, Hull. Alker calls Elms’ complex, atmospheric music ‘intoxicatingly comforting.’ American musician Rafiq Bhatia joins the orchestra to perform new arrangements from his 2018 album, Breaking English.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/unclassified-live-hidden-margins?eventId=877850
CLASSICAL MUSIC | KSO PERFORMS GERSHWIN, KORNGOLD & PROKOFIEV
Saturday 5 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £16 – £36
Although he initially completed the work for the Kirov Ballet in 1935, Prokofiev revised it heavily for a 1940 production, resulting in the much-loved version that we hear today. And what a result: Romeo and Juliet has often been called the greatest ballet score in history. The infectious rhythms of Gershwin’s Cuban Overture open the concert, and Korngold’s lyrical Violin Concerto completes the programme. In over 60 years of music-making, Kensington Symphony Orchestra has built an enviable reputation as one of the UK’s most accomplished and adventurous non-professional orchestras.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/kso-performs-gershwin-korngold-prokofiev?eventId=879121
CLASSICAL MUSIC | MITSUKO UCHIDA & MAHLER CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Saturday 5 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £20 – £65
This concert is part of an ongoing collaboration between the revered pianist Mitsuko Uchida and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, a unique ensemble of 45 musicians from 20 countries. Mozart’s piano concertos are an exercise in perfectionism, and tonight’s programme includes two of the best: the Concerto in A major with its achingly beautiful slow movement, and the Concerto in C minor, replete with almost operatically expressive ensembles.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/mitsuko-uchida-mahler-chamber-orchestra?eventId=829097
CLASSICAL MUSIC | SANTTU CONDUCTS SCHEHERAZADE
Sunday 6 February, 3pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £13 – £65
This afternoon’s programme gives every member of the orchestra a well-deserved moment in the spotlight. A quiet but inexorable snare drum rhythm opens Ravel’s Boléro. It ushers in a haunting melody that’s passed around the orchestra, slowly building to a roof-raising climax. Alexandre Kantorow triumphed in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019, and Gramophone described him as ‘the real deal, a fire-breathing virtuoso.’ Saint-Saëns’ dazzling Piano Concerto No.2 demands every ounce of virtuosity he can muster, but there’s poetry too in the opening movement, and a carefree playfulness in the central Scherzo.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/santtu-conducts-scheherazade?eventId=696220
CLASSICAL MUSIC | JULIA FISCHER PLAYS CHAMBER MUSIC
Sunday 6 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £15 – £45
Dvořák’s Piano Quintet is the beguiling centrepiece of a concert with soloists from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. They said that other composers could write whole symphonies with Dvořák’s leftovers – and if there’s one thing that Dvořák’s Piano Quintet has to spare, it’s tunes. Singing tunes, dancing tunes, heartfelt sadness and pure sunshine – the melodies never stop, in a piece that’s as glorious to play as it is to hear. No wonder Julia Fischer has chosen it today: playing as first amongst equals in a team of LPO string players, in a concert that also includes Bruch’s expansive String Octet and the young Shostakovich at his most sardonic.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/julia-fischer-plays-chamber-music?eventId=885394
LITERATURE | AKALA IN CONVERSATION
Sunday 6 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £10 – £30
Join writer and hip-hop artist Akala to mark the paperback release of The Dark Lady, with special guests and performances from The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company. Having gained a reputation as a dynamic and articulate talent, notably with his Sunday Times bestseller Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire, released in 2018, Akala returns to celebrate the release of his debut novel, The Dark Lady, in paperback. The Dark Lady, plunges the reader into the violent, visceral streets of Elizabethan London, weaving history and magic with contemporary ideas around class and identity. BAFTA and MOBO award-winning hip-hop artist, writer and social entrepreneur Akala has led youth arts, education and music projects globally, and co-founded The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company in 2009.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/literature-poetry/akala-conversation?eventId=887917
CLASSICAL MUSIC | THEN & NOW
Sunday 6 February, 7.45pm, The Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £20
The London Sinfonietta premieres works by Luke Lewis and Alicia Jane Turner, created as part of the ensemble’s Writing the Future composer development programme. Lewis’ The Echoes Return Slow uses speech transcription software to spark a conversation between distant lost voices talking of national identity, whilst Turner’s Tell me when you get home is a theatrical piece with immersive staging to explore gendered experiences of walking home at night.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/then-now?eventId=886673
CLASSICAL MUSIC | MAHLER’S FIRST
Wednesday 9 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £14 – £65
Imagine you could hear silence. How would it sound? Possibly something like the massive stillness that opens Mahler’s First Symphony: the starting point for a journey to the depths of tragedy and the heights of triumph. It’s a piece that you simply have to hear live – just like Nielsen’s sunburst of an overture, and the concerto that Brett Dean wrote in 2005 for his own instrument. ‘We violists have a particular voice that is uniquely ours’, says Dean, and he imagines what might have happened ‘if Paul Hindemith had played in a band with the American singer Tom Waits’. Lawrence Power takes the composer’s place in a true 21st-century classic.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/mahlers-first?eventId=722540
GIGS | LAIMA
Thursday 10 February, 8pm, the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £20
São Paulo musician and activist Laima gathers ten women from the creative industries to present a performative manifesto and Q&A on their role in the industry on 9 February. Laima performs live on 10 February, focusing on humans’ function of healing after collective trauma by drawing on the Southbank Centre’s history of helping London to recover post-WWII.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/gigs/laima?eventId=883597
CLASSICAL MUSIC | JOHN WILSON CONDUCTS ELGAR
Thursday 10 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £13 – £65
Full of passion, poignancy and characteristically noble melodies, Elgar’s First Symphony is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Elgar himself said that his First Symphony spoke of ‘a wide experience of life... and a massive hope in the future.’ Premiered in 1908, when Elgar was 51 years old, the work was an immediate success. Over a century later, it would still top many people’s lists of the finest music ever written by a British composer. The concert also features Walton’s Violin Concerto, which The Philharmonia first recorded in 1950 with Walton himself conducting and Jascha Heifetz as soloist.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/john-wilson-conducts-elgar?eventId=696233
GIGS | TRANSATLANTIC SESSIONS
Friday 11 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £27.50 – £35
The back-porch session to beat all others hits the road again, linking Scotland, Ireland and the USA with a cast of folk singers, songwriters and instrumentalists. Performing new bespoke arrangements of their own and others’ material, in a mix of solo and ensemble sets, the night's artists bring a rich set of folk traditions and influences. At once a masterful interpreter of traditional material and a superb original songsmith, Irish legend Paul Brady makes a return to the fold, having first appeared in one of the show’s early TV versions. Also featured is US multi-instrumentalist and singer Dirk Powell, a champion of Appalachian and Cajun traditions, and the multi-talented Haitian-American artist Leyla McCall, who combines Creole, Haitian and Cajun influences with US jazz and folk.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/gigs/transatlantic-sessions?eventId=881825
COMEDY | JENNY ECLAIR: SIXTY! (FFS!)
Friday 11 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £22
Having hit 60 (but still a year younger than Madonna), comedian Jenny Eclair aka ‘The Face of Vagisan’ confronts a new decade of decrepitude. Now that it takes 20 minutes of scrolling down to find her date of birth when she’s filling in forms online, should she celebrate or crawl into a hole? What will her 60s hold for this 1960s babe, and is it a legal requirement to buy Nordic walking poles?
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/performance-dance/jenny-eclair-sixty-ffs?eventId=878736
COMEDY | ARABELLA WEIR: DOES MY MUM LOOM BIG IN THIS?
Saturday 12 February, 7.45pm, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £18
For everyone who’s been or had a mother – join the author and comedian Arabella Weir on a helter-skelter tour of appalling – and appallingly funny – maternal behaviour. This is the mother of all confessional shows, featuring hair-raising hilarious true stories from Weir’s dysfunctional childhood, her perilous career and her life as a single working mother.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/performance-dance/arabella-weir-does-my-mum-loom-big?eventId=890976
PERFORMANCE | FILMS TO BE BURIED WITH WITH BRETT GOLDSTEIN: LIVE
Saturday 12 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £20
In a live edition of the podcast, join Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor, writer and swimmer Brett Goldstein and an extra special guest as they go all the way into life and death by way of movies, to pick their Films To Be Buried With. Previous guests include Sharon Stone, Jameela Jamil, Ricky Gervais, Barry Jenkins, James Acaster, Lolly Adefope and Aisling Bea.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/performance-dance/films-be-buried-brett-goldstein-live?eventId=894695
CLASSICAL MUSIC | FAUST PLAYS SCHUMANN
Tuesday 15 February, 7pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £10 – £80
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is joined by guest artist Isabelle Faust for Schumann's enigmatic Violin Concerto, purportedly uncovered during a seance. Then followed a turbulent, international fiasco as world leaders fought over who should play it first. However, the drama surrounding this work pales in comparison to the evocative power of the music itself. The slow second movement is regarded as one of the most beautiful moments in all of Schumann's music, giving way to a soundscape of romance, adventure and curiosity.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/faust-plays-schumann?eventId=827212
COMEDY | SIMON MUNNERY: ALAN PARKER URBAN WARRIOR FAREWELL TOUR
Wednesday 16 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £16
The comedian reprises his notorious alter ego, bedsit anarchist Alan Parker Urban Warrior. Once the most radical, now the only radical, Alan returns with the old gold, the old truths, and some new truths (based on the old truths). For over 35 years, Munnery has performed around the world, experimenting with and innovating the stand-up form. In the 1990s, his Alan Parker Urban Warrior character took the comedy circuit by storm, garnering Munnery his own BBC Radio 1 series, which Time Out called ‘the funniest thing on Radio 1’, and a residency on ITV’s Saturday Live.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/performance-dance/simon-munnery-alan-parker-urban-warrior-farewell-tour?eventId=820754
CLASSICAL MUSIC | MOZART’S REQUIEM
Saturday 19 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £14 – £65
Hear Mozart’s most famous choral masterpiece, plus Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony, with Ádám Fischer conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. An evening of gloriously inspiring and emotionally stirring music, including two works written toward the ends of the composers’ lives. The performance features a stellar line-up of soloists, including Mariam Battistelli, Helen Charlston, Ilker Arcayurek and James Newby.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/mozarts-requiem?eventId=893958
COMEDY | MATT FORDE: CLOWNS TO THE LEFT OF ME, JOKERS TO THE RIGHT
Saturday 19 February, 7.45pm, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £17.50
Matt Forde’s satirical stand-up lashes out right, left and centre – and chucks in some funny voices. To Forde, there are wallies everywhere and half of them are running the country. The other half are trying to. The comedian, who’s previously appeared on Spitting Image, Have I Got News For You and The Last Leg, presents a show to dissect the omnishambles.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/performance-dance/matt-forde-clowns-left-me-jokers-right?eventId=891008
LITERATURE | HANYA YANAGIHARA: TO PARADISE
Sunday 20 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £15
Hanya Yanagihara, author of the million-copy bestseller A Little Life, introduces her new novel, To Paradise, in conversation with Neel Mukherjee. In an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love whomever they please (or so it seems). The fragile young offspring of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a charming music teacher of no means. In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/literature-poetry/hanya-yanagihara-paradise?eventId=890905
GIGS | LONDON MUSIC FUND AT 10: A CELEBRATION
Wednesday 23 February, 7pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £15 – £20
The London Music Fund celebrates its 10th anniversary with a spectacular young musicians' showcase, hosted by saxophonist and broadcaster YolanDa Brown. The London Music Fund, an independent charity with the Mayor of London as patron, has been supporting young Londoners with their music since 2011. This 10th anniversary celebration is a spectacular showcase of the young musicians supported by the charity over the last decade. Hosted by LMF ambassador, saxophonist and broadcaster YolanDa Brown, the show features scholars past and present, and a variety of musical projects supported by the charity.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/gigs/london-music-fund-10-celebration?eventId=888939
CLASSICAL MUSIC | ESCAPE VELOCITY
Wednesday 23 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £14 – £65
Klaus Mäkelä and the London Philharmonic Orchestra show you sounds like you’ve never imagined in a concert culminating in Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra. Richard Strauss wanted Also sprach Zarathustra to tell the ‘entire story of humanity’ in music.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/escape-velocity?eventId=722656
GIGS | PENELOPE TRAPPES X LCO
Wednesday 23 February, 8pm, The Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £15
Australian-born ethereal soundscaper and vocalist Penelope Trappes brings her brooding compositions to collaborate with the London Contemporary Orchestra. Penelope is known for her signature gothic dreamlands that are equally shoegaze pop and surrealist soundscapes, having worked alongside fashion house Fendi as well as Mogwai, Cosey Fanni Tutti and Nik Colk Void.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/gigs/penelope-trappes-x-lco?eventId=894679
LITERATURE | OUT-SPOKEN: FEBRUARY
Thursday 24 February, 7.45pm, The Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £10
February’s edition will include sets from Forward Prize-nominated Holly Pester, JerwoodCompton fellow Anthony Joseph and multiple prizewinner Fiona Benson.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/literature-poetry/out-spoken-february?eventId=893732
CLASSICAL MUSIC | CHINEKE! ORCHESTRA: PETITE SUITE DE CONCERT
Friday 25 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £15 – £40
In their first concert of the year here at the Southbank Centre, the orchestra opens with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's charming Petite Suite de Concert. Written in 1911, the year before his untimely death aged 37, the work has a refinement and light-heartedness that evokes Edwardian Britain of the pre-war years, and is one of the composer’s most highly regarded works.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/chineke-orchestra-petite-suite-de-concert?eventId=879102
GIGS | TOMMY EMMANUEL + SPECIAL GUEST JERRY DOUGLAS
Friday 25 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £27.50 – £42.50
The international master of the solo acoustic guitar has achieved enough musical milestones to satisfy several lifetimes. At the age of six, Tommy Emmanuel was touring regional Australia with his family band. By 30, he was a rock’n’roll lead guitarist burning up stadiums in Europe. At 44, he became one of five people ever named a Certified Guitar Player by icon Chet Atkins. All the while, Emmanuel has hungered for what’s next – and what’s next is Accomplice One, an album of collaborations with some of the finest singers, songwriters and guitarists alive today.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/gigs/tommy-emmanuel-special-guest-jerry-douglas?eventId=820506
CLASSICAL MUSIC | FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Saturday 26 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £14 – £65
Is Rachmaninov’s Second the most romantic symphony ever written? The London Philharmonic Orchestra and guest conductor Klaus Mäkelä think it’s a contender. It’s got vast, storm-swept vistas, endless melodies and a blissful love-song of a slow movement, and the charismatic Mäkelä won’t stint on either energy or feeling. As for the phenomenal 21-year-old Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich; well, you might have picked up on some of the buzz. ‘He already plays like one of the greats’, said one critic, and for his LPO debut, he’s chosen to play another Russian favourite.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/russia-love?eventId=722682
GIGS | ULRICH SCHNAUSS + RICHARD NORRIS
Saturday 26 February, 7.30pm, The Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £18.50
Take a breather with the electronic musician's otherworldly soundscapes, created from multilayered synthesizers, beats and ethereal vocals at this career-spanning retrospective. Schnauss says, ‘I’ve always used making and listening to music as a way to escape – putting on headphones is a great way to leave reality behind for a while, reminding yourself why it still makes sense to carry on.’ These seminal electronic albums sound better than ever after they have been reworked and remastered – hear them live at this performance.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/gigs/ulrich-schnauss?eventId=777284
GIGS | MARTHA SKYE MURPHY
Saturday 26 February, 8pm, The Southbank Centre's Purcell Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, ticketed, £15
Coinciding with the release of her experimental opera, Postcards Home is a series of live field recordings using the voice to usurp the in-built settings of analogue synths. An eerie spectacle for the eyes and ears, Martha’s performance will follow a free interactive art exhibition she has curated for the Purcell Room which investigates the presence of lost information by her creative partner and sister, Ceidra Moon Murphy.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/gigs/martha-skye-murphy?eventId=893770
CLASSICAL MUSIC | SIMPLY SINATRA
Sunday 27 February, 3pm, The Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, ticketed, £16.50 – £48.50
Come fly with us on a toe-tapping celebration of Ol' Blue Eyes himself, with a show band, ballroom duo and guest singers Matt Ford and Katie Birtill. In a glittering evening of Sinatra hits, hear all your favourite tunes performed live at this show packed full of music, song and dance. This Sinatra showcase includes such classics as ‘Come Fly With Me’, ‘My Way’ and ‘Mack the Knife’.
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/simply-sinatra?eventId=879107
