Festival of Britain Anniversary

Featuring dance, themed weekends, performance art and more, the Festival of Britain anniversary celebrates the 60th birthday of the landmark cultural festival in grand style.

Southbank Centre
Celebrating 60 years of arts and culture since the original Festival of Britain in 1951, the Festival of Britain anniversary events take over the whole of the Southbank Centre complex with artist led performances, talks, themed weekends, outdoor attractions and much more. The first of three annual summer festivals to be sponsored by MasterCard, the festival also pays homage to the South Bank Exhibition of 1951, which took place on the site of what is now the celebrated Southbank Centre.

Art shows
Art lovers can also look forward to a series of exhibitions during the Festival of Britain anniversary celebrations, from a variety of well known artists and respected thinkers. Contemporary art fans can visit a major new exhibition by Tracey Emin, titled Love Is What You Want, which features a number of large scale works at the Hayward Gallery. Meanwhile, there's the chance to look back into another era at the Museum of 1951.

Love is What You Want Exhibition

Museum of 1951 Exhibition

From ballroom to B-Boys
From ballroom dancing to hip hop spectacles, there's also a variety of live performances designed to keep dance fans happy during the Festival of Britain anniversary celebrations. Keep an eye out, too, for a number of free events sitting alongside the ticketed shows.

Outdoors event
Making the most out of the British summer, many of the Festival of Britain 60th anniversary events take place outside in four distinct areas inspired by the themes of the original festival, namely People of Britain, Land of Britain, Sea and Ships and Power and Production. The Sea and Ships area includes artist customised beach huts along Queen's Walk. Other highlights include a retro funfair and countryside themed exhibits in the Land of Britain area, as well as a giant wooden boulder by artist Andy Holden which will serve as a stage for live performances.

Art Installations on South Bank

South Bank Beach

South Bank Funfair

Themed weekends
Throughout the summer, the Southbank Centre is also hosting a series of themed weekends that tie into the festival. There's the royal wedding themed weekend with music from Billy Bragg, a British comedy showcase curated by Stewart Lee, a weekend celebrating black British music, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway's Vintage Festival, and a sherry tasting event hosted by Heston Blumenthal.

Royal Wedding Weekend at Southbank Centre

Stewart Lee at Southbank Centre

Vintage Festival at Southbank Centre

Heston Blumenthal at Soutbank Centre

Live music
Music fans will have plenty to keep them happy over the summer, as the Festival of Britain celebrations also include a number of gigs and concerts featuring big names and up and coming talent. The Kinks legend Ray Davies is curating the Meltdown Festival, and there's also an en masse performance of Handel's Messiah, as part of the Chorus weekend in May. Classical music lovers can also enjoy concerts featuring the London Philharmonia Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the London Sinfonietta.

Meltdown Festival Tickets

Chorus Festival London

The Festival of Britain anniversary events take place from Friday 22nd April - Sunday 4th September 2011. Tickets go on sale from Monday 21st February 2011.

Chocolate Festival at Southbank Centre

London Burlesque Week

London Naked Bike Ride

Royal Wedding London

Royal Wedding Bank Holiday

Circolombia at Roundhouse

Glee Live London

Batman Live London

Planet Earth Live London

Cultural Olympiad London Festival

World Shakespeare Festival London

London Olympics Tickets

World Pride 2012

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