Frequently asked questions
Can’t find the answer elsewhere? Maybe it’s here
Find the answers to key questions you may have relating to your tickets, our venues, or how you can get in touch with us.
Tickets & concessions
Your e-ticket will be sent to you around seven days before the date of your event from [email protected] – please check your junk and spam folders as they can sometimes end up in there. It’s worth checking your account to ensure your email address has been spelled correctly. If you have any problems, please get in touch.
Booking fees apply online (£3.50) and over the phone (£4). Booking fees for Hayward Gallery exhibition tickets are £3 online and £3.50 over the phone. There are no booking fees for Southbank Centre Members, Patrons, our Supporters Circles, or in-person bookings.
We rely on booking fees to continue to support all that we do. The fees go towards the administration of our ticketing department, contact centre and website. The booking fee is charged per booking and not per ticket.
We accept all major credit cards and Southbank Centre gift and credit vouchers. Please do not email credit card details to us.
Each event is different. If you see a blue BOOK FREE TICKET button on the event page, it means that you need to book a ticket, and if the event has reached capacity the button will be grey and say SOLD OUT. There is no booking fee for free tickets.
If the event says FREE under the title and there is no booking button, you don’t need a ticket and can just show up.
Multi-buy discounts are available for selected events in our festivals and classical season. The discount amount varies by event series and will be calculated as you add tickets to your shopping basket. The more events, the more you save.
To take advantage of our multi-buy offers, look out for events displaying the multi-buy label.
A limited number of concession tickets with a 25% discount are available for:
- recipients of Universal or Pension Credit
- full-time students.
In some cases we also offer concessions to under-16s. Please see individual event pages for availability.
Concession tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once they’ve sold out, no further concession tickets are available by any method of booking.
Concession prices may not be applicable on top-price tickets for certain events. Discounts can’t be combined, and you will be asked for suitable identification.
There are also separate discounts for members of our Access Scheme
Each event is different, but many do offer group discounts for bookings of ten or more. Just get in touch for more information.
For many of our classical music concerts, the individual orchestras organise their own group rates, so you would need to contact them directly.
Find out everything you need to know about our website and ticket terms and conditions.
Yes, Southbank Centre is a member of STAR – the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers.
STAR operates within guidelines supported by, amongst others, VisitBritain, London & Partners and the Society of London Theatre. As well as working with government and other bodies for the benefit both of consumers and the ticketing industry, STAR offers general advice and information on ticket buying and provides an approved dispute resolution service for customers who have an unresolved problem with their purchase from a STAR member.
STAR has been at the forefront of cross-industry initiatives to improve consumer confidence, make ticket buying safer and combat ticket fraud. Buying entertainment tickets from a STAR member – in person, by phone or online – enables you to buy with confidence. All STAR members sign up to our Code of Practice, which requires them to treat customers fairly and make all transactions clear and straightforward.
Returns & exchanges
In some circumstances, tickets can be returned for a credit voucher, valid for one year, or exchanged for another performance. This service is offered to the original purchaser of the tickets only and there is a transaction fee of £3 per ticket.
For shows where the run finishes 14 days or more after the first performance, we will, strictly subject to availability, offer a same show exchange only. Credit vouchers or other exchanges are not available in these circumstances.
All return requests must be made at least 48 hours before the start of the show time originally booked. Under no circumstances do we offer refunds for returned tickets.
The Southbank Centre takes a strong view on secondary ticketing. We may require the lead booker to attend (photo ID may be requested). Tickets can only be sold by the Southbank Centre, or one of our agent partners.
We try to identify touted tickets and we contact third-person resale sites and ask them to remove the tickets, as resale is against our terms and conditions.
If you are ever unsure about the validity of any tickets, please contact us and we will do our best to help.
Yes, you can – just get in touch with our team.
There is a £3 per ticket administration fee to process any exchanges or seat moves.
In most cases, if your event was cancelled or rescheduled, you are entitled to a refund. You should receive an email informing you of the cancellation/rescheduling with a link to our refund request form.
As each order has to be refunded manually, it can take some time to work through. Once your refund has been completed, you’ll receive an email receipt from us.
We ask that customers allow 28 days, but in reality most refunds are processed much more quickly than this.
Credit vouchers
Redeem your credit voucher online by entering the voucher number in the ‘Redeem gift certificate/credit voucher’ box at checkout. The amount from your voucher will then be deducted from your total balance. You can also enter more than one voucher number per transaction.
Southbank Centre credit vouchers can be exchanged for tickets to events and exhibitions, as well as selected related items such as books, catalogues and programmes when purchased as an add-on to your ticket on our website. They can also be used for Southbank Centre Memberships.
Credit vouchers can’t be used in the Southbank Centre Shop or food outlets on-site.
You can use your credit voucher on multiple transactions, until the credit is used up. The redemption code remains the same.
Facilities & venues
No, we are now cash-free and unable to accept cash payments across our buildings and venues.
Yes, there’s a cloakroom in the Blue Side Foyer, Level 4, Royal Festival Hall. It’s £1 per item, card only. The cloakroom opens about an hour before ticketed events, and closes around 15 minutes after the performance ends. It can be accessed via Lifts 4 and 5, Blue Side, Royal Festival Hall.
The Hayward Gallery has its own cloakroom. It’s £1 per item and is for coats, umbrellas and small bags.
The Queen Elizabeth Hall cloakroom is currently closed.
Any sized item can be left in our cloakroom, including fold-away bicycles. We don’t accept non-folding bicycles. Items must be collected on the same day they are stored. From time to time, the cloakroom may not be available.
You won’t be able to bring any bags over 40 x 25 x 25cm into the auditorium of the Royal Festival Hall or the Queen Elizabeth Hall, or into the Hayward Gallery, so please leave large bags at home.
Items are left in our cloakrooms at the owner’s risk, and we cannot accept any responsibility for loss or damage, from any cause, to these items.
All of our lost property is received by the security team. They’ll be able to advise if your item has been handed in, so get in touch with them.
Yes. The Southbank Centre welcomes children and families throughout the year. Our buildings and venues are fully accessible to pushchairs and wheelchair users.
All our venues have public toilets with wheelchair access and baby changing facilities.
Yes, a multi-faith prayer room is located on Level 1, Blue Side, Royal Festival Hall, offering a quiet retreat for prayer and meditation.
Please ask a member of staff for the door code to access the prayer room.
Yes, we have a huge range of food and drink options available across the Southbank Centre, and all our cafes, bars, restaurants and markets have step-free access.
You are also welcome to bring your own food and soft drinks into the Royal Festival Hall spaces.
Find out more about our many cafes, restaurants and bars
Age recommendations or restrictions can be found clearly stated in the ‘Need to know’ section of each event page.
Babes in arms and children under seven can’t be admitted to classical music concerts and some other events, unless otherwise specified.
We offer a range of flexible spaces to hire, whether you’re hosting an event, a brand activation, a party or a meeting.
Find out about our venue hire
Access
To help people with disabilities make the most of the Southbank Centre, we recommend joining our free Access Scheme. You can join through your online Southbank Centre account or via email.
Once you are signed up to our Access Scheme, please log into your account before booking tickets. Discounts will then automatically be applied when you add full-price tickets to your basket.
If you’re a wheelchair user, please select a wheelchair position. This will include entry for both yourself and your companion/carer/personal assistant. Please note that wheelchair positions can only be occupied by a wheelchair user.
To book a complimentary ticket for your companion, please add two full-price tickets to your basket. The price of both tickets will be reduced by 50%, giving you two tickets for the price of one.
If you need specific seats – for example, with step-free access, a good view of the BSL interpreter, or easy access to an exit – then please get in touch with our access team.
You can find information on getting to the Southbank Centre, including Blue Badge parking, step-free routes and public transport connections, below.
For more detailed information about getting around the Southbank Centre and our access maps, go to our access and facilities page.
Yes we do. Our Changing Places toilet is located on Level 1, Royal Festival Hall, next to the JCB Glass Lift, and is available for use whenever the building is open.
Please use the phone outside the Changing Places toilet to speak to a member of staff, who can provide you with the key.
Royal Festival Hall
- Seats have a width of 44cm and a depth of 42cm. The armrests are 49cm apart and 20cm higher than the seat itself. The seat height is around 33cm from the floor.
Queen Elizabeth Hall
- Seats have a width of 50cm and a depth of 39cm. The armrests are 46cm apart and 18cm higher than the seat itself. The seat height is around 48cm from the floor.
Purcell Room
- Seats have a width of 46cm and a depth of 39cm. The armrests are 46cm apart and 18cm higher than the seat itself. The seat height is around 46cm from the floor.
If you have any questions about the dimensions and sizing of our auditorium seating, please email us.
National Poetry Library
Anyone can become a member of the library and it’s free!
We’ve got a whole page of advice about writing and publishing.
Yes! We have special events for children, as well as a great collection of books for young readers.
You can visit the National Poetry Library in person and look at our anthologies of poems for occasions and find a poem that speaks to you. If you are further afield you can ask a librarian for help in finding a suitable poem.
You can ask a librarian for help finding a poem or quote
Any jobs or work placement opportunities at library are advertised on on the Southbank Centre website:
We can offer tours to university groups, please contact us for more information.
It’s easy and free to add your event to our listings by completing our online form.
It’s easy and free to add your competition to our listings by completing our online form.
If your magazine is stocked in the National Poetry Library then it will be listed on our site.
We have standing orders with most of the UK poetry publishers. If you are a new publisher who would like to submit your books please get in touch. We are primarily concerned with collecting UK and Irish publications so please contact us before sending publications from overseas.
Firstly check our catalogue to make sure we don’t already have a copy. If it’s not there, please bear in mind that we receive 200-300 new items every month and are unable to accept everything that is sent for the collection. The Acquisitions Panel meet regularly to consider submissions. For your book to be considered, please send in a copy of one book at a time, including a return address. The librarians will consider it and respond to you. The panel is constituted by a number of staff, so your publication will be considered by more than one librarian. The panel are particularly looking for poetry collections that demonstrate that the poems have been published/performed before publication and we recommend that you include an ‘acknowledgements page’ in your book to demonstrate this.
All donations received are responded to by the Acquisitions Panel, but please note that due to the volume of donations the library receives, this can take between 3-6 months
We invite proposals for our Special Edition series which takes place on the first Wednesday of each month.
We have braille and audio resources for members and offer a free postal service of CDs to people with vision impairment
Unfortunately not. The National Poetry Library is the only dedicated space for poetry study in London and is open to everyone studying poetry and the library’s collections.
Contacting us
If you’re not able to find the answer to your question on this page, please feel free to contact us.
When you need to update information such as your name, email, address or phone number, you can do it yourself by logging into your account.
We’re afraid not, but the team is usually available 10am – 5pm every day, however hours can differ on bank holidays.
Southbank Centre welcomes your feedback and is committed to managing customer complaints and compliments effectively and efficiently.
If you would like to give feedback, make a complaint or compliment please contact the Customer Relations Team by email.
We aim to respond to all queries within 10 working days. We also recognise that some feedback is more complicated and therefore a full response may take longer, however we aim to reply within 10 days no matter what.
The Head of Visitor Experience and Ticketing is responsible for the Customer Relations Team and will ensure that the most relevant department comments personally and provides an informed answer.
Useful information
Getting here
Where to find us and how to get here by road, rail and river.
Access
Find out how we’re making our buildings and spaces accessible to as many people as possible.
Safety & security
Information on how we ensure that your visit to us is a safe one.