Debut London Literature
London Literature Festival begins with exciting London writers, including Nicola Dinan and Bryan Moriarty, talking to Zing Tsjeng about their debuts.
In their debut books, the writers all feature London as a backdrop – making them a neat fit for the festival’s opening night.
Nicola Dinan grew up in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur and now lives in London. She studied natural sciences at Cambridge University before training as a lawyer. Bellies, her debut, was shortlisted for the Mo Siewcharran Prize.
Bryan Moriarty was born in Dublin and studied at Trinity College Dublin before moving to London to train as an actor at LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art). In addition to performing in theatre, film and TV, he has written and produced several short films, plays and a web series. His first novel, Sounds Like Fun, was selected for the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2021.
Wiz Wharton was born in London of Chinese-European heritage. She is a prize-winning graduate from the National Film and Television School where she studied screenwriting on a full scholarship under the tutelage of Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh and Ken Trodd. Ghost Girl, Banana is her debut novel.
Zing Tsjeng is Editor in Chief at VICE and VICE UK, where she specialises in arts, culture, identity and current affairs, and has written for publications such as British Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Time Out London. Zing was the inaugural presenter for the Women’s Prize For Fiction podcast. In 2018, Octopus published her four-book series Forgotten Women, which explores the untold stories of inspiring women who have been marginalised from history. She was named one of London’s most influential people in the Evening Standard Progress List and was recognised by Attitude magazine as an LGBTQI+ trailblazer.
Need to know
For ages 16+
Dates & times
Price
- Standard entryFrom £12*
- Concessions25%**
* Excludes £3.50 booking fee.
Book as early as you can to ensure the best choice of tickets. Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
** Limited availability. Read about concessions.
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Multi-buy discount
London Literature Festival 2023
As part of our London Literature Festival multi-buy offer, book for two or more London Literature Festival events in the same transaction to receive a 20% discount.
Discounts apply to selected events. Look out for the multi-buy label to see which events are included.
Venue
Royal Festival Hall
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The Royal Festival Hall is open to all for access to the Level 2 foyers and toilets, Level 1 and Changing Places toilets, the National Poetry Library, Skylon, Riverside Terrace Cafe, Southbank Centre Shop and Members' Lounge at the following times:
*The Royal Festival Hall is open Mon & Tue, 10am – 6pm**; Wed – Sun, 10am – 11pm.
**On event days, the Royal Festival Hall building remains open until the end of the event.
Our address is: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. The nearest tube and train stations within 5 – 7 minutes walk are Waterloo (Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines) and Embankment (District & Circle lines). There are also lots of bus routes with stops 2– 5 minutes from our venues. For more information on getting here by road, rail or river, see below.
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More information
Find out all you need to know about tickets, including concessions, group bookings, returns, credit vouchers and more, via the link below.
As well as a 2,700 capacity auditorium, the Royal Festival Hall is also where you'll find our Welcome Desk and Ticket Office, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe, The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge and Skylon.
Toilets
Toilets, including accessible toilets, are open on Level 2 of the Royal Festival Hall.
A Changing Places toilet is located on Level 1 Royal Festival Hall next to the JCB Glass Lift, for the exclusive use of disabled people who need personal assistance to use the toilet.
The facility includes a height-adjustable bench, tracking hoist system, a centrally-placed toilet, a height-adjustable basin and a shower. The facility is open daily 10am – 11pm.
Please visit the Welcome Desk on Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, where a member of staff can provide you with the key. You can also use the phone next to the Changing Places toilet to speak to a member of staff.
Cloakroom
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 & 5, Blue Side, Royal Festival Hall.
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.
We're cash-free
Please note that we're unable to accept cash payments across our site.
Booking wheelchair positions
When booking a wheelchair position in the Royal Festival Hall for large motorised wheelchairs (more than 65cm wide), please book in the rear stalls or side stalls. Boxes aren't able to accommodate larger wheelchairs due to limited space. If you have any queries, please contact [email protected] or call 020 3879 9555.
Entering the hall
For level access to the Royal Festival Hall from the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road, please use the Southbank Centre Square Doors. The JCB Glass Lift is situated at this entrance and will take you to all floors. All floors are accessible from the main foyer on Level 2. If you need further assistance, our Visitor Assistants are here to help you.
You can also use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square to reach Mandela Walk, Level 2.
We welcome wheelchair users and guide companion dogs.
More about Access & facilities
Parking
Blue Badge holders and those with access requirements can be dropped off on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road (the road between the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery).
There are four Blue Badge parking spaces available for visitors located on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road. Spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and are free to use. You must display your Blue Badge as you enter the site. Vehicles that do not display a Blue Badge are refused entry.
Blue Badge parking at National Theatre
Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can be found at the National Theatre car park (330 metres). If you are visiting the Hayward Gallery, just take your badge and car park ticket to the Ticket Desk in the gallery foyer for validation before you leave.
Please note: when the National Theatre building is closed (on Sundays, and on days without performances) there is no step-free access from the car park. Please contact the National Theatre directly to check before travelling. Call 020 7452 3961 or email [email protected]
Alternative parking is available nearby at the APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park (490 metres), subject to charges.
Blue Badge parking at APCOA Cornwall Road
Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can also be found at the South Bank Car Park – APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park. Just take your badge and car park ticket to the parking attendant office at the entrance to the car park for validation before you leave.
A drop-off point at the Royal Festival Hall (30 metres) has been created for visitors who are unable to walk from alternative car parks.
Our Access Scheme
If you have any access requirements, please sign up to our Access Scheme for discounts, wheelchair spaces, dedicated seats and free companion tickets. You can also join our mailing list to get news about accessible events and exhibitions.
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