Debut London Literature
London Literature Festival begins with a line-up of debut writers, including Kaliane Bradley, Hannah Regel, Tom Lamont and Varaidzo, chaired by Barry Pierce.
All of these debut novels are set, at least in part, in London. They take us to pubs, playgrounds, art galleries, dusty libraries, jazz clubs, cramped bedrooms and beyond.
A hauntingly charismatic novel about friendship, art, and womanhood, Hannah Regel’s The Last Sane Woman is a compulsive and uncanny debut that explores what it means to fail – and asks if success is ever truly possible.
Travelling between London and Bath, the glamour and turmoil of the 1930s and the Olympics excitement of 2012, Manny and the Baby by Varaidzo is a character-driven debut novel, full of heart, about what it means to be Black and British, now and in the past.
Set in the Jewish community in Enfield, North London, Tom Lamont’s Going Home is a lyrical and charming debut novel that explores fatherhood, friendship, freedom and community through the eyes of two-year-old Joel Woods.
Set in the near future, and following a mysterious new government ministry tasked with gathering 'expats' from across history to test the limits of time-travel, Kaliane Bradley’s The Ministry of Time is a razor-sharp debut about the time, betrayal, and the histories that shape us.
Hannah Regel was born in Nottingham and now lives in London. From 2012 – 2019 she
was the co-editor of the feminist art journal SALT. She has two published collections of poetry, When I Was Alive and Oliver Reed.
Tom Lamont is an award-winning journalist. In 2015, he became one of the founding writers on the Guardian's Long Read desk and since 2017 he has been a regular correspondent for American GQ. Going Home is his first novel.
Varaidzo is a writer and artist. Her short story ‘Bus Stop’ was shortlisted for the 4thWrite Prize 2018. She is a contributor to the best-selling anthology The Good Immigrant and the romance anthology Who’s Loving You. She was previously the Digital Editor at Wasafiri, and the Arts & Culture Editor at gal-dem.
Kaliane Bradley is a British-Cambodian writer and editor based in London. Her short stories have appeared in Electric Literature, Catapult, Somesuch Stories and The Willowherb Review, among others. She was the winner of the 2022 Harper's Bazaar Short Story Prize and the 2022 V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. The Ministry of Time is her first novel.
Barry Pierce is a books and culture writer based in London. He has been a book critic for the Irish Times, Sunday Times and the Big Issue and his cultural criticism has appeared in Dazed, i-D, British GQ and HERO Magazine.
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.
Tickets can only be sold through the Southbank Centre and our authorised agents, and can't be resold. You can return your tickets to the Southbank Centre for a credit voucher up to 48 hours before the event. Tickets resold on any third-party platforms will become invalid.
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Venue
Royal Festival Hall
Our number one priority is the health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff.
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.
Pre-booking online is recommended. Check our website on the day for returns. There’s no need to print your e-ticket – just show your phone to our Visitor Assistants on entry.
Some free events don't require a ticket. Found an event labelled FREE on our website with no way to book? Simply turn up on the day.
If you don't receive your e-ticket
Your e-ticket will be sent to you seven days before the event date from [email protected]. If you don't receive your e-ticket, and it's not in your junk or spam folder, please get in touch.
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 Green Side Foyer, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, opposite the Ticket Office. 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.
From a snack with coffee to cocktails and fine dining, plus some of London's best street food – it's all here on the Southbank Centre site.