HBL Events: The Festival of Britain at Southbank

Thursday 26 May 2011

London's 1951 Festival of Britain


One of London's most respected cultural hubs, the Southbank Centre, is this summer playing host to a series of events celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, originally held in the same location in 1951. The four-month festival highlighting British culture and creativity is already underway; here are WGSN-homebuildlife's pick of the must-see (and must-do) events taking place.

Zaha Hadid, photographed by Jason Schmidt

As part of the The London Literature Festival, running 30 June - 14 July, a number of artists, writers and thinkers have been invited to speak, with Zaha Hadid's talk on 2 July set to be a highlight.

Tracey Emin at the Hayward Gallery

The festival also sees Tracey Emin receive her first major retrospective at the Southbank's Hayward Gallery, on until 29 August. Showcasing every part of the London artist's oeuvre, this exhibition acknowledges the expanse of Emin's creative channels, from early textile and photographic works to her new outdoor sculptures created especially for the Hayward.

Vintage Weekend

And finally, all things vintage will take over the Southbank for Vintage Weekend (29-31 July), organised by Vintage at Goodwood director Wayne Hemingway. All six levels of the interior, and the entire outdoor space, of the Royal Festival Hall transformed into vintage markets and playgrounds, and a Vintage Revue taking place in the auditorium each night.