The Southbank Centre has unveiled a timeline for reopening, starting with the return of the Hayward Gallery and their excellent food market.
We could probably have just led with the news that the Southbank Centre is reopening, but as always, we here at Secret London are thinking of our stomachs first… Anyway, the Southbank Centre Food Market is finally back, which means that after too long a wait, we can now spend a lazy weekend wandering amongst the incredible food stalls and meandering along the riverside with something tasty to nibble on.
Frankly, the Southbank Centre Food Market is a must for London foodies; tucked between the Southbank Centre and Belvedere Road, it manages to pack in cuisines from a dazzling array of countries. Aside from a brief appearance in December, April 30 marks the first time since last autumn that the market is open to explore, and we’ve got a long bucket list of places to tick off as soon as we head down there!
There’s further good news for the rest of Southbank Centre’s attractions, of which the food market is merely the first to return. Next to reopen the doors to visitors will be the Hayward Gallery, due to open on May 19. The art gallery will welcome two brand new exhibitions to mark its return, with Matthew Barney: Redoubt marking the artist’s first solo UK museum exhibition in ten years, and Igshaan Adams: Kicking Dust marking the South African artist’s first exhibition in the UK.
The rest of Southbank Centre – including the National Poetry Library – will reopen to the public on May 21, with live events resuming on May 28. Things are kicking off with ‘Reunion – Summer at the Southbank’, promising socially-distant performances of music and more. Anoushka Shankar, Mitsuko Uchida, and Nicola Benedetti are just some of the musicians lined up to perform when the centre reopens, whilst there are further treats from ‘In The Green Room’, which sees Southbank Centre curators in conversation with globally-renowned writers, artists, and musicians, and the continuing ‘Inside Out’ series welcoming West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin for a chat. In short, loads to enjoy this summer!
In other news, here are all the London music festivals taking place this summer.
Also published on Medium.