Southbank Centre's sparkling Winter Festival is back
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas on London's South Bank... Alpine-style ski chalets flank the Thames, shoppers cradle steaming cups of mulled wine, and a whole host of spectacular shows are waiting to catapult you into the holiday spirit.
This is Southbank Centre's Winter Festival, which runs until 2 January 2022. Discover a luminous line-up of concerts, musicals, and circus acts taking place inside the sprawling arts centre, plus plenty of al fresco festive fun. And yes folks, that includes the magical Winter Market pictured above, where — till 23 December— you can buy beautiful stocking fillers, enjoy a bevvy in a pop-up bar, or devour seasonal street food such as bratwurst and fondue as the River Thames twinkles below you.
Read on for more Winter Festival highlights, or click below to see everything that Southbank Centre's got in store for you this holiday season. |
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| The Golden Age Of Circus Roll up, roll up to Royal Festival Hall and prepare to be transported to the turn of the 20th century at Circus 1903. Acrobats, contortionists, trapeze artists, and other assorted daredevils perform jaw-dropping stunts in this vintage-vibed circus show. Look out for the life-size elephants created by the puppeteers behind War Horse (they should be pretty hard to miss). Runs 16 December to 2 January. |
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| Carols By Candlelight Here's another enchanting event taking audiences back in time — this time to the 1700s. The acclaimed Mozart Festival Orchestra dresses up in 18th century garb for a sublimely-staged, one-off carol concert, which takes place on 11 December at Royal Festival Hall. |
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| Dazzling Outdoor Art As dusk descends over the South Bank, Winter Light flickers into life. This free outdoor art exhibition, which is here till 9 January, features an eerie graveyard of glowing cars, Islam-inspired geometric projections, and a neon canopy that casts rainbow-hued reflections on the inky black River Thames. Hungry for more art? See Mixing it Up at the Hayward Gallery before it goes on 12 December. |
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| Musical Mayhem Nothing says holiday cheer quite like a good musical, and this one's a brilliant choice for families and fans of noughties teen movies alike. Cheerleading comedy Bring It On backflips its way into London following a successful Broadway run, with Love Island's Amber Davies and Olympic gymnast Louis Smith taking on starring roles. Runs 8 December-22 January.
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| A Dark Twist On Dickens Post-punk pioneers The Tiger Lillies present an extraordinary musical reimagining of A Christmas Carol. Using a potent mix of Weimar cabaret, anarchic opera, and gypsy music, the trio explore poverty, drug addiction, sex work, and violence on the streets of 19th century London. It's about as far from the Muppets' version as you can get and makes for an excellent alternative festive outing. Runs 14-30 December. |
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