CULTURE
Quentin Blake: The Southbank Parade — free London guide
Quentin Blake’s characters animate the Southbank Centre in a free, site-wide installation. The organiser’s detailed times section lists the run from 17 February to 8 November 2026.
The essentials, in one place
Choose your date, check your ticket and plan the journey.
- Date
- 17 Feb 2026 – 8 Nov 2026
- Venue
- Southbank Centre site-wide South Bank
- What time does it start?
- Start time not confirmed here London local time. A door opening time is not a stage time.
- Tickets
- Free; no ticket required Availability and prices can change.
Access, line-up and the journey home
- Access
- Public-space routes vary across the site
- Finish and running time
- A finish time has not been confirmed here. Check the venue programme before arranging your journey home.
- Return journey
- Use your actual departure date and time in the journey planner, especially if you expect to leave after midnight.
- Dates
- 17 February–8 November
- Hours
- Tuesday–Sunday · 10:00–23:00
- Price
- Free
- Ticket
- Not required
What you will see
Characters appear across Royal Festival Hall and the wider Southbank Centre rather than inside one conventional gallery. The route itself—foyers, walls and public circulation—is part of the experience.
Where to look
The organiser lists artwork from Level 1 through Level 6 of Royal Festival Hall, plus the Queen Elizabeth Hall slip-road stairs. Building activity can temporarily affect access to individual locations.
Plan a short visit
Allow 30–45 minutes for a focused search, or fold the characters into a longer South Bank day. Begin at Royal Festival Hall and ask staff when an area is temporarily unavailable.
Families and access
The visual scavenger-hunt quality suits mixed-age groups. Under-12s must be accompanied by an adult, and the venue’s current access page is the checkpoint for lifts, step-free routes and assistance.
Last check
LONNOW rechecked the dedicated page on 9 September 2026. Its detailed times section lists 17 February–8 November, Tuesday–Sunday, while the page header may promote the current autumn period.
