The Royal Festival Hall is the largest of three performance venues situated within the Southbank Centre complex. The venue was built in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain and was originally funded and managed by the London County Council, before it became an independent arts organisation in 1988. The venue was designed by Robert Matthew and Leslie Martin in the modernist style.
The Royal Festival Hall was refurbished in 2005 following a £15 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The refurbishment aimed to improve poor acoustics from some parts of the auditorium and the overall building layout. Situated within the Southbank Centre, there is a range of bars, cafes and restaurants on-site, including the Central Bar, Riverside Terrace Café and Skylon Restaurant.
The Royal Festival Hall hosts a varied programme of live events, from large-scale classical and orchestral performances and live music concerts, to conferences, awards shows and graduation ceremonies. This varied program of events, as well as its location on the Thames, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the venue every year.
