The Royal Festival Hall’s Level 2 foyer spaces are currently being refurbished, as we work to bring you a brand new cafe, bar, shop and Ticket Office. Find out more

Over the Easter weekend, the Royal Festival Hall is closed to the public on Sunday 31 March and Monday 1 April. The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open 12 noon – 8pm on both days. Find out more 

Refugee Week

19 – 25 June 2023

Two women sit back to back in the dark. They hold candles which light their faces.
Ryan O'Donoghue Photographer

Counterpoints Arts and the Southbank Centre celebrate the 25th year of Refugee Week UK

This year’s theme, Compassion, prompts a day of  music, talks, workshops, film screenings and a new public art commission by artist Murugiah, a collaboration with Choose Love.

Refugee Week 2023 explores what compassion means in today's political, social, economic and cultural context. It looks at how we can grow compassion by doing small, everyday acts that have the potential to affect and support people outside our immediate circles of friends and family.  

With exciting new commissions from poets Vanessa Kisuule, Rachel Long, Momtaza Mehri and more; short film screenings with the Arab Film Club; conversations and talks with Radical Ecology; music and dance workshops and an opportunity for artists to present their work in a supportive showcase, there are events for all interests and ages.

The events taking place at the Southbank Centre are part of a wider festival across the country, in partnership with Counterpoints Arts. Counterpoints Arts is a Southbank Centre Associate Artist and the leading national organisation in the field of arts, migration and cultural change.