The Southbank Centre today announces a four-month reopening programme, Summer Reunion – providing opportunities for people to reconnect, reunite and enjoy a colourful, joyful celebration of art, culture and entertainment. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are delighted to join the celebrations with three special concerts in the Royal Festival Hall.

The packed programme features ballet, classical music, contemporary music, literature, poetry and visual art. The reopening of the Southbank Centre and Summer Reunion programme is made possible thanks to the repayable loan from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.

On Saturday 29 May the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra brings families together for its popular format, ‘Noisy Kids: Heroes & Villains’ adventuring through some of music’s most thrilling works - with two performances at 12:30pm and 4:00pm.

The RPO returns on Wednesday 2 June with conductor Vasily Petrenko, who makes his first major appearance in his new role as Music Director Designate. They are joined by Kian Soltani, the orchestra’s former Artist-in-Residence, who performs Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major. 

Elaine Bedell, Chief Executive of the Southbank Centre, said: “We’re so pleased to be throwing open our doors again and we hope that our Summer Reunion programme will give people the space and opportunity to reconnect and reunite as the Southbank Centre has so often offered in the past. It’s poignant that we’re working towards reopening the Royal Festival Hall in May, 70 years after the building was first opened as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations in 1951 when it provided a much-needed ‘tonic for the Nation’.”