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Vintage black and white photo of two men playing steel pans outside

Steel Scenes

Fri 24 – Sun 26 Jul 2026

Explore what steel pan has built, as a musical form and community, over the past 75 years

The riverside thrums with pan at a weekend takeover marking 75 years of steel pan in the UK, celebrating the instrument’s legacy and looking to its future.

Our thanks to the Steel Scenes advisory group, community partners and individuals who played a vital role in building this programme.

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More info for Steel Rising
Members of Kinetika Bloco smiling while wearing harnesses holding steel pans
Gigs

Steel Rising

Youth ensembles capture the power of the steel pan as a community force at a day of free performances
Riverside Terrace
Tickets Free
More info for Rhythm of History Exhibition
An archival display shelf featuring historical black and white photographs, concrete cylinders, and architectural signs.
Art & exhibitions

Rhythm of History Exhibition

Cast your eyes (and ears) back at an interactive exhibition about the steel pan’s incredible journey
Royal Festival Hall
Tickets Free
More info for Defining the Modern Pannist
Close-up of a silver steelpan drum with hand-written musical notes and two wooden mallets resting inside.
Talks & debates

Defining the Modern Pannist

Join a vital talk on the education of steel pan and carving better paths to professional careers
Purcell Room
More info for Steel Sounds with Just Vibez
People dancing on Southbank Centre Riverside Terrace for Just Vibez Carnival as part of M.I.A.'s Meltdown festival
Gigs

Steel Sounds with Just Vibez

Steel bands from across the UK take over the Riverside Terrace, celebrating the pan’s spirit and power
Riverside Terrace
Tickets Free
More info for Rhythms of Reggae with UFO Steelband
Close-up eye-level view of shiny steelpan drums on stands arranged across a stage in a modern, multi-story hall.
Courses & workshops

Rhythms of Reggae with UFO Steelband

Master the infectious skank and melodic drive of the all-time classic ‘Monkey Man’ on steel pan
The Clore Ballroom
Tickets Free
More info for The Social Infrastructure of Steel
A woman in a memorial t-shirt sits with a young girl holding a Trinidad and Tobago flag, watching an indoor stage performance.
Literature & poetry

The Social Infrastructure of Steel

Examine how steel pan functions in our society at this panel discussion
Purcell Room
More info for Calypso Grooves with RASPO
Members of the RASPO steel orchestra perform outdoors in matching red shirts, playing chrome steelpans on a sunny day.
Courses & workshops

Calypso Grooves with RASPO

Pick up your sticks and learn to play like the pros with Reading All Steel Percussion Orchestra.
The Clore Ballroom
Tickets Free
More info for Steel Pan Reimagined
Black and white image of two young men tuning steel pans on a staircase
Gigs

Steel Pan Reimagined

The incredible heritage of the steel pan meets bold new commissions for a mixed-instrument orchestra
Royal Festival Hall
More info for Beginnings of Pan with Impact Steel Band
A close-up shot focuses on a musician playing a polished chrome steel drum with a mallet, wearing a black graphic t-shirt and an Apple Watch.
Courses & workshops

Beginnings of Pan with Impact Steel Band

Major fun awaits! Learn simple scales, play your first song on pan and fill our terrace with music
Riverside Terrace
Tickets Free
More info for Steel Legacies
Dancers with raised arms lead a large crowd under Caribbean flags, including Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Barbados.
Gigs

Steel Legacies

One instrument, 75 years of history in the UK: witness a full day of steel bands in Jubilee Gardens
Jubilee Gardens
Tickets Free
More info for Hot Hot Hot with New Generation
A musician playing a chrome steelpan on an outdoor stage decorated with Caribbean flags and a
Gigs

Hot Hot Hot with New Generation

Capture the groove of legendary tune ‘The Merrymen’ at a hands-on steel pan workshop
Riverside Terrace
Tickets Free

While you're with us

Jeppe Hein: Appearing Rooms
People enjoying the Jeppe Hein Fountain at the Southbank Centre

Jeppe Hein: Appearing Rooms

A summer favourite returns to our site with water fountains to splash around and cool down in.

Shopping
Wooden displays in the Southbank centre shop, featuring books, plushies, and colourful merchandise

Shopping

A vibrant range of inspiring books, homeware, prints, accessories and more.

Klaus Weber: Thinking Fountains
Two statues; a green human body with water spouting from its neck and another of human legs with water pouring down from above displayed outdoors

Thinking
Fountains

Water cascades and spouts over Klaus Weber’s bronze figures.

Modified Social Benches
Two children eating ice cream on a red cirrcular bench

Modified Social Benches

Benches that challenge the space and distance we place between one another.

William Pye's Zemran
A photograph showing Riverside Terrace at Southbank Centre, with the metal sculpture Zemran in the foreground, next to Queen Elizabeth Hall

William Pye's Zemran

Pye’s beautiful stainless steel sculpture sits overlooking the Thames.

Natura Nostra Forest
Bright sunlight bursts through green leaves with a lens flare, set against a blue sky and a textured concrete building.

Natura Nostra Forest

Our growing pocket forest creating a natural oasis.