The Southbank Centre launches 75th anniversary celebrations with the Pin Drop

LONDON, Friday 1 May 2026 – Celebrating its 75th anniversary at the centre of the UK’s cultural landscape, the Southbank Centre today unveils the Pin Drop, a temporary installation that towers over Europe’s largest arts centre, marking the start of You Are Here – the centrepiece of the 75th anniversary programme.

Designed by Gareth Pugh and Carson McColl, the Pin Drop stands 20 metres tall and is suspended 20 metres from the ground. Echoing the optimism of the Festival of Britain and the area’s cultural rebirth in 1951, the Pin Drop draws inspiration from Skylon, a slender, seemingly floating vertical landmark that became an emblem of post-war renewal on the South Bank.

The Festival of Britain galvanised the nation, using art, science, technology and design to imagine a brighter future after the trauma of World War Two. Taking place from May to September 1951, the Festival kickstarted the regeneration of the South Bank, revitalising the area into a thriving cultural hub. Seventy-five years on, the Southbank Centre is Europe’s largest arts centre, welcoming over 11.6 million people a year to its 11-acre site, with over 55% of its programming free for everyone to enjoy.

The Pin Drop stands taller than eight double decker buses and is the length of a cricket pitch. It is made from durable nylon and weighs 360kg. The structure is suspended from a 150-tonne crane, reaching a height of 50 metres at full installation. It is made from 600 square metres of material and incorporates nearly 20,000 individual LEDs, which can illuminate the work during the night.

The work is the largest piece ever produced by Glow Inflatables, based in Sleaford, Lincolnshire and assembled at a partner test facility near Leeds before being transported to the South Bank. The Pin Drop will occupy the site from Thursday 30 April until Monday 4 May, when it will be deinstalled and the fabric reused and turned into merchandise that will be sold at the Southbank Centre Shop.