The Southbank Centre’s 2025 Impact Report reveals thriving appetite for new classical music formats and a year of breaking down barriers between art forms

The Southbank Centre today publishes its 2025 Impact Report, highlighting a year of bold experimentation that saw the classical music experience reimagined, barriers between art forms dissolved and a commitment to opening up its 11-acre site to more people.

Headline evidence from the report:

• 55% of events at the Southbank Centre were free in 2025
• 11,672,984 visitors to its 11-acre site
• 8,695 artists performed on its stages
• The Southbank Centre delivered work in 24 towns and cities in all four nations across the UK. This includes touring exhibitions, which were seen by 300,465 people outside of London
• The Southbank Centre engaged 328 schools and 6,860 pupils

The report, the first of its kind for the UK’s largest arts centre, outlines the Southbank Centre’s impact across 2025. It considers what it means to be the arts centre of the future and demonstrates how it is growing to meet the needs of a modern audience – from creating live, site-wide experiences to supporting young people’s mental health. The report reveals how over 11.6 million people visited its 11-acre site and stayed for durations ranging from 30 minutes and six hours.

The Southbank Centre upholds its commitment to making world-class art accessible to all by delivering 55% of its 2025 programming for free. This mission has been a guiding principle since its beginnings, rooted in the 1951 Festival of Britain. To ensure this work can continue for the next generation, the report also acknowledges an ongoing and significant need for investment in its iconic buildings, protecting the unique estate for the future.