Access & facilities

View access map and floor plan of our venues

View step-free routes to the Southbank Centre

View this information in a PDF document 

View an easy read PDF for people who have a learning disability

Queen Elizabeth Hall & Purcell Room

For access to the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer and the Purcell Room please use the Royal Festival Hall JCB glass lift to Level 2 and enter via Riverside Terrace.

For access to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating row A and all wheelchair spaces please enter via the Artist Entrance in the Queen Elizabeth Hall slip road (Level 1).

For lift access to the Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden please use the Roof Garden Lift on the Queen Elizabeth Hall slip road (Level 1). 

Hayward Gallery

For level access to the gallery from the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road, use the car park lift to the Hayward Gallery Foyer. All floors are accessible from the main foyer.  

We are making more and more events accessible to a wider audience through a range of assisted formats: British Sign Language interpretation, Speech-to-Text transcription, Audio Description, Captioning and pre-event Touch Tours.

We are also introducing more Relaxed Performances, suitable particularly for people with autistic spectrum conditions, sensory and communication disorders and learning disabilities. They take a more casual approach to event etiquette and ask people to be aware of their fellow audience members who may need to move more or make involuntary noises.

The Southbank Centre is committed to offering access to performance services such as British Sign Language interpreters, captioning, audio description and relaxed performances. We are working very hard with event promoters to provide these services if required. For some events we have programmed in assisted performances. We aim to provide access upon request to our visitors who require an accessible provision to be put in place for them to be able to attend a performance but this will be subject to the request being made within a reasonable timeframe (minimum six weeks before the event date), financial resource, and approval from the events promoter. Please contact us if you require this service and we’ll do all we reasonably can to help. We aim to make hearing enhancement available at all live performances.

Find accessible events

Blue Badge holders and those with access requirements can be dropped off on the Queen Elizabeth Hall slip road off Belvedere Road (the road between the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery).

There are four Blue Badge parking spaces available for visitors located on the Queen Elizabeth Hall slip road off Belvedere Road (the road between the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery). Spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and use of them is free. You are required to display your Blue Badge as you enter the site. Vehicles that do not display a Blue Badge are refused entry.

Alternative parking is available nearby at the National Theatre car park (330 metres) and APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park (490 metres), subject to charges.

View map of disabled parking locations

Blue Badge parking at National Theatre

Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can be found at the National Theatre car park (330 metres). If you are visiting the Hayward Gallery, just take your badge and car park ticket to the Ticket Desk in the Gallery foyer for validation before you leave.

Please note: there is no step-free access from the car park on Sundays, as the lift from the National Theatre car park to the theatre's main foyers is closed. The lifts from the car park to the main foyers open from 10am Monday to Saturday.

Blue Badge parking at APCOA Cornwall Road

Alternative step-free parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can also be found at the South Bank Car Park – APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park. Just take your badge and car park ticket to the parking attendant office at the entrance to the car park for validation before you leave.

A drop-off point at the Royal Festival Hall (30 metres) has been created for visitors who are unable to walk from alternative car parks.

YourParkingSpace

YourParkingSpace.co.uk connects drivers with parking space owners to pre-book parking nearby. Southbank Centre visitors can redeem the discount code ‘SOUTHBANKCENTRE20’ to obtain a 20% discount on their website. Please contact YourParkingSpace for any issues or enquiries.

Visit YourParkingSpace.co.uk

(Please note, the Southbank Centre does not endorse and is not connected in any way to the website above and is not responsible for the content on their website.)

If you have any concerns or need assistance while you visit us, please contact any member of staff and they will help you or contact a Duty Manager. 

For visitors with prams, buggies and wheelchairs, or requiring step-free access to Level 1 spaces please go to the Welcome Desk on Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, where our Visitor Experience team is happy to assist you.

• Assistance is available for blind and visually impaired visitors, including guiding and narration. Phone or email our access team to find out more.
• Assistance dogs are welcome.
• There are accessible toilets on every level of the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and in the Hayward Gallery Foyer.
• A Changing Places toilet is located on Level 1, Royal Festival Hall, next to the JCB Glass Lift, for the exclusive use of disabled people who need personal assistance to use the toilet.
• Sound enhancement systems are available in all our venues. Please ask for a Ticketing Duty Manager if you require one (subject to availability).
• Strobe lighting is rarely used in performances. We will put warning signs on auditorium entry doors of any event where it is used.
• Wheelchairs are available for visitors by visiting the Artists' Entrance when you arrive (subject to availability).
• Talk to a member of staff at the auditorium entrance if you have a disability that means you can’t queue, or you need extra time to take your seat. They can arrange priority entry for you as soon as the doors open.

Visitors with medical requirements

We welcome visitors who need to bring medicines, food or soft drinks to manage a medical condition, or medical equipment.

Changing Places toilet

 A Changing Places toilet is located on Level 1, Royal Festival Hall, next to the JCB Glass Lift, for the exclusive use of disabled people who need personal assistance to use the toilet.

The key for this room is available from the Welcome Desk, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall.

The facility includes a height-adjustable bench, tracking hoist system, a centrally-placed toilet, a height-adjustable basin and a shower.

For health and safety reasons we do not provide slings. Visitors are asked to bring their own which should be compatible with the loop system.  The maximum weight for the hoist and the height adjustable bench is 200kg.

The facility is open daily 10am – 11pm.

Family & baby facilities 

Southbank Centre welcomes children and families throughout the year and provides world-class facilities to make your visit an enjoyable one. The site is fully accessible to pushchairs and wheelchair users. 

All our venues have public toilets with wheelchair access and baby changing facilities. 

Cloakroom

The Royal Festival Hall cloakroom is open 1 hour before ticketed events. Our cloakroom is £1 per item and is for coats, umbrellas and small bags. The Queen Elizabeth Hall cloakroom is closed. You won’t be able to bring any bags over 40 x 25 x 25cm into the Royal Festival Hall or Queen Elizabeth Hall, so please leave large bags at home.

Multi-faith prayer room

A multi-faith prayer room is located on Level 2, Green Side, Royal Festival Hall, offering a quiet retreat for prayer and meditation. The door code is available from the Welcome Desk, Level 2. 

All the cafes, bars, restaurants and markets at the Southbank Centre have step-free access. If you are dining at Skylon, please come to the Ticket Office, Level 2 at Royal Festival Hall, where a visitor host will assist you.

You are welcome to bring your own food and soft drinks to the Royal Festival Hall.

Visit our cafes, restaurants & bars

We politely ask you to follow our house rules and any requests from our Visitor Experience team. Please help us to keep our foyers looking welcoming and presentable to everyone.

• Please keep your personal belongings with you at all times. Security will be called if you leave your items unattended.
• Our Queen Elizabeth Hall cafe/bar is for visitors who are purchasing food and beverages from the venue. No food and beverages bought outside can be consumed in this area.
• You are welcome to bring your own food and soft drinks to the Royal Festival Hall foyers. However, please note that only alcoholic drinks purchased at the Southbank Centre can be consumed here.
• Thank you for respecting that the Queen Elizabeth Hall cafe is a gadget and laptop free area. You are welcome to use your laptop, tablet, e-reader or other equivalent device from 10am – 5pm in other areas.
• We cannot guarantee that our spaces are always available for non-socialising activity and do ask you to pack up all laptops, tablets and e-readers by 5pm. After this, our foyers are dedicated to fun and relaxation, especially in the hours leading up to evening concerts.
• For the comfort of all visitors, sleeping is not permitted in our foyer spaces.
• All visitors are asked to sit on a seat. Sitting on the floor is not permitted. We have increased the amount of furniture in the building and there are plenty of seats for all.
• Shoes must also be worn at all times whilst inside our buildings, and please don’t put your feet on our new furniture, so that it stays clean and undamaged for everyone. 
• Multiple bags or very large luggage items encroach on the space available to other visitors. Please be considerate to others and avoid taking up more space than you need. 
• The use of extension leads and cables is not allowed as these can be a trip hazard.
• For the comfort of all visitors, smoking of e-cigarettes or other products that produce a vapour or smoke are not allowed inside our buildings.
• Each day we close some foyer spaces to visitors and only allow entry to people with tickets. This is to provide space for audiences as they arrive for performances. Please look out for signs and listen to announcements; these give you more information about closure times and where else you can sit.