You Belong Here
Sat 29 Jun – Sun 8 Sep 2024
Find a warm welcome with us this summer
Bursting with spectacular and thought-provoking performance, art, conversations, music and family fun, our summer series is a beacon of welcome for all.
You Belong Here explores why we all feel the very human need to belong in our communities and our spaces.
Our summer season is inspired by the unsung stories and forgotten trailblazers celebrated in our Hayward Gallery exhibition Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere, and takes its name from one of Strachan’s text-based neon sculptures installed on the outside of the gallery.
The whole of the Southbank Centre site comes to life with more new commissions by Strachan, alongside free public art by Florence Blanchard, Serena Brown, Joe Caslin, Artur Conka, Denman+Gould, Yinka Ilori, Suzie Larke and Hank Willis Thomas – and Jeppe Hein’s much-loved Appearing Rooms fountain returns for some respite from the (hopefully!) sunny weather.
On our free Riverside Stage, we’re collaborating with some of London’s most exciting artists and collectives to explore how to create spaces for conversation, connection and community-building through live music, performance, dance, fashion and more.
Kicking things off is NAZAR, a joyous party celebrating Pride in London, featuring DJs from the SWANA and South Asian communities. And the party doesn’t stop there: soak up the sounds of summer with weekends featuring AZEEMA, Counterpoints Arts, ESEA unseen, FLAWA, Just Vibez and Sounds Like Chaos. Plus, Jazz re:freshed return with JAZZ: REFEST 2024, presenting the biggest names and those to watch out for in the jazz scene.
On-stage, we celebrate stories from all over the world, with discussions on British identity, and a wide range of music, poetry, conversation and performance.
Crazy Smooth: In My Body shares the hardship and heroism of ageing in hip-hop, taken from intergenerational dancers’ personal stories, while African artistry takes to the air with gravity-defying moves in Afrique en Cirque.
For younger audiences, animated paintings and music take us to a fairy tale-like world in Mimewave’s Home, inspired by creator Anastasiia Liubchenko’s story of leaving Ukraine to find a new home in the Netherlands.
In our literature and talks programme, we celebrate the 100th birthday of iconic writer James Baldwin, reflect on Black British History and Belonging with David Olusoga, and welcome a panel of remarkable women in Strong Like Us: Kelechi Okafor & Friends.
It’s set to be a summer to remember, so come and find your spark with us as we celebrate what makes all of us belong at the Southbank Centre.