The Royal Festival Hall’s Level 2 foyer spaces are currently being refurbished, as we work to bring you a brand new cafe, bar, shop and Ticket Office. Find out more

Jon Snow: The State of Us

PAST EVENT
Accessible
Sun 23 Oct 2022, 7.30pm
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Literature & poetry
From £15
CANCELLED
CANCELLED
Save
Broadcaster Jon Snow smiles to the camera. He is wearing a blue suit, a pink striped tie and the background of the image is blurred so only Jon Snow is in focus.
Channel 4 and ITN

This event has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

After four decades broadcasting to the nation each night, Jon Snow gives voice to his own opinions on the state of our nation in new book The State of Us.

Join Snow to celebrate its publication as he reflects on what he’s learned about politics, humanity and our world, covering topics from inequality and out-of-touch elites to the vital work of journalism in the social media age.

Snow reveals key moments in his career, from getting thrown out of university for protesting apartheid to his reporting as history was made everywhere from America to Iran.

He explores how the greatest problems at home and abroad can often come down to inequality and our unwillingness to confront it.

Hear Snow speak about the challenges of reporting the news, with local news collapsing and big tech companies decimating revenues.

The time in which we live is undeniably full of challenges, but it is also full of potential.

If we begin by telling the truth about our situation and then do something about it, the coming years have the potential to be a new golden age.

One of the nation's preeminent broadcasters, Jon Snow was the face of Channel 4 News from 1989 to 2021.

In that time, he has reported in dozens of countries, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to Barack Obama's inauguration, interviewing countless world leaders including Ronald Reagan, Idi Amin, Tony Blair, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Nelson Mandela, as well as cultural icons from Malala Yousafzai to Marcus Rashford.

Presented in partnership with Penguin Live

Need to know

Age recommendation

For ages 16+

This event is Speech-to-Text transcribed (STT).

You can join our free Access Scheme through your online Southbank Centre account or via email.
Find out more about our Access Scheme

Copies of The State of Us are available to purchase as an optional add-on for £16 (RRP £20) when you buy a ticket to the talk. These may be collected at the event.

Dates & times

Sun 23 Oct 2022, 7.30pm
Approximate run time: 1 hour 30 mins.
Run times may vary by up to 20 minutes as they can be affected by last-minute programme changes, intervals and encores.

Price

  • Standard entryFrom £15*
  • Concessions25%**


* Excludes £3.50 booking fee.

Book as early as you can to ensure the best choice of tickets. Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.

** Limited availability. Read about concessions.

Tickets can only be sold through the Southbank Centre and our authorised agents, and can't be resold. You can return your tickets to the Southbank Centre for a credit voucher up to 48 hours before the event. Tickets resold on any third-party platforms will become invalid.

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Venue

Queen Elizabeth Hall

Our number one priority is the health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff. 

Check here for our current guidance

The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open daily from 10am.

See the opening times for all our venues

Our address is: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. The nearest tube and train stations within 5-7 minutes walk are Waterloo (Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines) and Embankment (District & Circle lines). There are also lots of bus routes with stops 2-5 minutes from our venues. For more information on getting here by road, rail or river.

Visit our Getting here page

Pre-booking online is recommended. Check our website on the day for returns. There’s no need to print your e-ticket – just show your phone to our Visitor Assistants on entry.

Some free events don't require a ticket. Found an event labelled FREE on our website with no way to book? Simply turn up on the day.

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Your e-ticket will be sent to you seven days before the event date from [email protected]. If you don't receive your e-ticket, and it's not in your junk or spam folder, please get in touch. 

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More information

Find out all you need to know about tickets, including concessions, group bookings, returns, credit vouchers and more, via the link below.

Frequently asked questions

Get an overview of the seating layout of Queen Elizabeth Hall by downloading our seating plan.

Download seating plan

Toilets

An accessible toilet is located in the 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.

The facility includes a height-adjustable bench, tracking hoist system, a centrally-placed toilet, a height-adjustable basin and a shower. The phone outside the Changing Places toilet will connect you with a member of staff, who can provide you with the key. The facility is open daily 10am – 11pm.

Cloakroom

The Queen Elizabeth Hall cloakroom is closed. You won’t be able to bring any bags over 40 x 25 x 25cm into the Queen Elizabeth Hall, so please leave large bags at home.

We're cash-free

Please note that we're unable to accept cash payments across our site. 

For step-free access from the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating (excluding rows A to C) and wheelchair spaces in the Rear Stalls, plus Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer and the Purcell Room, please use the Queen Elizabeth Hall main entrance.

To reach this entrance, enter the Royal Festival Hall via the Southbank Centre Square Doors. Take the JCB Glass Lift to Level 2 and exit to the Riverside Terrace. Turn right to find the Queen Elizabeth Hall main entrance.

You can also use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square to reach Mandela Walk, Level 2. 

For access to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating rows A to C and wheelchair spaces in the Front Stalls, please enter via the Artists' Entrance in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road (Level 1).

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.

Please bear with us while we update our access map to reflect the refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall’s Level 2 foyer spaces. The step-free routes remain the same.

Download step-free access map

More about Access and facilities

From a snack with coffee to cocktails and fine dining, plus some of London's best street food – it's all here on the Southbank Centre site.

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