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The Royal Festival Hall is closed to the public on Tuesday 16 June. It will reopen for Harry Styles & Jules Buckley Orchestra ticket holders only at 5pm.

The Royal Festival Hall on London\'s Southbank, with a large yellow pin-shaped balloon floating in front of skyscrapers.

Pin Drop

Thu 30 Apr – Mon 4 May 2026

See the towering sculpture by Carson McColl and Gareth Pugh marking our 75th anniversary by reimagining the iconic Skylon for the digital age.

Suspended high above our buildings, the Pin Drop has been created to coincide with You Are Here, an epic, one-off pop-culture spectacular which takes place across the Southbank Centre to celebrate 75 years since our doors first opened.

Standing 20 metres tall, and suspended more than 20 metres above the ground, the Pin Drop draws inspiration from Skylon, the iconic structure built for the 1951 Festival of Britain.

Whereas Skylon – a seemingly weightless vertical landmark that came to symbolise post-war optimism and renewal – pointed towards the space age, the Pin Drop tells another story: reimagining one of the most familiar symbols of the digital age. Ubiquitous and often accepted without question, the location pin is transformed into something playful and monumental, but with a simple message: you are here. Not on a screen, but here, in real life.

Conceived by Carson McColl and Gareth Pugh (aka HARD+SHINY), Pin Drop is the largest work ever produced by Glow Inflatables, and was fabricated in Doncaster before being brought to the South Bank.

View biography page for HARD+SHINY
Fashion designers Gareth Pugh and Carson McColl pictured in a close friendly embrace
HARD+SHINY

Introducing the creative duo behind The Pin Drop.

Read more

For your visit

This event is held at the Riverside Terrace Southbank Centre

The Riverside Terrace is open all day, every day*.

*If you’re attending an event on our Riverside Terrace, check the event listing for start and finish times.