Royal Festival Hall, Concert hall at South Bank, London, United Kingdom.
The Royal Festival Hall is a concert venue on the south bank of the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, built with concrete and glass in a modern style. Its roof with sharp angles covers the main hall and allows daylight to enter through wide window panels.
The hall opened in May 1951 to celebrate the end of the war and the cultural recovery of the country. Construction started several years earlier when the riverside site was cleared for development.
The building takes its name from the Festival of Britain held in 1951. Visitors enter through the foyer and can use public areas designed for meeting and resting between performances.
Visitors reach the building on foot from nearby Waterloo station, which connects several Underground and rail lines. The facility offers step-free access to all public areas, including wheelchair spaces in the auditorium.
The interior walls are shaped to distribute sound evenly throughout the space. Some details from the 1950s, such as wooden paneling and railings, remain in place today.
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