Words, stories and author events are all part of the London Literature Festival, as you'd expect. Comedy, music and documentaries are also less obvious offerings that get piled into the capital's largest book event. This year astronaut Buzz Aldrin, poet Benjamin Zephaniah and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy are among the highlights of this annual Southbank Centre event. There are also appearances from Sarah Waters, Lemn Sissay ("his poems are songs of the street," The Independent), Peter Ackroyd with his re-telling of The Canterbury Tales, and Vikram Seth as well as a whole host of international writers, prize-winning authors, historians, politicians, poets, artists and musicians. Radio 1Xtra presenter Gemma Cairney hosts an all female show featuring best friends Kate Nash and Laura Dockrill who are joined by Brigitte Aphrodite and Peggy Sue for an afternoon of live music and poetry. Meanwhile The School of Life looks at the philosophical side of books - after all, what you read can literally change your life. From short stories to cult classics, the festival focuses on words in every format.
Sandi Toksvig's Christmas Cracker
Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX
15th - 24th December 2009
Comedienne Sandi Toksvig hosts a seasonal Christmas Cracker at the Southbank... More
London Marriott County Hall
London County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB
Overlooking the London Eye and directly across the river from Big... More
Southbank Cologne Christmas Market
Queen's Walk, SE1 8XX
21st November - 23rd December 2008
This Christmas the Southbank Centre hosts two Christmas markets - the successful... More
Southbank Centre - Voicelab Welcomes: The Voicelab Carols Sing-In
Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
08716 632500 | Waterloo Tube/Rail
Sunday 21st December 2008
One of a number of festive events... More
London International Mime Festival
Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX
10th January 2009 - 25th January 2009
For something a little bit different this January, the 'London International Mime Festival'... More
This autumn the London Transport Museum stages a major exhibition on the enclaves that surround the city best known as Suburbia. With its trains, trams ...More
The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, held at the National Portrait Gallery each year, attracts around 7,000 images and is open to professionals and amateurs ...More
In French, the expression "Violon d'Ingres" refers to a hidden talent or consuming hobby - named so after the Neoclassical painter Ingres's musical adeptness with ...More
The Takacs Quartet begin their complete cycle of Beethoven's string quartets with two concerts in November at Queen Elizabeth Hall. This is the first of ...More
A simply unbeatable location for anyone who loves to keep themselves busy. London's County Hall is at the heart of the South Bank, surrounded by ... More
Level 5,
Royal Festival Hall,Belvedere Road,South Bank,
London,
SE1Map
The most comprehensive and accessible collection of poetry from 1914 in Britain, The Poetry Library within the Southbank Centre contains 90,000 items and is still ... More
The Hayward Gallery has been the originator or host of influential exhibitions since 1968. It mounts temporary exhibitions of contemporary and historical art. The gallery, ... More
Stocking a wide range of yarns, needles, patterns and accessories, I Knit London started as a knitting community in Vauxhall in January 2006, meeting at ... More
The menu here reads like a comforting childhood reminiscence with some sophisticated bunting thrown on top. Devilled kidneys on toast, followed by an excellent slow-roast ... More
The concrete promenade along the South Bank greatly benefits from this large patch of green grass for striders, strollers and sightseers to relax on. ...More
Located on the South Bank, in the heart of one of London's prettiest thoroughfares, The London Bicycle Tour Company is ideally placed for a spot ... More
Words, stories and author events are all part of the London Literature Festival, as you'd expect. Comedy, music and documentaries are also less obvious offerings that get piled into the capital's largest book event. This year astronaut Buzz Aldrin, poet Benjamin Zephaniah and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy are among the highlights of this annual 
