Press Release

The much-loved illustrator and author celebrates the 1951 Festival of Britain with a new installation for you to discover across our site.

With these illustrations, created as part of our 75th anniversary celebrations, Sir Quentin Blake pays tribute to some of the many legends who have graced our stages over the decades. At the same time, they honour the Londoners of all backgrounds who fill our riverfront each and every day.

You can discover illustrations throughout our indoor spaces from February to November, and a procession of Blake’s characters outside the Royal Festival Hall from May.

Look out for rock stars, ballet dancers, authors, skaters, parkour athletes, dub poets, jazz singers and heaps more characters waiting to be discovered.

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Installation Views

Exhibition view: Quentin Blake, Quentin Blake: The Southbank Parade, Hayward Gallery (15 October–8 November 2026). Courtesy Hayward Gallery.
Exhibition view: Quentin Blake, Quentin Blake: The Southbank Parade, Hayward Gallery (15 October–8 November 2026). Courtesy Hayward Gallery.
Exhibition view: Quentin Blake, Quentin Blake: The Southbank Parade, Hayward Gallery (15 October–8 November 2026). Courtesy Hayward Gallery.
Exhibition view: Quentin Blake, Quentin Blake: The Southbank Parade, Hayward Gallery (15 October–8 November 2026). Courtesy Hayward Gallery.
Exhibition view: Quentin Blake, Quentin Blake: The Southbank Parade, Hayward Gallery (15 October–8 November 2026). Courtesy Hayward Gallery.
Exhibition view: Quentin Blake, Quentin Blake: The Southbank Parade, Hayward Gallery (15 October–8 November 2026). Courtesy Hayward Gallery.

Also Exhibiting at Hayward Gallery

About the Gallery

Hayward Gallery is a world-renowned contemporary art space in central London, housed within the Southbank Centre and known for its striking Brutalist architecture. Opened in 1968, it was designed under chief architect Norman Engleback with key contributions from Ron Herron, Warren Chalk, and John Attenborough of the Greater London Council’s Architecture Department. Today, it remains a dynamic venue for bold, large‑scale exhibitions of contemporary visual art, both inside the gallery and across the wider Southbank Centre site.

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Belvedere Road
London
United Kingdom
Opening Hours
Wednesday – Friday, 10am – 6pm
Saturday, 10am – 8pm
Sunday, 10am – 6pm
Closed Monday & Tuesday
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London Belvedere Road
Hayward Gallery
Belvedere Road, London, United Kingdom

Opening hours
Wednesday – Friday, 10am – 6pm
Saturday, 10am – 8pm
Sunday, 10am – 6pm
Closed Monday & Tuesday
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