Latest news and information from Jubilee Gardens, South Bank, London

25 June 202625 June 2026

Steel pan in Jubilee Gardens – 26 July 2026

Steel pan at the Festival of Britain. (c) Southbank Centre

It’s a little-known fact that the first live steel pan performance in the UK took place on the South Bank during the 1951 Festival of Britain, on the site of what is now Jubilee Gardens.

As part of Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations, Jubilee Gardens will host Steel Legacies on Sunday 26 July 2026 from 12pm to 7.45pm. This special day of free live music brings together leading steel bands from across the UK to celebrate 75 years of steel pan in Britain, honouring its heritage while looking ahead to what’s next for the instrument and carnival arts.

The afternoon’s program features steelpan orchestras playing an incredible array of genres – from dance music to soul and jazz – alongside a special arrangement of music by Sterling Betancourt MBE, the last surviving member of the original Trinidad All-Steel Percussion Orchestra who played in that historic 1951 concert. Bring the family, and join us in the Gardens for a landmark day of rhythm and history.

The full weekends celebrations at Southbank Centre alongside more information about the Steel Legacies event can be found on the Southbank Centre website. This is part of a whole weekend of steel pan celebrations from 24-26 July from Southbank Centre called Steel Scenes – find out more here.

19 May 202625 June 2026

Pollinator-friendly planting brings Jubilee Gardens to life

Jubilee Gardens has been especially vibrant this spring, with colourful pollinator-friendly planting schemes and thriving wildflowers attracting bees, butterflies and other important pollinators.

Over recent years, we’ve made a conscious effort to prioritise plants that support biodiversity and provide food and habitat for pollinating insects. This year has been our most successful yet, with early bulbs such as crocus and daffodils providing nectar at the very start of the season and the wildflower area blooming abundantly with native species through the spring. The beds and hedgerows have also been looking spectacular, alive with bees and other pollinators enjoying the rich variety of planting. Our hedgerows include native Holly, Beech and Hornbeam specifically chosen to support local wildlife and the flowers on the female Holly plant are a particularly strong attraction to pollinators. Though Beech and Hornbeam both do their own pollination through catkins they are incredibly valuable for birds and insects who are part of the important wider biodiversity of the Gardens, and hedges help provide great habitats for wildlife, including some of our pollinators.

The display has been a timely reminder of the importance of urban green spaces following this year’s World Bee Day on 20 May and the recent Urban Tree Festival, which celebrates the value of trees and nature in cities.

As a South Bank riverside green space beside the Thames, Jubilee Gardens also plays its own small role in supporting urban biodiversity and connecting people with nature in central London – here’s an opportunity to get involved – don’t miss the 10th annual London Rivers Week 2026 from the 23-30 May. And the Garden Museum’s Annual Plant Science Lecture – a free online talk on 7 July, titled Beekeeping Behind the Scenes from a student beekeeper might also be inspiring.

Whether you’re stopping for lunch, passing through, or spending time with family and friends, we hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the Gardens at their colourful best this season.

1 May 20261 June 2026

75 Years On: Jubilee Gardens and the Festival of Britain

On 1 May 1951 the Festival of Britain opened to the public – a bold, hopeful moment for a country rebuilding after the Second World War. Today, as we mark its 75th anniversary, it’s worth remembering that Jubilee Gardens stood right at the heart of the Festival of Britain story.

Credit: All images – Southbank Centre Archives

Jubilee Gardens site – at the heart of the 1951 Festival of Britain

This much-loved green space was once home to the Festival’s most iconic structure: the vast Dome of Discovery, and was overshadowed by the striking Skylon, which seemed to float above the South Bank skyline. Together they symbolised innovation and a belief in a brighter future. Millions of people came here to experience new ideas in science, design and culture – encountering a transformed London after the bombing and deprivations of WWII.

But there’s a challenge at the heart of this story. Unlike the nearby Royal Festival Hall, which still stands today, the Dome and Skylon were dismantled soon after the Festival closed. Almost nothing physical remains. What was once a centrepiece of national optimism has largely disappeared from view.

Progress paves over the past – reinvention is constant

That’s what makes Jubilee Gardens so special. The current lawns and trees hide a layered history that reflect London’s ever-changing, richly woven story of constant reinvention. This site has evolved from marshland and working wharves to the post-war Festival of Britain, a short-lived air terminal, decades as a GLC car park, and later open parkland that became a space for public gathering and protest, before becoming the much-loved Gardens we enjoy today. Yet without visible reminders, it’s easy for this fascinating past to be forgotten.

This anniversary is a chance to look again. As you sit, play or pass through the Gardens, you are standing on the very ground where one of Britain’s most ambitious cultural moments unfolded. It’s a story of reinvention, imagination and resilience – and it’s still part of the landscape, even if you have to look a little closer to see it. A place where each new season brings fresh growth, and where the spirit of regeneration that shaped the South Bank continues to unfold.

Over the coming months, Jubilee Gardens Trust is hoping to share more of this history, helping bring these hidden stories back into view for everyone.

In the meantime, the Southbank Centre have an article on their website about some of the Festival history and have collected memories from those who attended. It includes some striking original photography from their archives.

16 December 202516 December 2025

How visitors used Jubilee Gardens this summer

Jubilee Gardens new visitor data insights

Our latest report provided by Cross River Partnership on behalf of South Bank BID offers a detailed picture of how people moved through Jubilee Gardens between July and September 2025. Sensors at the Gardens’ two main entrances – the north entrance closest to Hungerford Bridge and the south entrance next to the London Eye – recorded average daily pedestrian counts of around 9,400 each, showing consistently high levels of activity throughout the summer.

This matches our broader understanding of how people arrive in the Gardens: of the 5.5 million visitors each year, we estimate that around 60% enter from the riverside walkway and 40% from Belvedere Road. In previous years, the balance was weighted much more heavily towards the riverside, but the opening of new pedestrian routes through Southbank Place has made the Belvedere Road entrance significantly more accessible and appealing. Even so, the riverside route continues to deliver very strong footfall.

Across the two riverside entrances monitored for this report, July and August were the busiest months, supported by warm weather and school holidays, while September was naturally quieter. Later in the season, the north entrance became notably busier, suggesting it is increasingly used as an alternative route during congestion around the London Eye.

Daily patterns also stand out: the south entrance shows clear lunchtime peaks as office workers use the Gardens to relax, while the north entrance sees stronger late-afternoon movement as people pass between Hungerford Bridge, the riverfront and nearby attractions.

15 December 202516 December 2025

Planting for Pollinators: Park Plaza Volunteers at Jubilee Gardens

On 5 November, Jubilee Gardens welcomed a team of eight volunteers from Park Plaza for a dedicated day of planting as part of their ongoing corporate sponsorship of the Gardens. The team worked tirelessly throughout the day, planting over 1,000 bulbs. These included daffodils and tulips, chosen not only for the burst of springtime colour they will bring, but also for their value as an early nectar source for bees and other pollinators emerging after winter. The volunteers also planted winter-flowering annuals to ensure the Garden remains bright and welcoming during the colder months.

This activity builds on Park Plaza’s generous support earlier in the year, when their sponsorship enabled us to plant a new holly hedge, now growing strongly and providing important habitats right through the centre of the Gardens.

Daniel Pedreschi, Executive Vice President Operations UK, said:

“At Park Plaza, we believe in creating meaningful connections beyond our hotels. Supporting Jubilee Gardens allows us to give back to the local community and help preserve a space that brings joy to so many. We’re proud to see our team’s efforts making a real difference.”

Ted Inman, Chair of the Jubilee Gardens Trust, said:
“We are extremely grateful for Park Plaza’s continued support for Jubilee Gardens. Their sponsorship of the new holly hedge has already made a visible difference, and we were delighted to welcome their volunteers to the Gardens. The team’s hard work and commitment made a significant impact in just one day, and we value this ongoing relationship enormously.”

The Jubilee Gardens Trust looks forward to continuing to work closely with Park Plaza as partners in enhancing and protecting this much-loved green space on the South Bank.