Southbank Centre to host one-night orchestral takeover in February 2026

The Southbank Centre has announced Classical Mixtape: A Live Takeover, a one-night-only, multi-venue event taking place in February 2026, bringing together more than 200 musicians from six orchestras across its riverside site. Curated specifically for Under-30s audiences following the launch of the Centre’s new Under-30s scheme, the event offers a roam-as-you-like format that allows audiences to shape their own experience of classical music. Staged during the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary year, it marks the first time all six Resident Orchestras will perform across a single evening.

 Aurora Orchestra. Image Credit Jake Davis @jakephilipdavis

Designed as a series of 20-minute performances running on repeat, Classical Mixtape will invite audiences to “mix” their own live classical mixtape by moving freely between venues, shuffling and revisiting performances at will. Repertoire will span 600 years, from Beethoven to film music and minimalist classics, encouraging a flexible and informal approach to listening. The evening will open in the Royal Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ed Gardner, performing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, music from The Lord of the Rings and the finale of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony.

Across the site, each orchestra will present a distinct musical experience. The London Sinfonietta will perform music by Steve Reich in the industrial Undercroft, while Chineke! Orchestra will fill the Clore Ballroom with Margaret Bonds’ Montgomery Variations, performed alongside players from Chineke! Junior Orchestra. Elsewhere, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will offer a brass- and percussion-led programme inspired by Bavarian oompah traditions in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer, and Aurora Orchestra will explore Mahlerian alpine influences in the Purcell Room. 

The London Sinfonietta. Image Credit ©Domizia-Salusest

The night concludes with a grand finale in the Royal Festival Hall led by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Marin Alsop, featuring music from Star Wars and Holst’s The Planets, followed by a DJ set and late-night socialising. With accessible pricing and an audience-led format, Classical Mixtape aims to make world-class orchestral music feel open, social and entirely personal.

Date: Thursday 5 February 2026. Location: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. Price: from £30 + £3.50 booking fee/ £12 Under-30s including a complimentary pre-event drink. Book now