London’s South Bank has been transformed for four months to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain.
The festival took place in 1951 as a celebration of British talent in industry and design. One of the main buildings for the event was the Royal Festival Hall.
The historic event is being celebrated this year with performances and activities taking place in and around the Southbank Centre. The festival anniversary will run until the beginning of September.
A giant straw fox has appeared on the South Bank as part of the festival. Another unusual site has been Udderbelly, which is a huge purple cow with a theatre inside.
A museum has been created to tell visitors more about the original Festival of Britain and beach huts and a helter skelter form part of a beach on the River Thames.
Performances are taking place in the Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall throughout the four months.
Jude Kelly, artistic director of the Southbank Centre, said: “The British Isles is truly worth celebrating and you don’t have to be jingoistic to celebrate it.
“This summer, we pay homage to this extraordinary event – and the thinking and vitality behind it – which paved the way for a better future for the country, following the aftermath of the Second World War.”
The Royal Festival Hall, which sits at the centre of the South Bank complex, was designed and built for the start of the original festival in May 1951. Events were also held over Britain between May and September.