Festival of Britain Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations

Queen's Walk now boasts an urban beach, complete with 14 artist-designed beach huts, and Jeppe Hein's 'Appearing Rooms' fountain has returned. Both are part of a season of events to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Festival of Britain, which opened on May 3 1951 and was created to give Britons a feeling of recovery and progress after WWII. Activities takes place at venues across the Southbank Centre, celebrating British culture and creativity through performances, talks and exhibitions as well as themed weekends. The Centre is divided into four 'lands', which take as their inspiration themes from the 1951 South Bank exhibition – People of Britain, Land of Britain, Sea and Ships, Power and Production –and feature work by artists, designers and curators including Andy Holden, Michael Marriott and Colette Bailey. Those who attended the 1951 Festival and have memories, letters, diaries, postcards, photographs or film of the event are invited to participate by contacting the Southbank Centre by post (Festival Memories, Learning and Participation, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX) or email (festivalmemories@southbankcentre.co.uk) with details of what they have.