The Southbank Centre will launch Creative Intelligence, a three-day festival exploring the connection between art and technology, in September 2026.
The event takes place from Friday, 11 September to Sunday, 13 September across the center’s 11-acre site in central London. Organizers call it a “playground of art, technology and ideas,” uniting artists, writers, technologists, and the public for installations, performances, talks, and hands-on experiments.
Key attractions include Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg’s Pollinator Pathmaker and Anatomy of an AI System by Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler. The opening day features the Creative Intelligence Summit, with discussions involving musician Holly Herndon, author Jeanette Winterson, and artist Sougwen Chung. The summit concludes with a Deep Listening Session led by Herndon.
The festival also offers interactive workshops, live demonstrations, and the Peckham Digital Takeover. This segment highlights grassroots creative computing through performances, robot combat, and an Algorave, where music is generated by algorithms in real time.
The Southbank Centre’s event arrives as London’s cultural calendar grows, following the debut of SXSW London in 2025. Unlike traditional art fairs, this festival focuses on experimentation, mixing high-profile installations with community-driven events. The Peckham Digital Takeover moves away from institutional curation to spotlight local creators, providing a platform for emerging technologists and artists.
Visitors can combine the festival with Playing With Fire: An Immersive Odyssey with Yuja Wang, a mixed-reality concert experience running at the Southbank Centre from September 2026 to January 2027. The location near the London Eye, Tate Modern, and Borough Market makes it easy to pair with other attractions.
The event draws inspiration from the 1951 Festival of Britain, which showcased innovation in a post-war era. While that festival was a national celebration, this one zeroes in on the relationship between humans and technology.
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Programming adopts unpredictability. Workshops may involve coding music or designing AI-generated visuals, while performances could range from algorithmic dance to live robotics. The Algorave offers an unconventional night out, where software creates the music as the crowd listens.
For those preferring a quieter experience, the installations provide a reflective space. Pollinator Pathmaker uses AI to design gardens for pollinators, while Anatomy of an AI System examines the hidden labor and environmental costs of artificial intelligence. Both works encourage visitors to think about technology’s broader effects.
The summit’s lineup reflects a mix of viewpoints. Herndon, known for her AI-generated vocals, represents experimental music, while Crawford offers a critical perspective on technology’s societal impact. Their participation signals the festival’s approach: celebrating innovation while questioning its outcomes.
Tickets and details are available on the Southbank Centre’s website.
Early September timing may attract late-summer travelers, though crowds are likely due to London’s busy cultural schedule.
It remains unclear if the event will return annually.
For now, it presents a glimpse of how art and technology might evolve together.
