Love at the Pictures, Royal Festival Hall

Are you a sucker for a good romance? If so, book a seat at the Southbank Centre’s Love at the Pictures, a season of romantic films on show at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Festival of Love.

The cavernous hall will be transformed into a luxurious cinema, hosting nine nights of amorous films this August. At the heart of the festival will be a showing of David Lean’s beloved adaptation of Noel Coward’s post-WW2 love extravaganza Brief Encounter (1945). The epitome of British Romance, this is a love story that is as much about familial duty as romantic love, and in this rendition will be accompanied by a live performance from the London Philharmonic Orchestra who will play Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2, made famous by this understated drama about British suburban life.

For those in search of something a little less tragic, the season also offers two sing-a-long evenings, with the chosen films much-loved classics Grease (1978) and Dirty Dancing (1987). Visitors are encouraged to dress up for the events, and lyrics will appear on screen for those who don’t know their ‘Chang chang changitty chang’ from their ‘rama lama lama’ or their ‘She’s Like the Wind’ from their ‘Hungry Eyes’. Gift bags will also be handed out to the lucky attendees.

Other films on offer include South Pacific (1958), Moulin Rouge (2001) and Hindi film Devdas (2002) which was, at the date of its release, the most expensive Bollywood film ever made. Each film will have a range of free activities on offer in the foyer before the start, as well as specially chosen food and drinks on offer. Book now to avoid disappointment.