Viewing Harry Styles’ Meltdown Festival

Watermelon Sugar hits London.

Best of British. Our beloved Harry Styles takes the reins at Meltdown this month, becoming the 31st curator of the Southbank Centre’s annual artist-led festival at the iconic institution’s 75th anniversary year. Running across the Southbank’s 11-acre site, the 11-day programme follows a formidable line of past curators including David Bowie, Nile Rodgers and most recently Little Simz, each invited to shape the festival around their own artistic world and voice.

Harry Styles headlines his curation of Meltdown festival in a one-off performance with the Jules Buckley Orchestra at our iconic Royal Festival Hall mixing this with a wide ranging constellation of music, performance and participation from various artist friends and acts. This one-off performance with Buckley will raise funds for the Southbank Centre’s crucial work with young people and communities across the UK.

A critic worthy stellar line-up supported by Amex draws on Styles’ broad influences from pop, soul, electronic and rock to underground scenes and jazz. The line-up includes: Warpaint, Shabaka & Friends, Kamasi Washington, James Murphy and Soulwax, alongside free outdoor music, talks, workshops and participatory events across the site. Choose Love x Jon Hopkins pairs music and activism in support of displaced communities.

With big names, free stages, a diverse mix of sounds and late-night dancefloors, this year’s Meltdown is shaping up to be seriously Styles-ish.