Moomin 80: The Installation
Take a walk around the outside of our installation, the iconic Moominhouse, which has been built by Woodland Tribe and lots of child helpers.
To celebrate 80 years of the Moomins, Counterpoints Arts and Moomin Characters Ltd have joined forces to commission the building of a very special house.
Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories are beloved for their inclusive and welcoming spirit, with themes of safety, love and family at their heart.
The first Moomin story is 1945’s The Moomins and the Great Flood, which mirrors the wartime reality of many displaced people seeking refuge. Today it can be read as a parable of the climate crisis.
At the end of the story, the family settles in the Moominhouse, where the door is always open to those who need shelter. It is that special place that is reinterpreted here for the anniversary.
During the day, you can join workshops and play sessions in the house and its surroundings, and after the house is locked up at night, you can walk around the outside and admire the work from 6pm.
Woodland Tribe go all over the UK promoting adventure play and child lead building. You may have seen their work at the Tate Modern, Compton Verney Art Gallery or leading UK festivals like Glastonbury or Shambala.
Counterpoints is a leading national organisation in the field of arts, migration and social change. They support the arts by and about refugees and migrants and produce a range of programmes in the UK and internationally, including Refugee Week, PopChange and Platforma festival. Their work takes place at the intersection of climate, racial justice, mental health and displacement.
This installation is co-commissioned and co-produced by Counterpoints Arts and the Southbank Centre, made possible by the support of Moomin Characters Ltd. in celebration of 80 years since the publication of the first Moomin story.
Presented ahead of our programme for Refugee Week 2025.
Need to know
For this session the house is locked. If you would like to go inside the house, help chop wood and hammer nails, you can book a free ticket for one of our Play, Make, Dream sessions from 10.30am each day, or you can access the house if you book a ticket for an Open House afternoon session, where there is free play for children.
For your visit
This event is held at the Riverside Terrace Southbank Centre
The Riverside Terrace is open all day, every day*.
*If you’re attending an event on our Riverside Terrace, check the event listing for start and finish times.
Plan your visit
The Riverside Terrace is an outdoor space overlooking the River Thames, on Royal Festival Hall, Level 2.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
Through the glass from Riverside Terrace on Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.