Saturday Sessions: Storytelling with Hannah Lee
Discover the world of storytelling with writer Hannah Lee and illustrator Allen Fatimaharan, and come away with new skills, new friends and new ideas.
Saturday Sessions are the perfect place to start the weekend. On a monthly basis you can enjoy a piece of art, make something new along with the artists and create with other children and their families – all for free!
This month writer Hannah Lee and illustrator Allen Fatimaharan bring imaginative storytelling and live illustration to The Clore Ballroom, inviting us to create new stories and learn the art of illustration collectively.
Hannah Lee is an award-winning author from London. Her debut picture book My Hair is a celebration of Black hair, and her follow up The Rapping Princess is a fairytale about finding your voice.
Allen Fatimaharan is an award winning illustrator and animator based in Oxfordshire who has illustrated over twenty books since 2019. He was the World Book Day illustrator for 2022 and 2023.
Stick around afterwards for a freestyle Ballroom Boogie to get you moving into the weekend, with DJ tracks, dancing and games for all the family.
Need to know
Saturday Sessions are free, drop-in events with no booking required. The sessions are part of our Open Doors programme to welcome everyone into our creative spaces.
We also offer Relaxed Sessions, an adapted version for families who may benefit from a more chilled out space.
Access
Saturday Sessions take a relaxed approach to noise or movement coming from the audience. They give everyone permission to relax and respond naturally and people are free to come and go as they please. There is also a nearby rest space available to use for the duration of the session whenever needed.
You can join our free Access Scheme through your online Southbank Centre account or via email.
Find out more about our Access Scheme
All our access information
For your visit
This event is held at the The Clore Ballroom Southbank Centre
The Clore Ballroom is open six days a week.
Tuesday, 10am – 6pm*
Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
*If we’re hosting a performance, the building will stay open until the event ends.
Plan your visit
The Clore Ballroom is located inside our Royal Festival Hall on 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.
There is step-free access to The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, via a ramp.
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
Next to The Clore Ballroom is our Ballroom Cafe where you can grab a coffee and a piece of freshly made cake. Also 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 which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace.
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.