LDB Sessions - London Design Biennale

LDB Sessions

Friday Late

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27 Jun 2025 16:45 - 21:00 Edmund J. Safra Courtyard, Somerset House

Join us for a special evening at LDB including live music, food and drinks and performances! The Biennale will stay open until 9pm.

4.45pm: THE HERDS Public Performance (free)
London Design Biennale and Somerset House are proud to be partnering with THE HERDS, a groundbreaking public art and climate action initiative on a vast scale. THE HERDS, a group of life-size puppet animals, created by The Walk Productions, will arrive in London via Tower Bridge on Friday 27 June and make their way to London Design Biennale at Somerset House at 4.45pm on the first of their three-day stampede across the city. Their arrival marks the start of the London Design Biennale Late opening until 9pm (last entrance 8pm).

From 5pm onwards: Future Plate
Taste African and Caribbean-inspired burgers, snacks, sides & drinks in the Courtyard with Hospitality Partner Future Plate.

5.30pm: Textile Workshop with artist Zulfiya Spowart (free with an LDB ticket)
Join The Silk Road Pop-Up Teplo Store for an immersive textile workshop with artist Zulfiya Spowart in the London Design Biennale Lounge, and create a collage using elements of embroidery and decoration with beads and threads. Free with a Biennale admission ticket, drop in, first come, first served.

5.30pm & 7.30pm: Ogene Pulse: A Sonic Reset (free with an LDB ticket)
Step into the rhythm of remembrance and experience ‘Ogene Pulse: A Sonic Reset’ – a sound healing session held at the Nigeria pavilion. Channelling the sacred resonance of the Ogene drum, this momentary pause in time aims to clear, ground and awaken the senses. Free with a Biennale admission ticket, drop in, first come, first served.

7pm: Public Medal Ceremony (free)
The evening will also see the Public Medal awarded to the pavilion most voted for by the public, presented by London Design Biennale Director Victoria Broackes.

7:30pm: Hampton University Choir Public Performance (free)
As part of the event, there will be a special live performance by the Hampton University Choir, featuring a sophisticated blend of classical European traditions and African American gospel music. The choir first came to the UK in 1930 led by composer and choir Director R. Nathaniel Dett. Now, 95 years later, Hampton students will walk in those same footsteps, this time sharing their talents across London in a series of performances and cultural engagements that carry Dett’s legacy into the present day.

8pm: last entry for Friday Late
London Design Biennale's closes at 9pm on that day.

Outdoor performances, weather permitting.

With thanks to our Hospitality Partner Future Plate and Drinks Partner Gusbourne.

Public Performances are free to attend. Book tickets for the Biennale