Barbican Arts, Events & Exhibition Centre - UK's Leading Centre Review

The venue is a bit dated looking, but I had a great time there nonetheless. Quick bar service.

"Into the Unknown" was disappointing. Very expensive (for what it gives you back) exhibition of pieces borrowed from the Science Museum (which is free), the rest taken from third hand bookstores. No real in-depth analysis of conceptual science fiction, just a display of quite flimsy old books, hollywood costumes and boring fake robots. Again, a hyped exhibition which does not deserve real science fiction amateurs' money.
A stroll into the Conservatory and a beer near the water is what you should go for!

Myself and four friends went to the Dalston House and had a blast. We didn't have that much time to take our photos, but it was sufficient. It would have been really nice if they had had someone to take the pictures for those people visiting the house though! We found it easily because we had an insider, however not sure how many others would be able to find it easily. That being said, perhaps it is better as a hidden gem!

One of my favourite museums in London.
I love the place itself and the gorgeous square outside with its ornamental lakes and the vegetation. It seems like a hidden paradise as it is not that simple to find our way to get to the Barbican Centre from the Undergound station ;-)
The exhibitions are very innovative as well.
Very relaxing spot !

The Barbican centre is worth a visit for the architecture alone. You can hear an echo if you are drunk enough to scream in the middle. If you are under 26 you can sign up to the amazing freeb and get lots of tickets to cinema, theatre or music concerts. Visit.

One of the most beautiful concert halls in London! Great concerts and events organized in this room attract crowds of tourists and locals every year. Phenomenal acoustics as well as the whole architecture of the building makes it really worth visiting this place if you are in London.

Watched a jazz concert here lovely place and venue.

One of the best theatres around in London.
Make sure you arrive early as there is always other things worth exploring going on in the Barbican centre.
The actual theatre layout is incredible and unlike your usual London theatres. The seating is plush and comfortable, it feels more like a luxury cinema viewing.

What a great building and a great show. Jesus Christ superstar, really crazy. Nice sound and good seats. Really a great evening!

I came for the exhibit on science fiction and dystopian futures, and I didn't enjoy how the exhibit was broken up across different floors and areas of the centre. The space overall felt chaotic and overwhelming. The building also felt very run-down and old.

Tea awful. Toilets awful. No info about buying timed tickets till we got in the queue. Won't be rushing up here again.

Very enjoyable day. Food good and reasonably priced.

Staff here a horrific. Fundemental issues with announcing show announcements at intervals. Unbelievable service!

Truly beautiful place and staff lovely and very helpful. Only thing I would say is its not amazingly accessible for people with a wheelchair. We really struggled as disabled facilities were very out of the way and couldn't even get to the main box office which has a set of stairs to get up to it with no ramp and disabled toilets were situated way way out of the way. Other than that it's a lovely hall and acoustics we're some of the best I've ever heard.

Excellent place to attend all its cultural events or simply to go read a good book and spend a relaxing afternoon, cinemas at a great price, library and events such as theater and live concerts, artistic presentations, art exhibitions, etc.

This venue is great for live concerts, cinema, exhibitions etc, good value for money and its architecture can be beautiful for some people but awful for anothers, I really love it.

Barbican Cinema was one of my highlights visiting London. Extremely clean, cozy & a beautiful cafe with the most delicious hot chocolate, and helpful staff. The movie screens aren't as big and you won't be engulfed in sound but everything More

Lovely theater. The cafe is really expensive but what else would you expect

London's Brutalist showcase 'ARTS' complex and an intrinsic part of the city's fabric. Once you have negotiated the dripping concrete mazes and labyrinthine skywalks find a functional and extraordinarily fit-for-purpose-up-to-date centre.
A deserved world-wide reputation and a primary contributor to London's enviable cultural cache.

Had a great show but the lift systems and exit gates are bit confusing leading to loss of our time as all of many exit gates were closed.

This place is a monstrosity but functions well. Was at a conference here.

Great building lots going on, some free exhibitions as well.

See the London Symphony Orchestra here. It is a must for the music lover.

If there's ever a Zombie apocalypse, and you're in London, head to the Barbican. It's self-contained, defensible, and there's lots of fresh water and living space.

So, toilets in the bar closed for men, toilets in the -1 floor closed for a private event and the ones in 3rd floor super busy and with not toilet paper. This is so basic human need...

Went to see Jesus Christ Super Star here last night, brilliant show, very good, Barbican a lovely venue, but a bit expensive, nice friendly staff and good atmosphere, easy to get to from kings cross.

Where to start?! The staff are happy to help and the facilities are great. Plenty of places to eat/drink that appeals to everyone's taste. The main theatre itself is stunning but a little warning, the doors (surrounding the seats) close simultaneously, they can be pushed open during and after the play.
The centre is a little confusing on a first visit but the staff are superb and there are plenty of services for a random visitor. The theatre, which we were visiting, looked small with no leg room but it was remarkably comfortable and the show was a delight. All in all a superb place to spend a day.

Great event held there, clean and very helpful/friendly staff

Always interesting..
Helpful staff.

not very well known, but a great place to spend a weekend watching some fine and performing arts.

Great place to just go and do some work on your laptop, or meet some friends for some board games. They have a few places with ok food and coffee. The exhibitions are cool as well.

A bit frustrated, having spent half an hour trying to become a member online and the system not allowing me. Yes I am computer literate and commerce savvy. Fault at Barbican end, not mine.

Fav spot in London. I am always in awe with this estate. Do take the architecture tour to appreciate it even more.

This is my favourite performance venue in London, used to come up to 4 times a week (and I live 2 hrs away!)
In recent year the curation has become somewhat slack though, hope they pick it back up

Beautiful spot to walk around and chill. Watched a Christmas mass. Nice theater.

Into The Unknown exhibition was excellent. Good to see sci fi presented as an intelligent genre. Not to mention Ralph Mcquarrie artwork.

Great venue to visit. Great shows. Jesus Christ Superstar! Julian Cope some of my fav.

One of London's most unique set of buildings and all round amazing space.

A lot of events with high varieties. Always have some free exhibition going along side with the paid/ticketed one. The library is nice and there is a very unique music library.

The food and drinks are on the expensive side. They charge about double on everything compare to a local pub. It may worth to eat before coming to the concert/event.

I love this place, it's one of the first things that amazed me about London. I instantly fell in love with the brutalist architecture, I spent hours wandering the halls as well as the exterior. There is a fantastic garden for residents as well as sunken bbq areas in the pond flowing through.

The Centre itself houses galleries, cinemas, theatres, concert halls and is a must for art fans.

If you're going then look up a map on the internet of where you need to go as it can become a labryinth once you are inside

Confusing finding your way into the Barbican but once you are there it has some great creative spaces and exhibits

Lovely theatre. Went to see Jesus Christ Superstar and it was amazing!

Nice place. I like the Library located on the second floor

Pretty good place to work, because it's quit. However, it's very dark inside so you get the winter blues as soon as you walk in.
Food and drinks are overpriced. So a good place to sit for a few hours, but not suitable to work all day

Unique architectural masterpiece! I enjoyed my visit

Thanks to everyone at Barbican for making it possible to listen to live music now. The space was meticulously clean, entry was carefully managed and seats were well distanced (alternate rows, 4-5 seats between customers). There's a carpark for those who wish to avoid public transport. We felt safe and had a brilliant night.

A great place to visit, I managed to have a building tour which take place every day (or similar/check the website for specifics) which I highly recommend. The guy who took the tour was very informative and led the tour really well, I learned a lot about the building and its history. The building itself is great and there was a brilliant free exhibition on at the time. The conservatory is also very beautiful but not always open to the public, only on specific days. Its worth a visit.

Came for the the "Into The Unknown" exhibition. Really good exhibition. Rest of the centre is good too. Good food in the cafe and a decent cup of coffee.

An architectural marvel. Always interesting events happening.

I visited the Barbican centre for the architectural tour. I got there a few hours early and decided to take a walk around, see an exhibition and grab a drink. The Jazz Festival had a stage set up which was a nice surprise with a lively band on.

It's quite an interesting centre, if you spend a bit of time there you find that part of the fun of the building is there are different ways to access the same thing. It's quite hard to describe.

I particularly liked the Food Court and the gift shop... also the tour is highly recommendable if you're interested in the architecture and history of the Barbican.

I adore every little nook and cranny of the Barbican from it's iconic brutalist concrete architecture to the myriad of cultural events that it hosts. In the past I have attended cosplay events, watched movies in a comfortable cinema, dined, shopped and accumulated a mass of unforgettable experiences strolling around exhibitions or just sitting peacefully with friends. Joy.

Well organised, seating had plenty of leg room for a tall guy. Acoustics were good. If you haven't been before, get there a little early as it is a bit of a maze so finding your way can be tricky when it's busy.

Very good concert hall and theatre, designed so that no matter where you sit, you are never very far from the stage. The acoustics are the best in London, which is why England's leading orchestra, the LSO, is based here. It is a bit of a maze so sometimes it can be difficult to find your way round.

Very good cultural venue with excellent programme all year round. Music is top notch with classical, world music and curated arts exhibition s.

Big venue, lots happening, library, music, cinema, theatre. Concrete.

A beautiful theatre with a big capacity.
Currently the London home of the great Royal Shakespeare Company.
I wish they'd take more risk with more edgy material.

It's always a great place for concerts and exhibitions.

Came here just for the Botanical garden/conservatory and it was absolutely lovely! It's only open to the public at certain times so make sure you look this up online but it's definitely a nice scene of greenery with a pond of koi fish. There's also a really nice seating area that you can have afternoon tea at but you need to book it online in advance.

My personal haven from work during lunch break. An absolutely must see for Brutalism fans.

Love it or hate it, the Barbican is a work of art. Great place to catch some theatre, drink a coffee, or chill out with the laptop.

A magical venue and a magical show: Jesus Christ Superstar

One of the must visit locations in town !
Lots of events and exhibitions related to arts and music.
There are many different areas and levels of interest.
Lots of dining choices with high quality food at reasonable prices too.
Its a beautiful building with admired design and architecture!
Highly recommended.

Awesome as ever. Brutalist architecture, great exhibitions, bars, cafes and a top live venue. Love it.

Like an upmarket council estate but without the Pound shop. Hard to navigate around, constant bag checks , locked or faulty doors throughout. and a 2 hour wait to get into the exhibition. I wont returning any time soon.

Awesome architecture, but hell to get around if you don't know your way.

So many facilities and things to do, so you can't possibly get bored. I was so excited to visit the Constructing Worlds exhibition. It was a great experience for me and I would like to enjoy this beautiful building again.

AI exhibition was as exiting as some high school project in some upper middle class privite school. And then the food in the canteen..hmm.. Where to start? In total overpriced and tasteless. Put down the cost of tickets and the food if you are not investing it back in quality of your offers.

Amazing place, well worth a visit saw Jesuc Christ Superstar, amazing!! The complex has so much going on.. Fantastic x

Went to see Hamlet in 2015, the place was intimidating because of the huge buildings but at the same time marvelous. Everybody was really friendly.

You can find some great shows here. Very down-to-earth and affordable. If you have fear of heights be careful with the upper-circle and gallery seats in the theatre.

Cherry orchard ????nooooo.
Alexander Petrov was great as usual-he can play in real theatre.4 stars are for the venue and Mr Petrov.The rest....no comments...it is not Chehov not Chekhov not even Check-off.
Buffonade ,lack of basic respect to one of the greatest writers of all times.Buu!! 3 stars in total

I've been captivated by this brutalist neighborhood, it's like a small concrete oasis in the middle of the city that never sleeps. You can easily get lost by its endless and labyrinthine catwalks, in fact if they throw a building the only condition that must be met in the neighborhood is to rebuild passrelas or that union is not lost. The entire neighborhood is connected. Incredible, it is worth getting lost in its high streets.

I'm watching the London Symphony Orchestra.
It was a barbecue hall and I made it very well.

Experience London's one of the coolest architectural pieces! Experience the Brutal!

Always free, nice exhibitions, installations, talks or events on the ground floor. You can also hire venues at Barbican. There are a cinema, art galleries, shops, and bars. Both art-house and blockbuster movies can be seen. Free study areas. Free, fast wifi connection. Nice restaurant. Great courtyard inside the complex. A coffee shop at the foyer/lounge. There are always cool, original designed objects & art and architecture books sold at the gift shop. Calm atmosphere.