The Birthday Weekender at a Glance
The Birthday Weekender at a Glance
Friday 9 May – South London sounds kick off the party as DJ sets from Peckham collective Jumbi and Radiate Festival pulse through the Turbine Hall, Corner Café and Terrace Bar from 6 pm until late.
Saturday 10 May – DAYTIMERS and Foundation FM take the reins with back-to-back DJ line-ups, while late-night gallery hours invite you to wander from Warhol to War Boys between 10 am and 10 pm.
Sunday 11 May – Bring the family for hands-on workshops, enjoy tarot readings inside Meschac Gaba’s Museum of Contemporary African Art and catch María Magdalena Campos-Pons’s new live performance in the Tanks, all running 10 am to 6 pm.
Monday 12 May – Ease into a quieter finale with curator-led tours of the new twenty-five-work trail, artist talks in Starr Cinema with Nalini Malani and Maxime Jean-Baptiste, plus special food and drink offers across the building, 10 am to 6 pm.
Star Attractions
- Maman Comes Home
Bourgeois’s 10-metre spider the first sculpture to greet visitors in 2000 returns to the Turbine Hall bridge for the weekend only. - 25 Icons Trail
A self-guided route highlights everything from Dalí’s Lobster Telephone to a freshly gifted Joan Mitchell triptych, Tate’s largest donation since 1969. - Live Art Everywhere
Abbas Zahedi stages a new piece in Gathering Ground, while Lawrence Lek mixes real-time gameplay and cinema in the Tanks, imagining an AI-run future. - UK AIDS Memorial Quilt
Displayed in full for the first time at Tate, the 1980s quilt reminds visitors that art can be a living memory and a call to action.
Why It Matters
Tate Modern helped cement South Bank and SE1 as one of Europe’s great art districts. Visitor numbers dipped after the pandemic, but the gallery’s ambition never did. This free party underscores its role as an open house for London: come for the DJs, stay for the Klimt, leave with fresh inspiration.
Insider Tips
- Arrive early if you want an unobstructed selfie with Maman.
- Book free performance slots online; some Tanks events have limited capacity.
- Refuel locally grab vegan bao at nearby Mallow or a riverside pint at The Anchor between sessions.
- Late Friday & Saturday: The Turbine Hall bar keeps pouring until 11 pm.
The Bottom Line
Free entry, world-class art, live music, and a giant spider looming overhead Tate Modern’s 25th Birthday Weekender is the ultimate spring culture fix. See you on Bankside, party hat optional.
