Queen Victoria opened the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, and in 2021 the venue is celebrating 150 years of cultural uplift. Throughout its history, the Hall has hosted everything from the 1968 Eurovision Contest to film premieres, classical music, and tennis tournaments. Sir Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama, Emmeline Pankhurst, and Nelson Mandela have all visited the London venue. Celebrations include a birthday concert on March 29—a year in the making—led by David Arnold, the multi-award-winning composer of scores for Sherlock and five Bond films. The year also holds a series of headline shows by Patti Smith, John Legend, Eric Clapton, Tinie Tempah, and more, as well as a week-long festival called “Journeys,” curated by the British-Indian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Nitin Sawhney, and celebrating the contributions of immigrants to the Hall’s success. —B.A.