Southbank Centre and National Theatre open riverside box office

The temporary ticket office is situated on the Thames Path between the Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall and will be staffed by a team from both organisations.

The millions of visitors who walk along the South Bank this summer will be able to get information about what's on and buy tickets for performances, events and exhibitions taking place at either the National Theatre or Southbank Centre.

The ticket office and information point is a pilot project for this summer, and, if successful, will be developed further in the future.

"We are delighted to be working with the National Theatre this summer and we hope that the joint ticket office will increase the visibility of the events and activities taking place and in turn, boost ticket sales for both organisations," says Southbank Centre chief executive Alan Bishop.

Nick Starr, executive director of the National Theatre, added: "The extraordinary summer of 2012, when both the NT and Southbank Centre have vibrant outdoor festivals and packed programmes, is the perfect opportunity to launch this collaboration.

"We hope that the thousands of people passing our doors will be inspired to stop and visit us, perhaps for the first time."

The ticket office is open daily 10am to 8pm.