Now in its 10th year, the annual Mayor’s Thames Festival celebrates London’s river with amazing open air arts, pyrotechnics, illuminations, river events, street theatre, massed choirs and music. All of the events transform public open spaces and most encourage the public to join in, from the Al Fresco Ballrooms in unique riverside environments to the Festival’s climactic event, a spectacular Night Carnival and fireworks display.
Southwark Bridge hosts Feast on the Bridge, a celebratory harvest event with fabulous food, drink and dancing. On Jubilee Gardens by the London Eye, jaw-dropping French group Transe Express creates stunning sounds and images from a beautiful human bell suspended high up in the air.
Stirring the Waters includes demonstrations and displays on the river and the chance to take a ride on traditional Thames sailing vessels. London Afloat on the Saturday includes a pageant of river vessels both old and new. Thames Day on the Sunday includes traditional rowing, canoeing, the Faldo Barge Driving Race and a new wherry and skiff race called the Watermen's Backboard Wager.
Pots made from Thames clay are shaped, fired and exhibited in Firing on the Foreshore. The Green Man stage programme includes fantastic world music and inspirational presentations from environmentalists Dr Vandana Shiva and Satish Kumar.
You’re invited to make a flower for the Butterfly House, a huge installation made from recycled materials by 5,000 children. Sixty huge artworks are displayed along the river bank and at the.gallery@oxo as part of Rivers of the World, a project linking the Thames, Ganges, Liesbeek, Nile and Yangtze. Don’t miss the 600-voice children’s and 600-voice adults’ Sing for Water choirs!
Three Al Fresco Ballrooms offer amazing opportunities for you to dress up and dance tango, jive and country. Jive Aces and acts from Lady Luck play on the Jive Stage. Buenos Aires Orchestra and Guillermo Rozentuler play at the UK’s biggest open-air milonga by Tate Modern. You can also Strip the Willow with Britain’s best, The Committee Band, on Southwark Bridge.
The music programme features the unique sounds of Baka Beyond with their Pygmy musicians from the forests of Cameroon; Orkestra del Sol with all the swagger of a Balkan wedding band; Brazilian Samba and Scottish Bagpipe fusion band MacUmba; Japanese taiko drumming group Akatsuki Daiko; dynamic and unique Korean percussion group Dulsori; gypsy Japanese street band Cicala Mvta; and Festival favourites The Bikini Beach Band.
Future Cinema’s interactive, theatrical night of short films is at The Scoop at More London. The water-themed films of Liquid Lens are shown at BFI.
New European Village returns featuring music and crafts from Baltic and Eastern European countries. The Festival’s environmental zone, the Blue Ribbon Village, includes a fabulous village pond, a spectacular story-telling whale and activities presented by a host of river-related organizations. And don’t forget to visit the lantern-making workshops at the South Korean Village.
There are events and activities for the whole family to enjoy. Come and have fun by the river!
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