Sunshine, smiles and an array of live music was on display on the grassy banks of south east London last weekend as around 6,000 turned out for the return of Thamesmead Festival 2021.
The family-friendly festival saw the sun come out and the community 'rise and shine' during a vibrant celebration of culture and creativity "exploding out onto this often overlooked corner" of south east London.
The festival was held on the banks of Southmere Lake, a world-famous filming location, featuring in A Clockwork Orange, Beautiful Thing and Misfits, and it is the site of a major regeneration project led by Peabody.
With grazing ponies to one side and the iconic towers on the other, three stages hosted a varied line-up of rap, hip hop, gospel soul, jazz, street dance and spoken word at what has been described as 'London’s most unique festival'.
And the event received glowing reviews, with those hosting saying that while "there may be festivals with bigger headline names, but rarely has there been a festival as relaxed and joyful as Thamesmead Festival 2021."
Thanks to everyone who joined us at the #ThamesmeadFestival2021 on Saturday! We hope you had a fantastic day and got to sample a little of everything that #Thamesmead has to offer. Here are some highlights of the day. Roll on next year!@peabody @seriouslive @CCEventsUK1 pic.twitter.com/Lc3JrygEJt
— ThamesmeadNow (@ThamesmeadLDN) August 17, 2021
Festival highlights included a stonking soul set from Tracy Sada, the lyrical rhymes and experimental melodies of resident rapper Jules, captivating wordplay from flo-Poet Woodzy and Thamesmead's very own urban jazz/soul diva J Cocoa who dueted with festival headliner and honorary Thamesmeadian Breis.
Street dance group Dynamixx and the wellspring for rap sensation Enny brought the house down on the main stage.
Throughout the afternoon festival-goers were able to wander between stages and through the trees, checking out handcrafted goods by local makers while sampling delicious locally made food – from Back A Yard Grill’s spicy jerk chicken to Himalayan Tiffin's sublime slow-cooked mutton curry or Tipsy Kitchen’s alcohol-infused cupcakes.
Returning to the Thamesmead Festival due to popular demand was The Dog Show, which was a feature of the very first Thamesmead Town Festival in 1971 (alongside the throw a sponge at the vicar stall).
50 years on, Thamesmead residents no longer throw sponges at vicars but they clearly still love a Dog Show - which was expertly hosted by comedian and street entertainer Dave Chameleon.
There may be festivals with bigger headline names, but rarely has there been a festival as relaxed and joyful as Thamesmead Festival 2021, which saw the sun come out and the community rise and shine. Taking place on Saturday 14th August, an estimated 6000 people attended this family-friendly celebration of the culture and creativity currently exploding out of this often overlooked corner of South East London.
Wrapped around the grassy banks of Southmere Lake, with grazing ponies to one side and the iconic towers on the other, three stages hosted a vibrant and varied line-up of homegrown rap, hip-hop, gospel, soul, jazz, spoken word and street dance. Festival highlights included a stonking soul set from Tracy Sada, the lyrical rhymes and experimental melodies of resident rapper Jules, captivating wordplay from flo-Poet Woodzy and Thamesmead's very own urban jazz/soul diva J Cocoa who dueted with festival headliner and honorary Thamesmeadian Breis. Street dance group Dynamixx and the wellspring for rap sensation Enny brought the house down on the main stage.
Throughout the afternoon festival-goers were able to wander between stages and through the trees, checking out handcrafted goods by local makers while sampling delicious locally made food – from Back A Yard Grill’s spicy jerk chicken to Himalayan Tiffin's sublime slow-cooked mutton curry or Tipsy Kitchen’s alcohol-infused cupcakes.
Returning to the Thamesmead Festival due to popular demand was The Dog Show, which was a feature of the very first Thamesmead Town Festival in 1971 (alongside the throw a sponge at the vicar stall). 50 years on, Thamesmead residents no longer throw sponges at vicars but they clearly still love a Dog Show - which was expertly hosted by comedian and street entertainer Dave Chameleon.
There was a strong emphasis on homegrown talent, and programmed by local residents in partnership with live event producer Serious.
The winning entry for the inaugural Thamesmead Open art competition, created by artists M+R, will see a giant hot air balloon take to the skies clad in the textile creations of local community groups and residents. November 2021 sees the arrival of Light Up! an illuminated walk through Thamesmead’s many green spaces.
The festival was organised by the Thamesmead Festival Production Group, which is made up of 11 local residents, renowned arts organisation Serious and Peabody who commissioned and hosted the event.
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