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Tidefest
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Sunday 4 September
Tidefest is an annual celebration of the River Thames. Based at Strand on the Green in Chiswick and other locations along the Thames tideway, including Brentford and Barnes, it is an opportunity for a bit of fun by the river and to learn something about the waterway which plays such a huge part in the lives of Londoners, about its history and its ecology. Activities available for adults and children alike include boat trips, paddleboarding, canoeing, kayaking, river dipping, island visits, foreshore walks, an angling competition, art displays, seine netting, live fish tanks, children’s games, a circus workshop, stalls and refreshments. “We want people to enjoy and learn about as many of the wonders of the Thames Tideway as possible” said organiser Martin Salter. Eel Pie Island has become legend in the history of the British Blues explosion of the 1960s. The Eel Pie Island hotel, which hosted ballroom dancing in the 1920s and 1930s became famous as a Blues venue once trumpeter Brian Rutland started holding jazz sessions there in 1956. Famous names who played there included Long John Baldry’s Hoochie Coochie Men (including Rod Stewart), Acker Bilk, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (featuring Eric Clapton), The Who, The Yarbirds, The Tridents (featuring Jeff Beck), Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones. Take a trip over to the island to soak up the atmosphere and see ‘The Sixties on the Thames’ exhibition exploring the island’s music history and the role it played in getting so many big careers off the ground. Oliver’s Island is sadly misnamed. Oliver Cromwell did not hide out there during the English Civil War, nor is there a secret tunnel connecting the island to the City Barge pub. But it does have an interesting history nonetheless and this is a chance to visit a place normally closed to the public. The foreshore also is full of history – little bits of history which you can just pick up off the shore if you know what you’re looking for. A walk along the foreshore with archaeologist Dr Fiona Haughey will make you see it in a different light.
