reward yourself on...
Festival team Adrian Evans Festival Director / Sophie Branscombe General Manager / Lucy Plaskett Corporate Partnerships / Kitty Ross Programme Manager / Michelle Butler Programme Manager / Nicky Petto Programme Manager / Piers Mason Marketing Manager / Rosey Mercer Finance Manager / Victoria Smith Project Assistant / Chrissie Leveridge Project Assistant /Jonathan Bartlett Production Manager / Helen Wilding Production / Oliver Luff Production Support / Emma Lawson PR / Barny Crockford Festival Market
With additional support from Kate Forde, Alex North, Anya Johnson and Peter Slavid. And huge thanks to all our other volunteers and helpers who make the event possible.
Trustees Simon Hughes MP (Chair), John Barker, Erica Bolton, Robert Gordon Clark, Cllr Jim Dickson, Henry Fajemirokun, Kate Hoey MP, Sue Hughes, Phil Morris, George Nicholson, Huilin Proctor, Justine Simons, Uday Thakkar, Iain Tuckett The Mayor’s Thames Festival, 99 Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PP / 020 7928 8998
www.thamesfestival.org
How we fund the festival
www.thamesfestival.org
photo competition Your chance to capture the spirit of the Mayor’s Thames Festival, with great prizes to be won, so while you’re enjoying the festival fun, always remember your camera! We’re looking for pictures that capture the energy and excitement of the festival, against the London skyline, so enter your best shots for a chance to win the new Olympus EPL1 Double Zoom kit worth over £700, and some great runner-up prizes too. Details of how to enter are at www.thamesfestival.org
11 & 12 Sept 2010, 12–10pm, FREE Rewards for the fun of it
Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge & beyond
The Mayor’s Thames Festival is produced by Thames Festival Trust, a not-for-profit charitable trust. The Trust bids annually to many grant-giving organisations and develops sponsorship partnerships with many businesses.
Celebrate the launch of our new loyalty programme – Barclaycard Freedom and enjoy lots of free rewards and games in Jubilee Gardens this weekend, courtesy of Barclaycard and our retail partners.
The Trust would like to say a huge thank you to all our supporters for their loyalty, passion, vision and generosity – we couldn’t do it without you.
With Barclaycard Freedom, we make it easy to earn and redeem rewards any time, simply by using your Barclaycard in participating retailers.
If you would like to support the festival please contact Lucy Plaskett on l.plaskett@thamesfestival.org
Find out more at www.barclaycard.co.uk/freedom
59%
19%
sponsorships & private sector partnerships / 59% self-generated income / 22% grants from public funding organisations / 19%
The Mayor’s Thames Festival is organised by Thames Festival Trust. Registered charity number 1074794. The Trust reserves the right to cancel or amend the advertised programme. Front Cover Photo Credits: Barry Lewis, Alley Payne, Nick Reynolds & Richard Thomson Design by Why Not Associates
Photo: Chun-Han Chan, 2009 Photo Competition Winner
22%
Printed on 100% recycled paper
welcome to the 14th mayor’s thames festival London owes its very existence to the Thames and we celebrate this wonderful city by dancing in the streets, feasting on bridges and playing by the river’s edge. Thames Festival’s focus is on creating participatory events for both young and old. It is free for everyone to enjoy. More than anything, this is London’s festival. Come on down to the river and have a fantastic weekend! Adrian Evans, Festival Director next year’s dates: 10 & 11 september
freedom stage
zone one
saturday & sunday, 12 noon–10pm jubilee gardens The sound of the new underground, resounding with artists that are creating a buzz: bands that are intelligent, cool, self-aware, independent-minded and won’t be boxed in by musical categories. Resident DJs Nick Luscombe and Max Reinhardt with MC Rita Ray Saturday 12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm 4.10pm 5.15pm 6.20pm 7.25pm 8.30pm
Poppy & Friends Sam Sallon Hannah Peel Tawiah Sweet Billy Pilgrim Krystle Warren The Invisible Ben Westbeech Saravah Soul
Sunday 12pm 12.55pm 1.55pm 2.55pm 4pm 5.05pm 6.10pm 7.15pm 8.30pm
Kersha Bailey Delta Maid Lail Arad Son of Dave Ty CW Stoneking Kitty, Daisy & Lewis Speech Debelle Ska Cubano
The Festival Freedom Stage has been programmed with The Shrine’s Elliott Jack, Max Reinhardt & Rita Ray.
Photo: Ska Cubano by Louise Roberts
02/03
zone one
all eyes on korea saturday & sunday, 12 noon–10pm jubilee gardens
The best of Korean contemporary arts and culture, traditional foods and workshops with the artists and performers. Presented in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre UK. Saturday 12 & 4.30pm Taekwondo demonstrations by world class fighters 1.30 & 6pm Break Out extreme dance comedy 3pm Winterplay Korea’s foremost mainstream jazz band 7.30pm Baramgot the group improvise on traditional instruments to international acclaim Sunday 12 & 4.30pm Taekwondo see above 1.30 & 6pm Break Out see above 3pm Baramgot see above 7.30pm Winterplay see above 7pm
A sampling and demonstration of bibimbap, part of Korea’s cultural cuisine.
Workshop timetable Open to all, these sessions provide an opportunity for festival-goers to unleash their inner b-boy, martial artist or musician. Saturday 1pm 2.30pm 4.30pm 5.30pm 7pm
Photo: Break Out
Taekwondo Break Out Baramgot Taekwondo Break Out
Sunday 1pm 2.30pm 4pm
Taekwondo Break Out Baramgot
04/05
bbc blast on tour at the thames festival
zone one
saturday, 11.15am–7pm & sunday, 10.45am–6pm main truck at southbank centre square bat van under hungerford bridge Exciting free BBC Blast workshops for 13- to 19-year-olds, including fashion design, animation, TV presenting, 3D games design, photography, music production, and much more. Blast is the BBC’s youth creativity service and is online, on tour and on TV. From first-timers to emerging artists, Blast is a powerful and free resource which inspires and supports creative journeys for teenagers.
bbc blast film residency supported by the bfi A group of young trainee film-makers aged 16 to 19 are undertaking production training with BBC Blast to create four original film shorts to tell behind-the-scenes stories of the Thames Festival. You may even be interviewed by them over the Festival weekend! The final edited short films will be screened at the BFI at the end of September, and on the BBC Blast and Thames Festival websites.
Photo: BBC Blast workshop
06/07
southbank centre
zone one
live african music in queen elizabeth hall foyer Saturday 1.30pm Bulawayo
Sunday 2pm 4Seasons Band & Temitope Ajayi 4pm Sona Jobarteh 6pm Laye Sow
cadbury spots v stripes saturday, 12 noon–10pm & sunday, 12 noon–7pm jubilee gardens and potters fields park To celebrate being the official treat provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Cadbury has created Spots v Stripes – the biggest, longest, most fun game ever. Come and challenge our amazing giant Eyeball game in Jubilee Gardens. At Potters Fields Park you can battle the clock to catch spotty and stripey fish! For more information visit www.spotsvstripes.com
photo masterclasses saturday & sunday, 12 noon–5pm under hungerford bridge Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera are providing free drop-in classes for Festival visitors. Nigel Atherton, Editor of WDC, and photographers including professional photographer and author John Freeman will give presentations throughout the day, giving you top tips on getting great photos of the festival. Don’t forget to enter our Photo Competition for a chance to win an Olympus EPL1 kit worth over £700 and great runner-up prizes.
Photo: Ray Wise
For details of Festival Fireworks see page 13
08/09
new european village
zone one
saturday & sunday, 12 noon–10pm Hungary, Poland and Romania will be presenting traditional folk crafts such as embroidery, textile-weaving, lace-making, pottery and woodcarving. Come and see traditional Romanian loom demonstrations, see how the world famous Hungarian Zsolnay porcelain is painted by hand, and learn about the work of the European Commission in the UK.
festival market saturday & sunday, 12 noon–10pm Over the weekend, the Thames Festival Market showcases the very best of small scale independent designer/makers, complemented by a selection of superlative food providers. Each area of the festival site will have food stalls, arts and crafts traders, and bars serving a variety of refreshments to cater to your every need. Over 300 individual traders have been carefully selected from across the UK, with an emphasis on artisans producing high quality products, and a clear policy on sustainable and ethical sourcing of produce.
Photo: Angell
10/11
night carnival
zone two
sunday, 7.15–9.30pm victoria embankment, blackfriars bridge & upper ground This year’s Night Carnival promises to be bigger and better than ever, with over 2,000 dancers, musicians and masqueraders taking to the streets in an unrivalled display of street arts and creativity. The 30 groups taking part are: A.P.P.L.E, ArtStart, Blocofogo, Brunel Engine House Museum, Close Act (the Netherlands), Caporales San Simon UK, Emergency Exit Arts, Emily Tracy with Gayhurst School, the Fanfara din Vorona (Romania), Feltham Arts Association, Festive Road, Flamingo Carnival Arts, Fox Carnival Band, Genesis Carnival Company, HAFAD, Imagineer Productions, Inspiration Arts, Kinetika Bloco, Latin American Multicultural Group, London School of Samba, Mandinga Arts, Morenada Bloque Kantuta, Open Blue, Paraiso School of Samba, Same Sky, SE1 United, Shademakers (Germany), Sunshine International Arts, Taru, Trans-Siberian March Band.
fireworks finale sunday, 9.45pm river thames between waterloo and blackfriars bridges London’s best mid-river display is fired from two barges on the Thames between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridges. This year’s commission really stretches the boundaries of pyrotechnic creativity. Commissioned from Pains Fireworks, display designer Mike Jones was winner of the Montreal International Fireworks Competition in 2007, considered within the industry to be the Olympics of the fireworks world.
Photo: Paraiso School of Samba by Alex Pavlou
12/13
watch this space festival
zone two
saturday & sunday, national theatre square Lunapark – De Stijle, Want... (Netherlands) In a mere 1min and 23secs, experience all the fun of the fair – the excitement, the thrills, the fear, the breathlessness and the sense of relief when it’s all over. Saturday & Sunday, 2–5pm Fanfare Tout Terrain – Les Grooms (France) Anarchic French brass band who surprise, delight and make you jump with their manic musical diversions. Saturday 1pm & 6.30pm, Sunday 1pm & 4pm Überfluss – Bängditos (Germany) An unreliable, giant pyrotechnic fountain that guarantees a wet weekend, whatever the weather; waterproofs optional. Saturday 10pm, Sunday 8pm
thames beach sunday, 10am–2pm foreshore at gabriel’s wharf Join Thames21 and the Environment Agency as they bring the foreshore to life! Thames21, London’s leading waterways charity, will be running a whole host of fun events for people, young and old. Build a sandcastle, have a go at welly-throwing, or find and decorate an interesting pebble to take away with you.
Photo: Linda Cornell
14/15
the house of fairy tales’ travelling art circus
zone two
saturday & sunday, 12 noon–7.30pm bernie spain gardens The House of Fairy Tales present their spectacular, participative Travelling Art Circus with a series of magical water-themed workshops and activities for families and people of all ages. With the help of over 100 primary schools from 33 London boroughs, six interactive themed exhibition spaces have been created by the children and artists who took part in the Thames Festival’s pan-London education project, with a fully functioning waterwheel sculpture at its centre. The Waterwheel embodies ideas of sustainable energy, creative innovation, storytelling and the values of water, inspired by children who understand the importance of such things, both now and for the future! The House of Fairy Tales is a child-centred, adult-friendly arts project instigated by acclaimed artists Gavin Turk and Deborah Curtis. The House of Fairy Tales create immersive theatrical environments where learning is play and play is a fine art. Check out the website to see more www.houseoffairytales.org
Photo: The House of Fairy Tales
16/17
hoedown stage
zone two
saturday & sunday, 12 noon–8.30pm oxo tower wharf curated by the house of fairy tales Saturday BBC Folk Club 2010 award-winners The Magpie’s Nest present A Field Trip in Folk 12pm Manifesto DJs Alberto & Todd Hart 1pm Dogan Mehmet Anglo-Turkish gypsy-punk Uiscedwr British contemporary folk trio 2pm 3pm Sam Lee and the Gillie Boys English folk with a hint of 70’s kraut-rock, disco and bluegrass 4pm Cath and Phil Tyler American balladry 5pm Jigjaw all-singing, all-dancing quartet Princes in the Tower Baroque folk rock 6pm 6.30pm Perunika Bulgarian acappella group 7pm Walsh and Pound banjo and harmonica wizards 7.40pm Ustad Haji Ameer Khan & The Khan Brothers traditional Qawaali Sunday Swamp Rock present A Musical Gumbo Ice Cold Idiots 12pm 12.30pm Alonim Israeli Dancers Spanish-style and Yemenite dance, with the Southgate Belly Dancers Severed Limb rockabilly/skiffle 1pm DJs Flying Home and Lil’ Queenie 2pm Hopkele Klezmer ceilidh with caller Ilana Cravitz 2.30pm 3.30pm DJs Flying Home and Lil’ Queenie 3.50pm East Of Ealing eclectic fiddle-driven global mix DJs Flying Home and Lil’ Queenie 4.45pm Kremlinaires Soviet Swing and Bolshevik Boogie! 5.05pm 6.15pm DJs Flying Home and Lil’ Queenie Suzie Wheller Zydeco dance workshop 6.30pm 7.15pm Elvis Fontenot & The Sugarbees European Zydeco band of the year 2006 & 2009
Photo: Uiscedwr by Hannah Partaj
18/19
rivers of the world exhibition
zone two
thursday 19 august to sunday 12 september 11am–6pm at gallery@oxo (extending to 9pm on 11 & 12 september) all day along the riverside walkway In 2010, students from London, Kolkata (India), Szentendre (Hungary), Paris (France), Bangkok (Thailand), Washington DC (USA) and Istanbul (Turkey) worked with artists to create 64 magnificent artworks inspired by the study of their, or their partner city’s, river. The artworks are on display along the banks of the River Thames and in the gallery@ oxo as part of the Thames Festival and will also be enjoyed by millions of people in the coming months as they travel to riverside locations in each of the participating cities. ‘Every time when I see the river I now wonder, what would the rivers want to tell us? I think I know. The rivers want to tell us to take care of them’, Kanomcake (pupil), Sirirattanathorn School, Bangkok Rivers of the World is the Festival’s flagship art and education project. Delivered in partnership with the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms, and with support from HSBC Global Education Trust, the project links schools and over 2,000 young people around the world through common river themes.
gallery@oxo is owned and managed by Coin Street Community Builders, www.coinstreet.org
Photo: Cengelkoy 4 Murat Ilkögretim Okulu with artist Barıs Karayazgan (Turkey)
Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival project delivered in partnership with the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms and with support from HSBC Global Education Trust.
20/21
archaos – the sensations of the circus world
zone two
thursday 9 to sunday 12 september 11am–7pm, open until 8.30pm on 11 & 12 september bargehouse, oxo tower wharf Between 1988 and 1991 a radical French circus company called Archaos scandalized the UK with their dangerous chainsaw-juggling, raunchy Gallic attitude and explosive, two-fingers-in-the-face-of-Health & Safety performances. The UK circus scene was shaken to its very core and would never be the same again. Archaos toured the world, but they were at their best in the UK – press and audiences loved them and well over one hundred Brits attempted to run away and join the maverick troupe. Perhaps predictably, the dream ended with a bang; bankruptcy ensued when The Cathedral tent was destroyed by gale force winds. This exhibition features photographs by Gavin Evans, Ian Patrick, Philippe Cibille and Dominique Margot and it tells the Archaos story in press clippings, video extracts, personal memories and a history based on original material by Sophie Kennedy Martin. On Saturday 11 at 4pm, for the first time in over twenty years, Mark Borkowski, the publicist behind the “mad, bad and dangerous to know” Archaos image, will reveal some of the dark arts employed to launch the infamous circus troupe. Bargehouse is owned and managed by Coin Street Community Builders, www.coinstreet.org
Photo: Gavin Evans
22/23
lady luck jive stage
zone three
saturday & sunday, 12 noon–10pm tate modern forecourt The Jive Stage and al fresco ballroom return with a jam-packed weekend of swing, jive and lindy hop for all, whether you’re an aficionado on the dance floor or just a beginner. Saturday 12pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 7.30pm 7.45pm 8pm 9pm
London Swing Dance Society The Bombshellettes DJ Tim Jumpin’ Jive La Belle Vie Band DJ Lady Kamikaze Dom James and his Dixie Ticklers DJ El Nino The Strumpettes The Baron and Missy’s Misadventures Number Nine DJ El Nino
Sunday 12pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm 7.30pm 7.45pm 8pm 9pm
Maddy’s Jiving School The Jive Aces DJ Count Sizzle The Mule Skinners DJ Lady Kamikaze Sugar Ray Ford, Zephyrs of Swing DJ Lady Kamikaze The Strumpettes The Baron and Missy’s Misadventures James Hunter DJ El Nino
The Lady Luck Jive Stage was programmed with El Nino, founder and resident DJ at the Lady Luck and Black Cotton Club.
Photo: Richard Thomson
24/25
tate movie project
zone three
saturday & sunday, 10am–6pm tate modern forecourt CBBC has teamed up with the Tate Movie Project to provide a two-day art, film and animation event at the Thames Festival. Children will be able to drop in and have a go at a range of activities including drawing and animating. There will be experts from BAFTA, Aardman and CBBC on hand to provide useful demos, talks and tips on film-making and animation. As well as hearing from the experts, children can contribute their drawings, sounds and ideas to the Tate Movie Project, a 20-minute animated film produced by Aardman Animations (the makers of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep) to be shown on BBC TV in 2011. Part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, the Tate Movie Project is supported by the Legacy Trust UK, BP and CBBC. www.tatemovie.co.uk
walk & explore london saturday, 9.30am–4.30pm tate modern forecourt Walk & Explore is a Children’s Society sponsored walking adventure. What better way to start your festival day than by enjoying the capital’s sights and walking its famous bridges as you wind your way through London? The walk will officially start at 10.30am. Participants should aim to arrive between 9.45am and 10.15am in order to receive their free t-shirt, route map, walker ID badge and stamp station postcard for the children. Photo: Lorna Palmer
26/27
feast on the bridge
zone three
saturday, 12 noon–10pm southwark bridge ‘Feast on the Bridge is about bringing people together in celebration to share food, to talk, to dance and to reclaim a beautiful public space in the heart of the city.’ Clare Patey – Curator, Feast on the Bridge Feast on the Bridge, London’s most inspiring and spectacular food event, returns for a fourth year. As well as delicious food from some of the UK’s best sustainable producers, there will be workshops, baking, live music, dancing and making merry! This year, Brockwell Bake will set up their bakery on the bridge, milling heritage wheat grown on London allotments and baking bread in wood-fired ovens. There will be a giant fruit salad toss made from surplus fruit, along with mass toasting and a filmic finale from Magnificent Revolution’s cycle-powered cinema. Come and learn about bees and wormeries, and try your hand at thatching, butterchurning and corn dolly-making. Other highlights include: shadow puppets, edible hats, scarecrows, composting, skep-making, cake-decorating, morris men, food stories and much, much more… Live music from Les Apaches, Errol Linton, Movimiento Cultural, Amigo Artista, Brassroots, Mariachi Mexteca, Fanfara din Vorona, Trans-Siberian March Band and Hot Club of Belleville.
Photo: Barry Lewis
28/29
bringing the bones to life
zone three
saturday 4 to sunday 19 september, 10am–1pm and 2–5pm by bankside pier Inspired by his encounters with Indian tigers in the Ganges Delta, artist Mark Coreth is sculpting a life-sized tigress climbing down to her cub. Starting with a plaster skeleton, the animals will be completed over the festival weekend with the assistance of volunteers from the public. Part of WWF’s Year of the Tiger Campaign.
firing on the foreshore saturday, 12 noon–6pm foreshore by the globe theatre Join the Bankside STEWards firing pots made from Thames clay on the Thames foreshore as they were 6,000 years ago. The fires will be extinguished by the incoming tide at about 2.30pm.
archaeological walks saturday, 12 noon and 1pm the globe river steps Come and walk on the Thames foreshore where you can find 10,000 years of multicultural history beneath your feet. Thames archaeologist Dr Fiona Haughey leads tours revealing the mysteries of the river, from prehistoric forests to Roman roof tiles and 6,000-year-old pots.
Photo: Brian Skilton
30/31
cutter races
zone three
sunday, 2–3pm southwark bridge to waterloo bridge and back to millennium bridge Cutters date from the early fifteenth century and were the chosen vessel used by officials like the Admiralty and Customs. There is live commentary on the race on Millennium Bridge.
river parade saturday, 2.50–4.45pm queen elizabeth II pier (by the o2) to millbank pier (pimlico) and back to tower bridge From pleasure cruisers to sailing barges, luxury yachts to oyster smacks, the Thames Festival River Parade combines exceptional historic vessels with everyday working boats. This year the Parade will be heralded by the Charmborough Ring, whose peal will be echoed by riverside churches from Greenwich to Lambeth. There is live commentary on the Parade at Potters Fields Park.
barge-driving races sunday, 12.30–1pm & 3.30–4.15pm These races re-enact the way watermen manoeuvred their barges on the Thames in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Modern-day watermen and lightermen compete in the main race, while the Newcomers’ Race is for friends, family and apprentices. Live commentary from Millennium Bridge. 12.30–1pm 3.30–4.15pm
Photo: Angell
Newcomers’ Race (Tower Bridge to Waterloo Bridge) Steve Faldo Memorial Barge-Driving Race (Tower Bridge to Westminster Bridge)
32/33
a river enquiry
zone four
saturday & sunday Three British artists, commissioned by home live art in collaboration with the Mayor’s Thames Festival, present new works created in response to the River Thames. Through performance, text and action each artist explores a different dimension of our present-day relationship with London’s river. Thames Water – Amy Sharrocks 12–7pm at Potters Fields Park Amy Sharrocks is filling a paddling pool with water from the Thames and inviting people to roll up their trousers to wade through the water of the city. Save Me – Search Party 3–5pm at London Bridge / HMS Belfast 7–9pm at Tower Bridge / HMS Belfast Save Me tests the limits of intimacy between two people separated by the River Thames. Using semaphore and Morse code two unique conversations take place between HMS Belfast and the distant bridges on either side. Cold Water Fun – Tim Etchells Imagine the city and its river in new and unexpected ways through this virtual programme of events for the River Thames. Pick up a pamphlet from the Programme Point and selected stalls in the Blue Ribbon Village.
Photo: Tim Mitchell
34/35
kids’ choir
zone four
saturday, 1–2pm the scoop at more london In 2010 the Mayor’s Thames Festival has commissioned the internationally renowned British composer Jonathan Dove and librettist Alasdair Middleton to compose a new cantata, inspired by the River Thames, for a thousand children’s voices. River Songs will be performed for the first time as a spectacular opening event at this year’s festival. Kids’ Choir is a Year 5 singing project which builds upon the highly successful model developed by the Thames Festival since 2003, aimed at increasing and supporting singing in schools.
sing for water sunday, 1–2pm the scoop at more london Choirs from across the UK will journey to The Scoop at More London to sing in a unique, massed choir concert, raising money for WaterAid. Co-directed by Michael Harper and Roxane Smith, Sing for Water features an international repertoire of songs – from Croatia to Korea – making global connections through water. This year looks set to be the biggest yet with over 800 singers registered from 50 choirs, some of whom will travel hundreds of miles to take part.
Photo: Barry Lewis
36/37
the scoop at more london
zone four
Some of the UK’s best street acts entertaining young and old with a mix of slapstick, poetic puppetry and ground-breaking juggling. Saturday 3 & 5.30pm Anyone for Tennis – Fairly Famous Family Wimbledon comes to the Thames Festival. New balls please. 3.30pm London Bulgarian Choir This forty-strong award-winning choir is Radio 3’s ‘Open’ Choir of the Year. 4.15 & 6.45pm Gaiety Engine – The Strangelings A wolf-boy, a fakir, and a mermaid named Terence. 8pm The Lost World – Paper Cinema What happens when inkpots, photocopies, cardboard, angle-poise lamps and projectors collide? Part puppet show, part cinema, a fascinating and haunting mix of live music and animation. Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved tale of adventure, discovery and dinosaurs. 9pm Hymn for London Bridge – Bevis Bowden’s short film of Nick Franglen’s improvised performance created in response to the massed choir of commuters on London Bridge over a 24 period. 9.30pm Nightflyer – Paper Cinema Our hero crosses the night in a mysterious train, in search of the lost flying girl. Sunday 3 & 5.30pm The Sweet Life – Gandini Juggling A cheeky celebration of summer life in the city inspired by Fellini’s ‘La Dolce Vita’. 4.15 & 6.45pm Sports Day – Bread and Butter Theatre Olympic legends attempt to uncover the inner Olympian hiding in all of us. 8pm Night Clubbing – Gandini Juggling Illuminated clubs programmed to fade, strobe and change colour. Photo: Paper Cinema
38/39
blue ribbon village
zone four
saturday & sunday, 12 noon–7pm potters fields park The Blue Ribbon Village is the Thames Festival’s family-friendly interactive river and environment zone. Decorated by beautiful flags made by artist Shona Watt, Potters Fields Park is the place to explore the river’s wildlife, the industries it supports and its history. The Blue Ribbon Village is also the place to find out about protecting natural habitats and the UK’s diverse animal species. Wildlife Man Find out about the everyday wildlife in rivers and ponds by taking part in a mini pond-dipping workshop. The Amazing Cycle-Powered Answer to Everything Machine Join Professor Kayoss and his host of recycled puppets for 40 minutes of hilarious environmental awareness. Whale of a Time Workshop Have a go at modeling your favourite animal out of clay whilst finding out about endangered species. Natural England Test what you know about the plants and animals of England in a biodiversity quiz and get creative with creature crafts. Storytelling Take your imagination on a journey downriver with Kate Portal’s songs and stories. Plus: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Bert and Betty Books, British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Coral Cay Conservation, Greenpeace, Inland Waterways Association, Kenya Jacaranda Heritage Sailing, London Beekeepers Association, London Coastguard, London Ships, Maritime Volunteer Service, Oxfam, PLA, Ramblers, River of Flowers, River Thames Alliance, RNLI, Thames21, ThamesArt, Thames Clippers, Thames Discovery Programme, Thames Estuary Partnership, Thames Explorer Trust, Thames Rivers Restoration Trust, Thames Water, Waterways Trust, Westminster Boating Race, Woodcraft Folk and Zoological Society London.
Photo: Barry Lewis
40/41
the bandstand
zone four
saturday & sunday, 1.30–9.30pm potters fields park The Bandstand is a brand new feature at this year’s Blue Ribbon Village with a full programme of live acts and some of the best street bands on the circuit.
Photo: Trans Siberian March Band by Jeremy Llewelwyn-Jones
Saturday 1pm 2.15pm 3.30pm 4.45pm 6pm 7.15pm 8.30pm
Fanfara din Vorona traditional Romanian rural orchestra from northern Moldavia Mariachi Mexteca a truly authentic mariachi ensemble Hot Club of Belleville intoxicating swing rhythms, sultry vintage songs and European gypsy polka Rotten Hill Gang tales of old and new London told through Dickensian hiphop Brass Roots nine-piece New Orleans-style brass band La Paranza del Geco celebrate the great folk traditions of Southern Italy Trans-Siberian March Band the Sex Pistols of Balkan brass
Sunday 1pm 2pm 3pm 5pm 6.15pm 7.30pm 8.30pm
Fanfara din Vorona see above Three Beards twisted sprawling Balkan gypsy stomp. Votka! Marasong recitals from Sing for Water choirs Dunajska Kapalye Balkan and traditional gypsy music, swing jazz, tango and klezmer The Raghu Dixit Project traditional Indian music collides with global styles Swing Zazou vintage 30’s & 40’s big band and gypsy swing with live-mixed beats James McArthur and the Head Gardeners twisted psychedelic folk with a blues bent
42/43
thames revival
zone four
saturday & sunday, 12 noon–6pm st katharine docks Step back in time and marvel at a full display of historic vessels. Admire hearty fishing smacks, rub gunwales with the finest racing yachts and hear the tooting of a steam tug as it punctuates the silky purrings of upriver motor launches. There are all sorts of things to watch, from a Seagull Race to boating demonstrations. Ashore you can find a variety of stalls demonstrating traditional maritime activities such as boatbuilding, as well as paper boat races, deck games and a vintage fashion show. Why not get into the spirit of things by dressing to suit your favourite maritime era. One boat in particular has made an epic voyage and should not be missed. Artist Filip Jonkers’ replica tugboat De Furie is made entirely from cardboard. He will set off in it from the Netherlands and brave the North Sea to display the boat at St Katharine Docks. www.thamesrevival.com
chopin//polska/the course saturday & sunday, 11am–6pm, guided tours 11am–2pm st katharine docks STS Fryderyk Chopin, one of the world’s largest brigs and sail training ships is hosting a programme of activities to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Chopin.
Photo: Anya Belikova
44/45