Simple Activities to Keep Your Kids Entertained This Half Term
Borough Market are hosting a series of fun and inspiring activities, including Halloween biscuit decorating, arts and craft, face painting and more! Perfect for primary-age children, these sessions are designed to get kids thinking creatively about the food they eat.
Kick off your weekend with at Lone Design Club’s Happy Hour event From 5 PM to 8 PM. Treat yourself to a complimentary drink or two as you explore LDC’s latest curated selections.
With fresh arrivals landing in-store weekly, there’s always something exciting to discover while you sip and stroll. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or searching for the perfect gift, the Happy Hour promises a delightful experience for all. Bring your friends and make it a social affair, or relish some solo browsing time – the choice is yours!
The Frost Fair is returning for its second year. Join us from 26-28 January on Sumner Street, as we celebrate one of the most extraordinary events in London’s history. From circa 1605 to 1814, the surface of the River Thames froze over 24 times, bringing all trade on the water to a standstill. So the people of Bankside took to the ice, creating ‘Frost Fairs’, with a sensational cornucopia of markets, amusement, food, drink, games, pubs, shops, entertainment and general revelry!
Dust off your dancing shoes, prepare to try a new sport or craft, give your prize-winning pooch a brush and be part of Bankside Open Spaces Festival – Bankside’s biggest FREE community celebration and street party!
On Saturday 10 June, Bankside Open Spaces Trust will be welcoming performers young and old, community groups, artists, sports coaches, musicians, singers, dancers, and pampered pooches of all sizes to the festival and they’d love you to join us too!
Line-up: Rob Corcoran, Ragtop Down, Sister Cookie, Ese & Vooduu People, Cosimo Matassa Project, The Brothers Ignatius, Brixton Chamber Orchestra and London International Gospel Choir. Plus, DJ sets from Rump Records, King Crowney, MGroove, Dales Hayes, Angie B and Brothers In House
From its Latina opening to a dance after party, the free and unticketed Bankside Open Spaces Festival will fill Bankside’s Union Street, Redcross Way and three small parks on Saturday 10 June with genre-busting music.
With four music and performance stages, the festival will have a vibe to suit all tastes and all ages.
Looking to dance in the street? Check out Alma Casa/EXT Radio’s DJ Stage down Redcross Way with six sets, live sax and drums, firedancers, bubble artists and two MCs all putting on a show from a huge glitterball.
Seeking a musical journey from roots to rock & roll or rocksteady via funk, rhythm ‘n’ blues and ska? The Main Stage is for you, opening with four Latina dance groups before segueing into six varied sets featuring the likes of Art Terry and the Black Bohemians, Ese & and The Voodoo people, Sister Cookie and returning headliners, Cosimo Matassa Project and The Brothers Ignatius. The Main Stage is a festival in its own right, and with street food and bars nearby, there’s no need to move, unless…
Hoping for a bit of chill? Why not bumble over to Red Cross Garden, take a seat among the verdant planting and enjoy a bit of alt-folk, Americana, delta blues or indie pop from a line-up of six London artists, interspersed with spoken word performances. Headliner Rob Corcoran returns to this bandstand stage – a favourite on the UK folk circuit. You can even enjoy the dog show, meet some bees, learn about early surgery from the Old Operating Theatre, grab a free massage or tackle a spot of yoga while you’re there.
And for the active and community minded, head over to Marlborough Sports Garden’s Community Stage for a mix of community choirs and performers, plus free dance workshops – surely this is the only festival where you can learn an Irish jig, salsa and tango all in one day? There’s a chance to kick back, too, with sets from the London International Gospel Choir and Brixton Chamber Orchestra in-between activities.
Across the festival, local craft stalls and free activities and workshops will keep all ages busy and entertained. There’s a beach, free sports coaching and plenty of craft for the kids, plant stalls and a BIG plant giveaway for the green fingered, art workshops for the busy, bars for the thirsty, street food for the foodies and a dog show for the barky! (The Little Dorrit Dog Show returns for its 7th year with pampered pooches judged by festival favourite and BBC Radio London’s dog expert Anna Webb).
Keep an eye on Bankside Open Spaces Trust’s social media channels for updates:
There’s loads to see and do all across Bankside – find out more here.
Borough Market’s annual Evening of Cheese is back. Get ready for a cheese-themed shopping extravaganza led by our community of cheesemongers. Enjoy tastings, seek expert advice and put together a festive cheeseboard featuring the highest quality cheeses from Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Some of the market’s drinks traders will also be on hand to keep shoppers refreshed.
This event is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
The Africa Centre’s Annual Christmas African Market returns and this year is it in partnership with Inspired by Africa, who we are working to bring brands together and curate exciting family-friendly activities over the weekend of 17 – 18 December.
You can expect a diverse range of contemporary Afrocentric fashion, food, art, and entertainment including workshops catering to specific interests.
This market is part of the Frost Fair which Better Bankside is running across December and January. Frost Fair is a homage to the area’s unique history, celebrating the characters and fascinating stories from past winters in the Southwark borough. There’s lots more happening across the area, find out more here.
