Bankside Open Spaces Festival

Are you ready to take to the streets and dance the afternoon away?

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 7^th 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:

• Instagram @bostse1
• Twitter @BOSTSE1

There’s loads to see and do all across Bankside – find out more here.