Community Day

Apart from revelry and merriment, a big theme of the Frost Fair was the importance of community and connection. Banksiders would take to the ice to meet, dance and enjoy each other’s company in what was a very dark and cold time of the year. From kings to bargemen, everybody was welcome at Frost Fairs and our 2024 version will be no different.

On Friday 26 January we want to take a moment to celebrate Bankside with an opportunity for those that live and work in the area to come together.

From 11.00 – 13.00, come along to our Frost Fair Fika (a Fika is the Scandinavian term for making time for friends and colleagues to share a cup of coffee/tea and a little something to eat). Taking place in the Frost Fair tent, there will be music, refreshments and a chance to find out more about the Blackfriars Settlement, a vital Bankside charity that works with local people to make life better.

Over lunch there will be time to peruse the market, have a game of skittles, take a tour with Mr Londoner (must be pre-booked) or explore the wider Bankside area, where many restaurants and bars are offering 20% discounts or special Frost Fair menu items as part of the Frost Fair Fringe.

At 3pm, you’ll hear them before you seen them, as nearly 100 students from Haberdashers Borough Academy parade along Sumner Street with their special elephant lanterns symbolising the last Frost Fair 210 years ago when an elephant walked across the ice at Blackfriars.

The Frost Fair will close at 6pm ready to welcome more people over the weekend with more activity!

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