10,000 expected to attend Bermondsey Carnival

1 July 2019

As part of its 150th anniversary celebrations, Southwark Park plays host to the Bermondsey Carnival this week (Saturday 6 July) where a large crowd, possibly as high as 10,000, is expected to gather.

The park has had its very own 'Time Capsule Burying' ceremony where the Mayor Of Southwark, Cllr Sandra Rhule officially launched the 150th  last week.  Amongst other things, she buried creative work by three local schools: 1st Riverside Primary School, Rotherhithe Primary School, and Southwark Park Primary School.

Bermondsey Carnival is a large scale free to attend community event taking place all afternoon and early evening in the beautiful surroundings of Southwark Park.  The entire event is focused around the historic Victorian bandstand as it features a huge variety of live music from local bands.  In previous years standout acts have included Paul Young, Steve Harley and Chas and Dave.

This week the headline act is the Liverpool band The Real Thing. Founded in the 1970s, they had several huge hits including Can’t Get By Without You, You To Me Are Everything, and Can You Feel The Force.  In terms of sales, they were England’s most successful black rock / soul act during the seventies.  Several other individual acts and bands will also be performing.

As in previous years, there will also be a Create and Play Zone.  This is a family and children’s area where people can get creative and learn something new with workshops and activities from community partners such as the London Bubble Theatre and South London Gallery.   Amongst the most popular will be The Movement Factory, the dedicated dance tent run by the award winning Southwark based dance group. The Movement Factory will be running a full day of dance workshops and performances for all ages and abilities.

The Rumble in the Jumble area will feature a funfair, food and other stalls under the slogan:  Reduce - Reuse - Recycle - Rumble! With stalls selling everything from crockery, ornaments and furniture, to tools, toys, clothes and books, visitors can snap up some quirky vintage bargains, fancy fashion steals, cut-price antiques and loads of hidden gems.

Cllr Rebecca Lury, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Equalities and Communities said she was looking forward to going to the Carnival:  “We are very fortunate that here in the borough, we have on our doorstep these wonderful venues such as Southwark Park in which to host really great events. As the borough grows and changes we want to make sure that we enhance what makes Southwark so vibrant and so special a place. That’s why we enjoy celebrating the different communities in the borough, their cultures, their foods, the music to name just a few. We want Southwark to be a home in the heart of London where people want to live and work.

“A borough where the talents, creativity and ambition of all our residents is celebrated and helps make Southwark a home of which we can all be proud.  I would encourage all residents to make an effort to come down to the Carnival – after all the best thing about it, is it’s absolutely free.  Personally, I can’t wait to hear all the different bands – I shall certainly be bringing my dancing shoes”.

The Bermondsey Carnival is on from 12 noon to 8pm on Saturday 6 July.  Entry is free of charge.

Page last updated: 01 July 2019