Ah, Bermondsey Street, with its beautiful architectural delights, gorgeous boutiques and delectable eatery offerings.
And let’s not forget the Fashion and Textile Museum as well as the street’s prominent artistic powerhouse, White Cube Gallery. It’s no wonder Patrick Wolf wrote a song about this much-loved nook of South East London (in fact, here he is talking about it to Londonist last year).
On Saturday, Bermondsey Street will once more play host to the suitably named Bermondsey Street Festival, bringing together what the organisers refer to as “local talents, crafts and creativity”. It’s a chance for locals to mingle and a great opportunity for non-SE1-ers to come and see what the fuss is all about.
These are a bunch of things it would not be unreasonable for you to expect on the day:
- well, for starters, we predict a whole lotta bunting. After all, what is a street fest without celebratory decorations?
- a preview of next season’s fashion trends at the annual fashion show, featuring various local designers
- al-fresco wolfing-down-of-foods with Bermondsey Street’s terrific restaurants setting up stall in Tanner Street Park. Newly refurbished and reopened purveyor of yum, Village East, is providing a Marquee and all
- a free classical concert from Bach to Baby founder “and local mum”, Miaomiao Yu, at Mary Magdalen Church. The churchyard will also have bouncy castles and games
- a dog show!
- above-average shopping
- live music – we are being promised stuff like Ska-Reggae at the Bliss Music Stage and singer-songwriters in the 'acoustic garden'
- music workshops
- a Japanese Tea Ceremony in the White Cube Gallery forecourt
- sun. That’s right – no need to adjust your spectacles – the weather forecast is looking as delightful as the cakes at Del Aziz on Bermondsey Square.
And if after a long day of mooching you fancy a drink, Tanner & Co do a mean cocktail and there’s also the ever-busy Woolpack pub, which has a capacious beer-garden. Further afield, on Long Lane, Simon The Tanner dishes out pints of finest booze and Bermondsey Square’s Shortwave Cinema bar is one of London’s best-kept secrets.
To get to Bermondsey Street, remember: it is actually much closer to London Bridge and Borough stations than it is to Bermondsey tube station. Events kick off at 11am. Expect things to wrap up around 6pm.
The Bermondsey Street Festival is on Saturday 21 September. For more information visit the festival website or alternatively twit over to @Bermondsstfest.
Photo: Ambra Vernuccio
