THAMESMEAD: Fun and music from across the globe at festival

The free festival, being held in Birchmere Park Thamesmead on Saturday (11) begins with up to 400 people in a carnival-style parade from nearby Hawksmoor Youth Club in Bentham Road at 9.30am.

In the park the entertainment will include the T-Factor final, involving six talented local youngsters who will perform on the main stage, among a host of other acts.

They will include Laura White from the X Factor, a flamenco act, an African band and a Queen tribute band.

In the activity and wellbeing zone there will be street theatre, displays from Thamesmead Judo Club, Hawkins School of Irish Dance, Abbey Wood and Thamesmead Twirlers as well as Tai Chi and Tae Kwan Do throughout the afternoon.

Between 3.20pm and 4.35pm there will be disco, cheerleading and show dances with thamesmead School of Dance and capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian art form combining elements of martial arts, games, music, and dance, from Taru Brazil and street dance by Myztikal.

In the children’s zone there will be fun and games all day, with everything from face painting to inflatables, arts and crafts and sand-and-water play.

This year the festival site will include Birchmere Lake where Thamesmead YMCA Sailing Centre will be offering taster sailing sessions.

Also for the first time there will be animals, including goats, ducks, geese and guinea pigs available to touch, as well as donkey rides.

There will also be a climbing wall, community stalls and a party tent, including stilt walkers, balloon modelling, arts and crafts and glitter tattoos.

A special attraction this year will be Chocolate Films, a not-for-profit film production company, which will be screening a series of films about Thamesmead.

The company has been working with the London Metropolitan Archives, to digitally remaster a series of films about the town, made by the Greater London Council from the late 1960s to the 1980s.

Many of them have not been seen since shortly after they were made.