This is a calendar of free events (or nearly-free events) in/around the Vauxhall/Kennington area, month by month throughout the year. See also separate web pages listing local places to visit and things to do, and places to go, and places to eat, with children.
Note: Please check the year in the following dates as some of the entries relate to events which have already happened, and whose future dates have not been confirmed.
Tuesday 1 January 2013: The huge New Year's Day Parade, featuring some wonderful American marching bands as well as many local entries, departs the Ritz Hotel, Piccadilly from 1145, arrives Parliament Square between c.1240 and c.1500
Sunday 16 March 2013: The highly popular Children's Easter Egg Hunt takes place in Vauxhall Park. Registration begins 1030 and ends shortly afterwards:- You must be there early to avoid disappointment. The event itself begins at 1100.
|
|
Sunday 9 June 2013: 1100-1900: Vauxhall's large Portugese population - and their neighbours - celebrate their national day, Portugal Day, in Kennington Park:- food, stalls and excellent music. The event takes place each year on the first Sunday on or after 10 June. |
Sunday 23 June 2013: 1400-1700 : Vauxhall Park Summer Fair:- This event goes from strength to strength and now includes lots of children's games, a giant bouncy castle, go-karts, Punch and Judy, a space ball, face painting, fire engines, various stalls and refreshments.
Saturday 29 June 2013: There is a rare opportunity to view the Lambeth Palace Gardens if you visit the North Lambeth Parish Fete from 2-5pm. Spend the afternoon in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s beautiful gardens, listen to local jazz steel bands, browse the stalls, try your hand on the sideshows or have your face painted. Stalls include home produce, plants, books, bric-a-brac and the ever popular tombola. Enjoy ice cream and spicy hot food, or a cup of tea and a cake from the tea tent. Entry is via garden gate, facing the river. Admission £3 (or concessions) includes a guide to the garden.
|
|
Saturday 20/Sunday 21 July 2013: The Lambeth Country Show is held on the side of the hill in Brockwell Park near Herne Hill station:- see photos on left. It's hard to imagine a "country show" in Lambeth but this one works well. There is something for everyone, including farm animals, a fun fair, a steam engine parade, a battle re-enactment, a circus, and lots of craft, food and beer tents. Open 1100-1830. |
Saturday/Sunday 8/9 September 2012: The Thames Festival gets bigger and better each year. It includes lots of events on/near the river and ends with a Notting Hill-style Lantern Procession on Sunday evening. The head of the procession leaves Embankment Tube Station at around 1930 and crosses Blackfriars Bridge around 2015 before turning into Upper Ground around 2030.
Saturday/Sunday 22/23 September 2012: The London Open House Weekend is a London-wide event in which many fascinating buildings normally closed to the public open their doors. A leaflet giving full details is usually available in public libraries two to three weeks beforehand or much earlier via the web site, which also contains a useful search facility. You need to book for some visits, and queue for others, but most of the smaller venues are readily accessible on a "turn up and enter" basis. Local attractions may include:-
Incidentally, there is a similar event for buildings outside London a few days before this one. Full details are on the Heritage Open Days website.
|
|
Saturday 15 September 2012: "Less po-faced than the Oxbridge race and much more colourful":- The Great River Race features 300 boats with crews from around the world including replica Greek galleys, Chinese dragonboats and Viking longboats! They sail with the tide from one side of London to the other, and pass under Vauxhall and Lambeth Bridges. Check the website for timings. |
Saturday 22 September 2012: The Stockwell Festival will take place in Larkhall Park from 1145-1800.
Saturday 29 September 2012: Lambeth Archives Open Day, Minet Library, 52 Knatchbull Road, SE5. A "must see" for all those even vaguely interested in local history. The exhibitions are open from 1000-1700, and there are lots of themed talks spaced throughout the day.
Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 October 2012: Lambeth Open enables you to see inside various artists' studios and exhibition spaces for a unique personal insight into the individual creative processes. It is a great way to discover the fantastic range of creative talent tucked away in our borough, and to explore the various art spaces too often hidden in our neighbourhood. Doors will be open from 1100 to 1800 both days.
Sunday 4 November 2012: The London to Brighton Run: Veteran cars - built in or before 1904 - drive up Kennington Road, past Kennington Park, and up the Brixton Road. The first and oldest reach Kennington Cross at about 0720 and the last pass through at about 0830.
Saturday 10 November 2012: The Lord Mayor's Show is a great spectacle, featuring a long and entertaining procession culminating in some beautiful horse-drawn coaches. No Londoner should miss it!
Please contact me by email if you would like your event or venue listed on this site.
