Thames Festival Arts Festival / Concert / Dance Performance / Fair / Carnival / Street Fair Every year in September

In 1997, the Thames Festival was born when Didier Pasquette and Jade Kindar-Martin – two tightrope walkers – tiptoed for 430 meters across the River Thames at a height of 30 meters; at the time, that set a Guinness World Record.

The Thames Festival Trust (a non-for-profit charitable trust) has put on the Thames Festival as a celebration of London and the River Thames every year since the famous 1997 tightrope walk.

The Thames Festival takes place on the river, along the riverside walk, and at any open roads, bridges, and public spaces from the London Eye to the St. Katharine Docks. These spaces are filled with music, dance, carnival rides, river races, and street art that celebrate London’s cultural diversity.

Festival organizers work with all 33 London boroughs to ensure that Londoners from all across the city can have their voice heard. In 2011, over 800,000 people enjoyed the Thames Festival; the event is by far London’s largest outdoor arts festival.

The Thames festival is free to attend and grows in attendance every year. The various locations across the city are accessible by both foot and tube.