As Borough Market’s stalls fill with Autumn’s rich produce – from apples and pears to squashes and plums – London’s favourite food destination will be celebrating the Autumn harvest by welcoming back theatre company the Lions part and its popular October Plenty festival.
A glorious collective celebration of the seasons, weather and food, October Plenty mixes ancient seasonal customs and contemporary festivity with theatre performance dancing, special appearances and stories to mark the annual occasion.
Making its first comeback post-pandemic, October Plenty will begin on Bankside outside Shakespeare’s Globe at 11.00am on Sunday 23 October, and then process, along Bankside to London’s iconic Borough Market led by the magnificent Corne Queene embellished in wheat, fruit and vegetables. She is joined by the Berry Man: the autumnal Green Man, decked with wild fruits & foliage, and musicians, actors and other seasonal characters.
In Borough Market the festivities will continue with Morris dancing, the infamous flock of sheep, conker fights, and a special performance of ‘Fabularium Fables’ from the theatre company The Fabularium.
The Story Orchard will also be making a return, where children can hear tales of apples, markets, magic & harvest told by Pat Ryan amongst an orchard of young apple trees.
The public will later be invited to dance The Hay: (a lively country dance dating back to the 16th Century) before the celebrations draw to a close with the notorious Execution of John Barleycorn and the stripping of the Corne Queene.
At the end of the day, all are invited to visit & decorate the historic Crossbones Graveyard gates in Red Cross Way and then enjoy the reflective quiet of the graveyard itself.
Kate Howell, Director of Communications and Engagement at Borough Market said: “October Plenty is such a special way to celebrate the Autumn Harvest and show off the beautiful colours of the season’s fruit & veg piled high on our traders’ stalls. We are really looking forward to welcoming the event back to the Market this year and sharing festivities, stories and dancing for a lovely family event. The Corn Queene and Berry Man are always particular favourites of ours and we are excited to host visitors as well as the many different characters in the procession!”
Sonia Ritter, Original Creative Coordinator of the Lions part festivals said ‘We are more than delighted to be back in the historic Borough Market with our traditional October Plenty festivities for 2022. For us it is a much hoped for revival of a collaborative celebration which has become a much loved part of the London calendar for more than 20 years’.
October Plenty is a FREE event open to EVERYONE of all ages.
Borough Market will be open as usual during the event, with stalls trading from 10am-3pm, meaning visitors can stock-up on high-quality seasonal produce while also enjoying the afternoon of celebrations.
For more information on October Plenty, visit: https://boroughmarket.org.uk/events/harvest-celebration-october-plenty/
