Ride alongside the Thames in a horse and carriage, watch an outdoor screening of Dr Who while enjoying an ‘Old Tom Gin’ and get absorbed in a craft workshop in Bankside this January with the return of the Frost Fair. Organised by Business Improvement District (BID) Better Bankside, the event is a welcome opportunity to chase away the winter blues with a huge host of activities, spectacles and themed feasting opportunities, bringing alive an incredible London destination (London’s ‘Other Side’) and its businesses.
Taking place on Sumner Street behind the Tate Modern from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 January 2024, this three-day extravaganza will transport attendees back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when the Thames turned to ice, and Banksiders responded by creating a festival like no other. The event will be free, but the BID is encouraging donations to help ‘freeze out homelessness’ for the Manna Society, a local day centre working with the homeless and vulnerable.
Frost Fair 2024 – What To Do and See
A myriad of entertainment and a diverse range of activities can be expected at the 2024 Bankside Frost Fair. Attendees can enjoy:
– An elephant parade (with life-size puppet elephant)
– Horse and carriage rides
– Historic street games including skittles
– An artisan market with over 30 traders
– Guided historic tours with a Frost Fair theme
– Music and entertainment
– A special screening of the Frost Fair episode of Dr. Who
– Art and craft workshops
– The Frost Fair Fringe – local Bankside businesses will recreate food, drink, and activities reminiscent of the historical Frost Fair – think hot apples, gingerbread, mulled wine and hot chocolate (plus drinks you may never have heard of like ‘Old Tom Gin’ and ‘Hot Purl’ (gin & wormwood wine which is similar to vermouth)
– Community coffee morning
And more to be announced!
Back for the second year, the modern-day Frost Fair is a reimagining and celebration of an extraordinary period in London’s history which saw the River Thames freeze over an astounding 24 times between 1605 and 1814. Out of work sailors, bargeman and the local community responded by creating a unique ‘on ice’ fair where Banksiders hosted markets, played traditional games, gambled, and indulged in various entertaining pursuits on the frozen river. During the last Frost Fair in 1814, an elephant famously walked across the ice alongside Blackfriars Bridge.
Nicole Gordon CEO of Better Bankside said; “We are incredibly excited to be hosting Bankside’s second Frost Fair. The activities and events on offer are unusual, vibrant and will spark joy for everyone at an often gloomy time of year.
“It is wonderfully inspirational and nostalgic to recreate an event which is so unique in Bankside’s rich history. But aside from just looking back, the spirit of the Frost Fair resonates with the spirit of ‘London’s Other Side’ today. When the river froze, the fair not only provided entertainment, it also supported the local community through offering much-needed employment for out of work bargemen. The mentality of community, creativity and resilience is still very much alive and well today amongst local Banksiders and the businesses we work with. The Frost Fair is one of the ways we can share Bankside, as an area and community, with others.”
Better Bankside has again partnered up with the Manna Society as their charity partner for this year’s Frost Fair. It is hoped event profits will raise over £10,000 to help freeze out homelessness and make a positive impact to the lives of those in need. The Manna Society is a local day centre in Bankside which works with the homeless and vulnerable.
To find out more about 2024’s Frost Fair, please visit: Bankside’s Frost Fair is back! SAVE THE DATE – Better Bankside: https://banksidelondon.co.uk/frost-fair/
