The Thames Festival Impressed Again

The festival’s aim is to celebrate the river that is highly recognised as a place for leisure activities and interpose the cultural diversity of London. Londoners and visitors of all ages can enjoy free entertainment in a lively atmosphere, with everything from street arts, pyrotechnics, illuminations, art installations, a river race, street theatre, massed choirs, beach activities and concerts.

In 2007, around 950,000 people spent the weekend dancing in the streets, playing on the beach, listening to music, celebrating London and its river. There were 50 street arts companies and 54 street bands performing. The events are running every day from noon to 10pm. Saturday is popular with the Great River Race – a water marathon setting off from Richmond including a parade of Chinese dragon boats, Viking longboats, Hawaiian war canoes, Irish curraghs and many other weird and wonderful craft floating all the way to Greenwich. The afternoon is filled with music, street performers, dance, cinema, food, crafts, and stalls. Sunday events include comedy, music, DJs, sandcastle competitions, and the Thames Flotilla. The biggest highlights are the Night Carnival, and the fireworks by the Oxo Tower are considered to be the festival’s finale.

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Slovakia at the Thames Festival
Slovak Republic attended the festival in 2005 for the first time, represented by the Slovak Centre in the UK in co-operation with the Different Perspectives. This year, Slovakia – together with Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Slovenia – got a chance to present their culture, traditions and their ways of life in the pavilion of the New European Village located close to the British Film Theatre.

In 2007, Slovakia had two stalls to present popular tourist destinations, opportunities for business and investment in Slovakia, demonstration of folk craft and culture joined by self-governing regions of Bratislava and Banská Bystrica, and the City of Bratislava.

The Slovak stall had an attendance of more than 15,000 people. The great atmosphere was filled with lovely music performed by the Slovak folk group Wandering Musicians (Vandrovali hudci) of Martina Kubalová from Dublin.

More photos: www.slovakcentre.co.uk/…2/index.html

By Veronika Leštáková
Photo: Slovak Centre

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