Full moon risin’: Harvest festivals of London

by Elisa Freeling

A week from today, on the 16^th of September, the Harvest Moon will fill the sky, a harbinger of autumn’s rapid approach. Harvest has been celebrated in Britain since pagan times, and today in London an array of festivals mark the occasion, from Regent’s Park and Borough Market to community gardens across the capital. Bob for apples, meet some farm animals, and teach the kids about local food at these abundance celebrations.

What: Harvest Festival
When: Saturday 10^th September, 10am to 4pm
Where: Surrey Docks Farm, Southwark, SE16 5ET
Featuring: donkey rides, local crafts, meet the animals, bar & grill
Cost: FREE
Website: surreydocksfarm.org.uk

What: City Harvest Festival
When: Saturday 17^th September, 10am to 4:30pm
Where: Capel Manor Gardens, Enfield, EN1 4RQ
Featuring: animals from ferrets to shire horses, blacksmith demonstrations, London-grown produce, falconry, dog agility show
Cost: £6.50/£3.50 adults/children
Website: capelmanorgardens.co.uk

What: Urban Harvest Feast
When: Saturday 17^th September
Where: community food-growing gardens across London
Featuring: apple pressing and cob-oven pizza (Regent’s Park), baking bread on a campfire (Catford), foraging walks (Peckham), grow-your-own workshops (Bethnal Green),
Cost: £6.50/£3.50 adults/children
Website: capitalgrowth.org

What: The Harvest Stomp
When: Sunday 25^th September, 12:30 to 5:30pm
Where: Timber Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Featuring: live music, barn dancing, grape stomping, Cream of the Crop contest
Cost: FREE
Website: groundwork.org.uk/

What: Pearly Kings and Queens Harvest Festival
When: Sunday 25^th September from 1pm
Where: Guildhall Yard, EC2V 5AE
Featuring: Morris dancing, maypole dancing, marching bands, beautiful pearly clothes
Cost: FREE, though the event raises money for charity
Website: visitlondon.com

What: Apple Weekend
When: Saturday & Sunday, 1^st and 2^nd October, 11am to 5pm
Where: Fenton House, Hampstead, NW3 6SP
Featuring: old English varieties of apples from the 300-year-old orchard, apple juicing, local produce and cake stalls, badge making, giant lawn games
Cost: £9/£4 adult/child (free for National Trust members)
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk

What: Royal Horticultural Society’s London Harvest Festival Show
When: Tues 4^th Oct, 10am to 9pm, and Wed 5^th Oct, 10am to 5pm
Where: RHS Lindley Hall, Westminster, SW1P 2QW
Featuring: giant pumpkins, apple bobbing, seasonal food, gardening advice
Cost: £6 in advance, children free (note children are not allowed at the ‘late’ event from 6pm to 9pm on the 4^th)
Website: rhs.org.uk

What: October Plenty 2016
When: Sunday 23^rd October
Where: Bankside and Borough Market
Featuring: huge Corn Queene effigy, Berry Man, procession, play performance, Story Orchard, apples at Borough Market’s Apple Day
Cost: FREE
Website: thelionspart.co.uk