So, I think it’s finally safe to declare that summer has arrived in the capital: the weather’s warmer, more time is being spent outside and there are loads of summery events taking place across town.
If you live in or around Southwest London, there are a couple of dates for your diary coming up. On Saturday June 25th and then two weeks later on Saturday July 9th, the Mortlake and Barnes summer fairs are taking place. These two annual events are an integral part of the borough of Richmond’s summer calendar and both attract thousands of visitors every year.
The Mortlake Summer Fair is being held on the big playing field by the Stag Brewery from 12 to 4pm. As a family with young children, we always try to go along if we can; it’s a really fun-filled afternoon that’s well worth the £2 per adult admission. Attended by an average of 2,500 people, the fair boasts live music and displays, a variety of tasty food, a bar tent serving Pimms (that essential summer staple), a grand raffle, children’s entertainment that includes a bouncy castle and face painting, plus family sports. Not only that, there’s also an arts, crafts and vintage market with stalls from local businesses and charities. The fair is just a few minutes’ walk from Mortlake train station and there’s also a bus stop just outside where you can catch the 419.
Two weeks later and a couple of miles down the road, it’s Barnes’s turn to host the summer fun. From 9:30am until 5:30pm every bit of Barnes Green gets filled. Around 300 stalls sell everything from cakes to crafts, plus there’s traditional entertainment, music and an events stage. Thousands of people are expected to attend (it’s free to get in, by the way), and this year’s theme is floral, so there’ll no doubt be loads of colourful blooms surrounding the already-picturesque pond. I couldn’t make it to last year’s fair as I’d just had a baby, but my husband took our other daughter, Tabitha, along. They returned with some wonderful hand-knitted finger puppets—which she still plays with—along with some wonderful memories too, of course! The 419 and 209 buses stop right by Barnes Green, and both Barnes and Barnes Bridge train stations are close by.
If you can’t make it to either of these, there are plenty of other fairs throughout summer in the borough. Totally Richmond have compiled an extensive list, so you don’t have to miss out. Plus, here are just a few of the other summer fairs taking place across London over the next few months:
19th June: Marylebone Summer Fayre
19th June: East Twickenham Summer Fair
24th to 26th June: Ealing Midsummer Fayre
25th to 26th June: Grmarketsquaregroup.co.uk/…ore/eventdetailseenwich Fair
26th June: Strawberry Hill Music & Fun Day
26th June: Vauxhall Park Summer Fair
9th July: Hackney Summer Fete
10th July: Northcote Road Summer Fete
27th to 29th August: Hampstead Heath Summer Fair
