Talk of the town festival – Urban Village Fete
BY JAMES TWOMEY
One of London’s biggest free events starts on May 19, and promises to bring music, dance, comedy, workshops, talks, arts, crafts and food for a fun filled day for all ages.
The Urban Village Fete is heading to Greenwich Peninsula for its fifth year and has an impressive line-up of entertainment and food for a free day of fun.
World music DJ, Giles Peterson, will be headlining the main stage along with performances from Jazz Re:Freshed but festival-goers will also have the chance to spin some decks on the family stage as Charity Shop DJ host the Urban Village Fete Eurovision DJ Contest.
Kinetika Bloco are an energetic performance group which draw influence from the sounds and movements of the Caribbean, Brazil, west and southern Africa, and will be performing on the day.
Tamzyn French from Kinetika Bloco, said: “We are bringing about 30 young musicians and dancers all in costume.
“We will be leading some dance workshops with the public and then you can join us in a little carnival parade through the site.
“We will have drummers, steel pan players, brass and woodwind musicians and dancers bringing the carnival sunshine to Greenwich Peninsular.
“This is a great festival to celebrate the start of summer and the beautiful Greenwich Peninsular.
“It’s great to have free festivals in London where the whole family can come together and enjoy quality music, participate in something creative and enjoy the community vibe of a local festival.”
There will be walkabout entertainment such as the cheeky Sniffer Dogs causing mischief with their tongue -in-cheek performances, and a huge line-up of interactive workshops suitable for all ages.
Model making and storyboarding from award winning Wallace & Gromit creators Aardman Animation and drawing techniques from Sprayskool and Ted Draws will be on offer, as well as classes in fermenting, making a Smoker and even urban Beekeeping.
Jim Parkyn, a model maker from Aardman, said: “We’ll be bringing Aardman’s amazing Scene Machine. Which is a combination of plasticine painting, 3 -D relief and animation capturing the magic of a day in the Urban Village Fete.
“Whether you are modelling clay Monet or an absolute beginner – with your help we will be creating an amazing plasti-scene bought to life through time-lapse film-making.
“I love that this amazing mix of art, food, music and making is available to all and is in such a great setting.
“This is an unusual opportunity to make your mark and become part of a unique collaborative art piece and time-lapse film.”
Having attracted more than 30,000 visitors last year, 2019s Urban Village Fete has promised to be bigger and bolder than before.
Wayne Hemingway, head of Hemingway Design, which curates the festival, said: “The thing I Iook forward to most is the atmosphere created by a diverse community of tens of thousands of Londoners reacting positively to one of the most generous free events that London offers.
“There is something incredibly uplifting about being able to dance, take part in workshops, watch performances, buy from a great selection of designer makers, join in debates and enjoy a curated selection of food and drink producers and not pay an entry free.”