Bankside Winter Festival December 12, 2008

The Bankside Winter Festival brings the spirit of Christmas and the Frost Fair to London with ten days of entertainment and festive fare. Located along the length of the Thames at Bankside from the Tate Modern to the Globe Theatre, there is plenty of festive fun for all.

Bankside Winter Festival 2008
New for 2008, the Bankside Winter Festival is an extension of the annual Frost Fair which has taken place in London for over 400 years. With the Frost Fair kicking off the proceedings on Friday 12th December, the winter festival carries on the fun right up until mid winter itself.

Festive markets
Selling all kinds of exciting Christmas wares, the Bankside Winter Festival market stalls are the perfect place to get your gifts for friends and family. 30 to 40 different stalls will be in residence as they sell arts and crafts, stocking fillers, jewellery, ceramics, wooden gifts, crystals, leather and fossil goods, and plenty of other handcrafted items. To ward off the chill from the Thames, purveyors of festive food and mulled wine will be on hand to sell you their delicious wares, and there will also be a main bar selling wine and ale.

Frost Fair London
The Frost Fair in London has been part of the winter celebrations for many hundreds of years, and this modern interpretation reflects the markets that were held on the Thames in the depths of winter when the river froze over. To open the Bankside Winter Festival and the Frost Fair itself, a parade of lanterns in the shape of ice skaters, dancing bears and roasted chestnut sellers will be carried by school children from Bernie Spain Gardens, St Pauls Cathedral and Southwark Cathedral to the Tate Modern, where they will assemble a gigantic Frost Fair scene.

Frost Fair London

Traditional Thames Cutters
Carrying on the traditions on Saturday 13th December there will be a procession of boats carrying the Frost Fair flags down the Thames between Southwark and Blackfriars Bridges, before the livery men disembark at Bankside Pier and parade along the Bankside Winter Festival area in full uniform.

The Bankside Winter Festival takes place 10am - 7pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am - 8pm Thursday to Saturday, and 10am - 6pm Sundays. The markets run from Friday 12th December - Sunday 21st December 2008, and the Frost Fair takes parades take place at 4.30pm on Friday 12th December and 11am Saturday 13th December.

Official Website: http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/bankside-winter-festival-feature-2560.html