Step outside your front door. Find something new and snap a photo! Could be a sweeping landscape or a wasp on your balcony. A quirky passerby or busy London street. Selected photos will be displayed on the website and exhibited … Find out more →

Kirkdale Bookshop’s regular Saturday morning Children’s Storytime will be welcoming some very special guests during the festival. Sheena Dempsey, author and illustrator of Bye-Bye Baby Brother will be coming on Saturday 29 June. Children’s author Alexis Deacon, author of Beegu … Find out more →

During the three Festival weekends, with four major events and dozens of open houses, the Artists Trail will lead you through Sydenham and on to Forest Hill. There are even more artists and artisans this year; familiar places and faces, … Find out more →

WI Tutor, crochet designer and writer, Lindy Zubairy will be on hand to enlist you to her passion through a two-hour taster session in Beginners Crochet. In this rare free opportunity to get started in a re-burgeoning craft, you will … Find out more →

Following their rip-roaring closing performance at last year’s festival, the South London Jazz Orchestra are back to open this year’s proceedings with an evening of jazz and swing classics from the golden era of Big Band.  Fresh from performances at … Find out more →

During the three Festival weekends, with four major events and dozens of open houses, the Artists Trail will lead you through Sydenham and on to Forest Hill. There are even more artists and artisans this year; familiar places and faces, … Find out more →

Five hours of live music, dance, drama, street theatre, puppetry, free arts workshops, global food stalls and even a funfair. Plus fantastic interactive events including Graffiti Art with ‘On the Level Productions’,  Computer Animation with ‘Mr Who’, Street Dance workshops … Find out more →

Thought String Quartets were not for you?! Not with the Carducci Quartet who perform exciting, interactive concerts for children, introducing them to chamber music and firing them with enthusiasm for the string quartet. An entertaining and stimulating hour of fun, … Find out more →

Mary Bourke in MUFFRAGETTE – it’s a show about feminism without all the boring preachy bits and it’s also very very funny! Followed by Carey Marx – INTENSIVE CAREY – I laughed at everything until I had a heart attack. … Find out more →

Tony Long has a distinguished career as a cryptic crossword-setter, with his puzzles appearing in various newspapers and magazines. Kirkdale Bookshop is hosting an evening with Tony, who will share tips and secrets about all things cryptic. You will have … Find out more →

Could you be the next Harold Pinter? Develop your playwriting skills in this unique workshop. Not only will established playwrights mentor you, but professional actors may perform your work on the stage! Stage Write is a four-day playwriting workshop that … Find out more →

Now in its 25th year, the So You Think You’re Funny? competition promises to uncover the brightest and best new comedy talent! Since it began in 1988, So You Think You’re Funny? has kick-started the careers of dozens of the … Find out more →

Welcome to Grow Mayow, it’s time to say hello!  Join us with your babies and toddlers for a Grow Mayow inspired sing song with Cat Bateman and her guitar in the big green barn, featuring all your favourites, old and … Find out more →

WI Tutor, crochet designer and writer, Lindy Zubairy will be on hand to enlist you to her passion through a two-hour taster session in Beginners Crochet. In this rare free opportunity to get started in a re-burgeoning craft, you will … Find out more →

Performed by Hilary De Santos, Mezzo-soprano and M. Philip Enscot, piano. Another varied and entertaining themed programme of songs, ranging from Elgar, Britten and Berlioz to a Swedish cycle, ‘Songs by the sea’, and Cole Porter and Sondheim. Come and … Find out more →

Hopscotch, hangovers, nunhood, narcotics, promiscuity and telepathic cats: this is a girl’s life in retrospect, with all its highs and lows, as she tries to find truth. Told by a Storyteller with a top hat and a wavering agenda, “Through … Find out more →

Explore, create and make a mess at Messy Makers with Jeni Johnson, an interactive session for parents/carers and pre-school children, aged 15 months and above. We will be having lots of fun making things with found objects, free-playing with goo, … Find out more →

Fifty of London’s top orchestral players put together especially to raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, will be blasting off with an out-of-this-world programme of symphonic favourites to include highlights from Star Wars, E.T, The Planets Suite, 2001: … Find out more →

Could you be the next Harold Pinter? Develop your playwriting skills in this unique workshop. Not only will established playwrights mentor you, but professional actors may perform your work on the stage! Stage Write is a four-day playwriting workshop that … Find out more →

Award-winning author, journalist and poet Blake Morrison will be discussing his life and work with broadcaster and author Matthew Sweet. His books include The Last Weekend, South of the River, As If and the acclaimed memoir And When Did You … Find out more →

An evening showcasing some of the hottest unsigned up-and-coming music acts from SE London. Set up as a rustic-style X-Factor in Forest Hill’s funkiest live music venue, ten acts will play three live tunes with a panel of industry critics offering … Find out more →

Join storyteller Becky Truscott as she weaves a tale to delight and enchant parents, carers and pre-school age children alike.  Each week the telling will be followed by a themed craft. Bring your enthusiasm and sense of wonder. Materials supplied.

Join us at the Golden Lion pub for a celebration of the best British short films of the past year, as voted by BAFTA – including the winning entry by Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin). Expect special … Find out more →

Each year these concerts have been an absolute sell out. Mick Sands returns for a fourth year to lead a group of musicians from the Irish tradition in an evening of dance music on flute, fiddle and uilleann pipes interspersed … Find out more →

“Laughter through tears is my favourite emotion.” Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias is as relevant today as it was when it was written 25 years ago: Women need good friends, good gossip and good hair! The characters of this classic play … Find out more →

Now in its 25th year, the So You Think You’re Funny? competition promises to uncover the brightest and best new comedy talent! Since it began in 1988, So You Think You’re Funny? has kick-started the careers of dozens of the … Find out more →

Watercolour. Oil. Pastel. Crayon. Canvas. Paper. Bark.  Bring the materials of your choice and join painter and sculpture Sally Ward for a guided morning of art in the garden.  After completion, work will be displayed and discussed.  Get creative rain … Find out more →

Up to six visionary theatre companies, performers and artists will be transforming empty shops and premises in the high street (and beyond) into temporary performance and exhibition spaces. Expect exciting, challenging and surprising results! Please watch this space for full details, … Find out more →

Dick Gaughan, “one of the five or six great voices of our time” (John Peel), takes a challenging, dissenting stand through his music. Yet he is no sloganeer; his warm personality shines through with a beautifully expressive voice allied to … Find out more →

Alex presents her heroines, with songs made famous in the 40s, 50s and 60s by international stars Peggy Lee, Eartha Kitt, and Caterina Valente. Please note that tickets are limited to 90, with seating priority given to diners. The Chaps … Find out more →

Kirkdale Bookshop’s regular Saturday morning Children’s Storytime will be welcoming some very special guests during the festival. Sheena Dempsey, author and illustrator of Bye-Bye Baby Brother will be coming on Saturday 29 June. Children’s author Alexis Deacon, author of Beegu … Find out more →

During the three Festival weekends, with four major events and dozens of open houses, the Artists Trail will lead you through Sydenham and on to Forest Hill. There are even more artists and artisans this year; familiar places and faces, … Find out more →

Up to six visionary theatre companies, performers and artists will be transforming empty shops and premises in the high street (and beyond) into temporary performance and exhibition spaces. Expect exciting, challenging and surprising results! Please watch this space for full details, times … Find out more →

It’s back! The very best in live music, dance and street performance in the high street – and it’s all completely free! Check out the main stage at Venner Road pocket square (next to Pedder estate agent), a busking area … Find out more →

Help create a landscape sculpture for creatures to live in that doesn’t damage or use anything that won’t go back to nature afterwards. Then, help populate it for the festival with animal sculpture creations. Froglife is a national charity dedicated … Find out more →

Free Saturday cinema events for children. Morning and afternoon family screenings with a free art workshop in between. Suitable for children of all ages. For licensing reasons we can’t tell you the name of the film here, but we can … Find out more →

Fun with rubbish! Bring boxes, cans, old bits of string and join the Skip Sisters, a local collective of upcycling artists, for a between screening children’s creation workshop making bugs, bots and flower pots. Families welcome. No unaccompanied children or … Find out more →

Family friendly fun! Celebrating multi-cultural heritage through performance and cultural cuisine. An energetic, colourful, and musical storytelling performance bringing to life some of the traditional Anansi stories. These stories were drawn originally from traditional tales of the Ashanti people of … Find out more →

A story with heart and soil. Award winning Dirt! The Movie takes a humorous and insightful look into the glorious and unappreciated living organic matter beneath our feet. Enjoy this informal early evening screening of a film that will make … Find out more →

See the next generation of artistic talent before they are famous! Launch Pad will be showcasing three brand new performances and shows by Lewisham’s young people – dance, drama, music, film, poetry, visual arts – anything is possible.

Learn sensual moves with top salseros Robert and Jean White, whose Mambo City has been running popular, award-winning workshops and salsa dance festivals since 1999! No experience necessary! Stick around and try out your new salsa steps with live band … Find out more →

A salsa innovator in his native Colombia, Dorance Lorza formed Sexteto Café in 1996 on arrival to the UK, spearheading the small combo, vibraphone-led “salsa con vibes” movement, and becoming one of the most popular bands on the vibrant London scene. … Find out more →

During the three Festival weekends, with four major events and dozens of open houses, the Artists Trail will lead you through Sydenham and on to Forest Hill. There are even more artists and artisans this year; familiar places and faces, … Find out more →

Could you be the next Harold Pinter? Develop your playwriting skills in this unique workshop. Not only will established playwrights mentor you, but professional actors may perform your work on the stage! Stage Write is a four-day playwriting workshop that … Find out more →

Learn about the amazing creatures that live in the garden while you make some weird and wonderful creatures from things that might have been thrown away.  Family-friendly workshop using natural, found, recycled and papier-mache objects. Froglife is a national charity … Find out more →

Spontaneous Productions, the company that brought you The Wind in the Willows, The Jungle Book and The Three Musketeers: are back with their most ambitious open-air show yet! In 1913 on the eve of the Great War, six men, three … Find out more →

Instinctive improvised music created using a selection of used, borrowed and handmade vintage analogue synths enhanced by the ethereal sound of the theremin and live radio transmission. Formed by composer/producer Jono Podmore, electronic musician Paul Conboy and fine artist Mark … Find out more →

An hour of stand-up comedy with Michael Fabbri. Nominated best club comic chortle awards 2012 and supported Micky Flanagan during ‘Out Out’ tour. Followed by Gordon Southern – THE KERFUFFLE. Gordon has featured in many TV shows in the UK … Find out more →

Cult science-fiction film Silent Running (1972) gets a rare screening in Mayow Park. Bruce Dern stars as Freeman Lowell, an eco-minded space farer, who enlists three robots to help him take care of the last remaining forests. Introduced by Matthew … Find out more →

Could you be the next Harold Pinter? Develop your playwriting skills in this unique workshop. Not only will established playwrights mentor you, but professional actors may perform your work on the stage! Stage Write is a four-day playwriting workshop that … Find out more →

“Laughter through tears is my favourite emotion.” Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias is as relevant today as it was when it was written 25 years ago: Women need good friends, good gossip and good hair! The characters of this classic play … Find out more →

An Introduction to the world of Opera by tenor Robin Green and friends, in advance of their gala performance of Puccini’s La Bohème at the Festival later this week.  If you have never been to an opera before, join Robin … Find out more →

Over the last few years, Jessica Thom has come to the attention of an ever wider public, thanks to her blog Touretteshero.com. This began as an account of Jessica’s experiences living with Tourette’s, and led to the publication of her … Find out more →

Welcome to Grow Mayow, it’s time to say hello!  Join us with your babies and toddlers for a Grow Mayow inspired sing song with Cat Bateman and her guitar in the big green barn, featuring all your favourites, old and … Find out more →

A chance to hear some of the finest contemporary work in London, and even read your own. Hosted by SAF’s poet-in-residence Gale Burns, this celebration of the poetic word boasts top readings from Sarah Howe, Harper-Wood Award winner, and the … Find out more →

Hopscotch, hangovers, nunhood, narcotics, promiscuity and telepathic cats: this is a girl’s life in retrospect, with all its highs and lows, as she tries to find truth. Told by a Storyteller with a top hat and a wavering agenda, “Through … Find out more →

Explore, create and make a mess at Messy Makers with Jeni Johnson, an interactive session for parents/carers and pre-school children, aged 15 months and above. We will be having lots of fun making things with found objects, free-playing with goo, … Find out more →

Come and talk with Festival Poet Gale Burns about one of your poems, and receive helpful pointers and feedback. All for the price of two drinks.

This challenging new production by Sophie Gilpin brings Puccini’s masterpiece right up to date: university students making the most of their new-found freedom by exploring everything that the modern world has to offer: alcohol, drugs, love and libido. They discover, … Find out more →

Celebrate new writing with script-in-hand performances of brand new short plays, written as part of the four-day Stage Write workshop. Playwrights have been working under the guidance of experienced professionals including playwright Winsome Pinnock, so expect drama, romance, comedy and … Find out more →

Join storyteller Becky Truscott as she weaves a tale to delight and enchant parents, carers and pre-school age children alike. Each week the telling will be followed by a themed craft. Bring your enthusiasm and sense of wonder! Materials supplied.

Take a wild walk through Albion Millennium Green with Year 4 children from Holy Trinity C of E Primary School and London Bubble Theatre. Along the way encounter stories of the Breathing Space the Green provides both for wildlife and … Find out more →

Come and write with the help of Festival Poet Gale Burns. Whether an old hand, or beginner, hone your skills in a friendly setting with writing prompts, editing skills, and the inspiration of published work. For adults and older teens, … Find out more →

Hopscotch, hangovers, nunhood, narcotics, promiscuity and telepathic cats: this is a girl’s life in retrospect, with all its highs and lows, as she tries to find truth. Told by a Storyteller with a top hat and a wavering agenda, “Through … Find out more →

An evening discovering the rich, diverse, colourful culture of India through classical & contemporary dance & music, art of India stalls, traditional cuisine by Gurkha’s Restaurant and intricate artistic décor. With performances from some of London’s top artists in classical … Find out more →

Watercolour. Oil. Pastel. Crayon. Canvas. Paper. Bark.  Bring the materials of your choice and join painter and sculpture Sally Ward for a guided morning of art in the garden.  After completion, work will be displayed and discussed.  Get creative rain … Find out more →

A multi-media recital of songs and instrumental music, featuring works by Debussy, Ravel, Fauré and more. This programme highlights the cross-pollination of the arts, exemplified by Poulenc’s Le travail du peintre, a setting of seven Éluard poems on specific contemporary … Find out more →

Huddle Up – to gather together closely, an artistic exchange: in this spirit of collectivity and expressive freedom, Southpaw create music that combines ambient soundscapes with twisting rhythms, a sound that will move your mind as well as your feet. … Find out more →

Kirkdale Bookshop’s regular Saturday morning Children’s Storytime will be welcoming some very special guests during the festival. Sheena Dempsey, author and illustrator of Bye-Bye Baby Brother will be coming on Saturday 29 June. Children’s author Alexis Deacon, author of Beegu … Find out more →

During the three Festival weekends, with four major events and dozens of open houses, the Artists Trail will lead you through Sydenham and on to Forest Hill. There are even more artists and artisans this year; familiar places and faces, … Find out more →

Do you have an idea for a short film? Love acting? Want to make some stuff explode?! Come along and make a short film in a day with some experienced youtubers. We have all the kit, whether you want to … Find out more →

Of all Little Hippo’s beautiful birthday presents it is Daddy Hippo’s present that Liitle Hippo prefers, a red pen. Inside are the most beautiful things in the world, but how to get them out…? Based on the story ‘Petit Hippo … Find out more →

Help create a landscape sculpture for creatures to live in that doesn’t damage or use anything that won’t go back to nature afterwards. Then, help populate it for the festival with animal sculpture creations. Froglife is a national charity dedicated … Find out more →

Free Saturday cinema events for children. Morning and afternoon family screenings with a free art workshop in between. If you would like to know more about the films, send us an email and we will send you an e-flyer.  No … Find out more →

With bees, flowers and food as your inspiration, have some printmaking fun with Jeni Johnson of Messy Makers at this between screening children’s creative workshop making fruit, flower and wax prints. Suitable for all ages. Families welcome. No unaccompanied children … Find out more →

A fun and innovative way to introduce young listeners to Baroque music! Performing works by Biber, Couperin, Scarlatti, and Rameau, Baroque Ensemble Lux will mimic the sounds of frogs, hens, nightingales, cuckoos, cats and more with their early music instruments. … Find out more →

Can you hear the drums? Well you will! This free, hands-on workshop by Taiko Meantime will concentrate on rhythm, movement, teamwork, performance and generally having fun with Taiko drums, and will culminate in a mini-performance for friends and family. Open … Find out more →

Entertaining, gorgeous and relevant. Enjoy an informal early evening screening of this award-winning film. With special guest speaker artist/maker Tom Back, designer of Thrive Hive – a habitat suitable for bees and the conscientious beekeeper.

Experience the passion and excitement of authentic Spanish flamenco music and dancing brought to you by a top dance company of highly experienced flamenco artists. Sandra La Espuelita and her troupe Flamenco Pasión have performed extensively across the UK and … Find out more →

A rare chance to hear this iconic poet, musician and self-proclaimed troublemaker, hot from his international schedule to Sydenham. Often on TV, writer of many books, Benjamin has collaborated with Sinead O’Connor, Swayzak, and was the first person to perform … Find out more →

Balalaika return to The Dolphin for a night of Klezmer and Russian music to make the feet dance and a little something for the soul too. Featuring: Justin Bateman on balalaika and mandolin, Lucie Kirkby on trumpet and percussion, Adam … Find out more →

During the three Festival weekends, with four major events and dozens of open houses, the Artists Trail will lead you through Sydenham and on to Forest Hill. There are even more artists and artisans this year; familiar places and faces, … Find out more →

The loveable tale of a mouse who by chance finds himself in a concert hall. There he experiences many strange and funny things and hears some wonderful sounds as the orchestra rehearses and gives a concert. This magical story provides young … Find out more →

Learn about the amazing creatures that live in the garden while you make some weird and wonderful creatures from things that might have been thrown away.  Family-friendly workshop using natural, found, recycled and papier-mache objects. Froglife is a national charity … Find out more →

Artist/maker Tom Back, designer of Thrive Hive, a habitat suitable for bees and the conscientious bee keeper, and apiarist Ella Knowles will be available to discuss the relationship between beauty, design and the well being of bees.

The music at this year’s festival goes out on a high with three extraordinary acts in the vanguard of contemporary folk music, with traditional roots that incorporate diverse influences and continue to be exciting and relevant into the 21st Century! … Find out more →

Lucy Porter – NORTHERN SOUL. Lucy is a familiar face from popular shows including Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Mock The Week, and Have I Got News for You. Lucy will be followed by Paul F Taylor – THE GREATEST SHOW … Find out more →