Plans for September's Thames Festival revealed

More than 800,000 people are expected to descend on the banks of the Thames over the weekend of 8-9 September for the festival’s 16th outing.

The free event will coincide with the closing weekend of the Paralympic Games and will mark the passing of the Olympics Games from London to Rio de Janiero with the UK’s largest ever Rio-style carnival float.

Event space HMS Belfast will stage a choral performance by British composer Orlando Gough, while Tower Bridge will provide the backdrop for a day of acrobatic stunts by Circolombia.

In Jubilee Gardens, in front of the London Eye, steel pan groups from across the country will come together to break the world record for the largest number of steel pans played at one time.

The weekend will culminate with an illuminated night carnival, bringing together more than 1,500 dancers, drummers and masqueraders along London’s Victoria Embankment, followed by a river-based firework spectacular.

Other highlights include the world premiere of a new composition by singer-songwriter Sam Lee performed by 600 children; a day of live poetry and beat boxing; and a performance under Tower Bridge using ships’ horns, created by twice-Turner Prize-nominated artist Richard Wilson RA.

Supported by the Mayor of London and Arts Council England, the festival is delivered by the Thames Festival Trust, a non-profit charitable trust.

Adrian Evans, festival director, said: "This year is going to be a true spectacular. The festival brings Londoners together to celebrate the things that make the city great and this year we’re proud to be the capital’s celebration of an incredible summer."

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