A day of street festivals for the City of London

The streets of the City of London will be filled with performers as a series of street festivals take place on the same day.

For a whole day, from sunrise to sunset, over 30 independent theatre companies and 200 performers will host street festivals, featuring giant puppets, circus performers, contemporary dancers, jugglers, storytellers, and interactive theatre.

The festivals will take place on Saturday 15th October and will all be free to watch or participate in. Most of the events start from noon and last until dusk.

In total, some 17 locations will have events, but the three biggest venues will be Guildhall, St Paul’s and around the Museum of London. Finishing the day, at sunset, there will be ‘fire finales’ at St Paul’s and Guildhall, with performances, flaming beacons, and a fire garden.

Along the high walk between London Wall and the Museum of London, storytellers, poets and puppeteers will share the lesser-known stories of the City, from ancient tales of Roman Londinium to shopkeepers and Suffragettes.

Guildhall Yard will showcase acrobatics displays, while stilt walkers, giant puppets and three different contemporary brass bands will parade throughout the day. Meanwhile, the ancient Guildhall’s underground Crypt will explore London’s LGBTQ+ scene, with drag and cabaret acts and DJs. Guildhall’s Great Hall will house Future City, where London’s young people are invited to reimagine and build their dream city. And Guildhall’s Roman Amphitheatre will host a dazzling circus show.

St Paul’s Churchyard will host a marketplace, inspired by Cheapside, home to one of London’s oldest markets. There will also be interactive performances from poetry to puppetry, an outdoor circus show, and musical acts.

At other venues dotted around the City, there will be special performances throughout the day, some with special access to private spaces not usually open. Those performances will require your smartphone to unlock what is happening.