I just came back from the “Mayor’s Thames Festival”:http://www.thamesfestival.org/ and had a great time. It’s a good example of how cities have the scale to produce public goods which tens of thousands can enjoy. Tonight’s event was a two-hour-long parade of groups of varying age and ethnicity joining peacefully simply to have fun themselves and entertain others.
Oh, and I also love the fact that this is an entirely synthetic festival – set up six years ago just for entertainment, with no commercial hook (though of course it is probably good for the tourist trade)…
It’s slightly melancholy, however. as it is about the last of a string of large-scale public free events throughout the summer, and it is notably both colder and darker at this time of the evening than I remembered earlier.
Saw the procession too and remarked to a friend “who says Britain can’t party!” As you say, completely “made up” (and I suspect part of Ken’s “vote for me again” campaign) but great fun…
Comment by Julian — 16 September 2003 @ 2:20 pm
Wasn’t it wonderful! On the north side near Blackfriars, we had just enough people to make a good atmosphere but not enough to cause any crowding. We took a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old and they loved it – the performers were brilliant with the kids and they were serenaded by the brass section of the LPO.
Ken is da man!
Comment by Lee Bryant — 18 September 2003 @ 12:40 pm