Bermondsey Carnival, what’s that then?
It is a free, day-long
community celebration held in Southwark Park, with a history stretching back
over a hundred years in SE16. The event brings together two stages of live
music and DJs spanning a wide mix of genres, a funfair, dedicated kids’
entertainment, free football activities run by the Community Trust of the local
Football Club, independent food and drink traders, and local community stalls.
[The Carnival had lost its grant funding from Southwark Council a few
years back and went into a hiatus but after much local campaigning came back, using
the stages and stalls left standing from the 2-day RALLY Music Festival
held over the preceding days for free/a nominal sum.]
Music runs across two areas: the main stage and the
BSC x PEEK Tent, which brings an “underground” dance-music flavour to the
afternoon with DJ sets running well into the evening. The 2026 line-up includes
Lisa Loud, Meaka Monroe, Ten Tonne Ska, Carpet Head, The Ukullective,
and headliner Artful Dodger, plus compère Philip Poleon and DJ Noel,
alongside sets from Rafe, Ted White, Luckless, Sow, Abby T and Sound Source
Radio DJs in the BSC x PEEK Tent.
The Walk:
Length: 7.3 km
Ascent: negligible
Net Walking Time: up to 1 ¾ hours
Start & Finish: Bermondsey Underground, meet at 14.00 hours (Jubilee Line, Zone 2).
Dropout Points: Rotherhithe Overground, Canada
Water Underground, Surrey Quays Overground or any number of bus stops. The
whole route is in Zone 2.
The blurb for walking the route in the original direction:
“This varied route explores parks and waterways on the Rotherhithe
peninsula rarely seen by occasional visitors, who tend to follow the Thames
Path.
Start from Bermondsey tube near the boundary with Rotherhithe, following
a meandering route through the well-kept Southwark Park, then cut across to
Greenland Dock, one of the few remnants of the once ubiquitous ponds and water
channels of the Surrey Commercial Docks, used mainly for timber and grain
trading, before walking along the spine of the peninsula through the enchanting
Russia Dock Woodland, an infilled dock with plenty of visible reminders of its
past.
A short loop through the Stave Hill Ecology Park leads up to one the
finest low viewpoints in town: Stave Hill, a 9-metre artificial mound with
surround views to the Olympic Park, Canary Wharf, the City of London,
Westminster and most high points in South East London.You then skirt around Surrey Water and follow the well-maintained Albion
Channel (more remains of the former docks and quays) to Canada Water, currently
one of London’s largest regeneration sites, before a final loop through the
historic Rotherhithe village and – for a short stretch – along the Thames
River, passing some famous pubs and ending back in Bermondsey.”
Eat/Drink: Many cafés and pubs en route and two pubs just past
the end, check the webpage or the pdf for details.
#2026-08-31T14:00 t=short.54
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