Every year, London’s famous river gets a whole festival of art installations, performances, and talks devoted to her watery charms, many of which are free to check out. This year’s Totally Thames Festival has scores of events throughout September, all dotted along riverside locations from Richmond to Barking & Dagenham.
The month's biggest event is the Great River Race (Saturday September 21) from Tower Hamlets to Richmond, where 330 crews from across the world spend the morning speeding down the Thames on wooden rowboats, many of them in jaunty fancy dress costumes.
But there are plenty of other, less splashy highlights. You can clamber aboard antique vessels at St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival and see site-specific, river-inspired dance performances, visit a mudlarking exhibition, walk and masterclass, take the Tideway boat tour, listen in to special lectures and see a performance from a kids’ choir.
Other events include guided walks, photography classes, talks, cabaret, and more: each weekend's activities revolve around a different hub, in the locations of Brentford, The Royal Docks, London Bridge, Greenwich and Kingston upon Thames. Check out the Totally Thames schedule for full details.