Free Winter Activities In The Blue Market in 2022
Join us for Family Saturdays At The Blue, a series of free workshops and activities in The Blue Market, every Saturday afternoon from 12noon, bringing people together to celebrate the rich cultural diversity and heritage of the area.
There will be different kinds of participatory activities to enjoy, exploring a wide range of interests with art and crafts, circus skills, storytelling, games, and gardening for visitors to have a go and participate in.
These workshops are to promote wellbeing though creativity, physical activity, inspirational learning and awareness of the local environment. Bringing the community together to participate and encourage more footfall to local businesses and amenities.
This series of events are part of Blue Bermondsey’s Out Of The Blue: Unheard Voices, Different Stories project, funded by Historic England through its Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories, and themed around the multicultural working-class heritage of the local community.
All activities take place at Market Place, London, SE16 3UQ.
FULL CALENDAR OF FREE WINTER ACTIVITIES
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5 November / DANCE AROUND THE WORLD
Market Place, London SE16 3UQ / 12noon – 3pm
An afternoon to explore folk dance around the world with performances from Brixton Tatterjack Morris and Black Swan Morris dancers plus guests and children’s activities.
12 November / NATIONAL BIRDS ART WORKSHOP
Market Place, London SE16 3UQ / 12noon – 3pm
Do you know the national bird of your country? Learn about The Doctor Bird of Jamaica and the Robin of England with Jamaican/British artist and youtuber DJ The Explorer. Make and fly a Green Pheasant of Japan using origami with Miyuki Kasahara.
Plus compete in the first ever World Championship Hook-a-Duck with Frog Morris.
19 November / IRISH AFTERNOON
Market Place, London SE16 3UQ / 12noon – 3pm
An afternoon of Irish entertainment in the square
Free storytelling with
- live music with Liam O’Barr on guitar and Coleman Connolly on Uilleann pipes from 1pm. Click here to watch them playing
- Family storytelling
- Craft tent with activities for all ages
26 November / GREENING THE BLUE
Market Place, London SE16 3UQ / 12noon – 3pm
Bringing together local environmental action groups in the Blue to celebrate the Ada Salter Centenary and help nature the plants and wildlife on your doorstep.
- CRAFTS: Make and decorate bird boxes and bug hotels with Tree for Bermondsey, Bankside Open Spaces and Galleywall Nature Reserve.
- CLOTHES AND BOOKS SWAP: Bring your unwanted clothes to the Clothes Swap and maybe come home with a fresh outfit from 10am t0 4pm. You can also swap books.
- ECO ART CLUB: Join Eco Art Club crafting mushrooms and mycelium from recycled cardboard and chalks which can be taken home and hung up as decorations.
- ADA SALTER: Learn about the centenary celebrations for local hero Ada Salter “a green before the greens” in our information tent
3 December / BLUE MARKET WINTER FAIR
Market Place, London SE16 3UQ / 12noon – 4pm
Join us for a fantastic festive celebration at The Blue Market. There will be plenty of free activities and market stalls to shop for Christmas gifts
The return of the popular winter fair to The Blue Market with incredible street performance, magic tricks, juggling and face painting! Perfect excuse to get into the festive mood in your local community.
These are some of the activities on the day:
CIRCUS SKILLS
Learn Circus Skills to impress your friends thanks to our talented Custard Storm performers.
CHRISTMAS CRAFTS WORKSHOPS
Join us to create your own Christmas wreath and take it home for a special festive decoration.
COMMUNITY DECORATION
Help us to decorate the square at Market Place with artists Jo McCormick and Frog Morris who will be at the activities tent. Join them to create decoration to be displayed in the square all through the festive season.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
Visit market stalls for gifts ideas for your Christmas shopping on sale by our The Blue Market traders
Activities are open to everyone and are free.
10 December / WINTER TALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Market Place, London SE16 3UQ / 12noon – 3pm
Join us at The Blue Market in South Bermondsey for a fantastic journey around the world with the magic of storytelling. These are stories for all ages, and everyone is welcome.
FREE ACTIVITIES ON THE DAY!
WINTER TALES
London Dreamtime present folk tales and legends from around the world. This is an indoor event at Big Local Works in The Blue Market.
Meet the storyteller whose stories will transport us to different adventures around the world with their incredible winter tales for all ages.
Both storytelling sessions will last 30-35 minutes. Please arrive 5 minutes before they start
12.30 pm / Storyteller Ivana Lindgren
1.30pm / Storeteller Vaishali Raithatha
ARTS WORKSHOPS
Take part in our Winter Story Illustration Art workshop and see what you will create. Drop-in Art workshop where you can illustrate your own winter tales, take part in reminiscence drawing workshop with Joanna McCormick or join the bookmaking activity with Frog Morris
FILM “LUCEY WAY”
Filmmaker Lori Yingge Yang made this film during the lockdown 2020, on her balcony. By observing and talking to people, the film reflected the relationships building and changing in this community and found the poetry and beauty of everyday life in Lucey Way.
Film starts at 2.30pm at Big Local Works, screening time 25min
SHARE YOUR STORY
We want to hear from people from diverse cultures and destinations who settle in Bermondsey and want to tell the stories of their community’s migration and contribution to the area. Visit the Out The Blue tent to find out more about this community project funded by Historic England.
17 December /CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD
Market Place, London SE16 3UQ / 12noon – 3pm
CHRISTMAS SINGALONG
Christmas Singalong with comedian Alwin Solanky who will be hosting a Karaoke and telling stories about his memories as a Asian Refugee arriving in the the UK from Uganda in the 1970s and experiencing Christmas Decorations and Top of The Pop
EDIBLE CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS
Decorate your own German-style biscuits to hang on the tree baked by artist Nicole Mollett
CRAFTS WORKSHOPS
Get creative at the crafts tent!
How to The Blue Market:
- Buses: 1, 381, P12
- Underground: Bermondsey
- Train: South Bermondsey
- Overground: Canada Water
- Bicycles parking available
