to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
The Royal Borough on the Thames is one of London’s great sites for summer festivals. In 2024, we’ll bring you festivals for young people, festivals of comedy, festivals of food, festivals of culture and, of course, festivals of music – all making the most of Greenwich’s stunning parks, river frontage and historic structures.
Scan the list below, find your festival, and get it in your calendar!
Bandstand Concerts
Sundays in July and August, Greenwich Park
Greenwich Park’s delightful vintage bandstand comes alive throughout summer, with free performances every Sunday until 25 August, plus a final show on the August Bank Holiday on Monday 26 August. Brought to you by the Friends of Greenwich Park, the concert series showcases swing, big band and jazz ensembles from the borough and beyond.
Peninsula Summer
July, August and September, Greenwich Peninsula
Vibrant and dynamic, Greenwich Peninsula offers visitors a whole season of sensation with Peninsula Summer. Running from July to September, it’s a smorgasbord of food, fun and culture, including Wild Swing Mini Golf in the stylish Design District (selected dates between 18 July and 19 September; Picturehouse Outdoor Cinema (26 to 28 July and 2 to 4 August in Central Park); Rhythm and Taste Jazz & Food Festival (Design District, 20 July); and the biggest of them all — the free art and performances of the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (31 August to 1 September).
Royal Greenwich Festivals
Throughout July, August and September
Royal Greenwich Festivals reach every corner of the borough, with free, inclusive, world-class events. There's everything from carnivals, community days and outdoor cabarets to storytelling, workshops and performances as part of Greenwich+Docklands International Festival. More on that below!
Park It in the Market
25 July, Greenwich Market
Lovers of vintage cars, vintage clothes and vintage music shouldn’t miss this rocking day out at Greenwich Market. Revolving around an eye-catching display of period cars and motorcycles, this past winner of Time Out’s ‘Best Vintage Event’ also offers vintage clothing stalls; live rock’n’roll, skiffle and rockabilly from high-energy outfit Ronnie Ripple and the RipChords; the Losers Motorcycle Club tea stall; and DJs playing 50s and 60s classics between sets. The Market’s famous street-food stalls will stay open for the evening, so stick around for street eats, summery cocktails and dancing on the cobbles!
Uptown Festival
28 July, Blackheath
Musical legends including Madness, the Lightning Seeds and Norman Jay MBE are set to get feet dancing on Blackheath Common, from noon to 10pm on Sunday 28 July. Larger stage screens and great food and drink options ensure everyone has the best possible time, while kids and their families will relish the chance to meet Bluey and Bingo, get their hands busy with arts and crafts and tackle the Shipwreck Climbing Adventure.
Courtyard Live
Throughout August and September, Woolwich Works
Saturdays and Sundays are all set for summer at Woolwich Works with a fully free programme of music and cultural performances from across the globe! Enjoy African acrobatics, punk rock choirs, Trinity College of Music and artists bringing beats from as far as Turkey, Brazil and Congo. Get yourselves to the courtyard, pull up a deckchair, grab a drink and some gorgeous street food and soak up the atmosphere!
Turning Tides Music Festival
10 August, Greenwich Peninsula
Greenwich Peninsula’s cutting-edge Design District is the venue for the joyful return of Turning Tides Festival in 2024. This totally free day party, running from 1.30 to 10.30pm on Saturday 10 August, features global beats like Flamingods and the Ibibio Sound Machine, culminating in a headline set from the astonishing Girl Ray. Food and drink stalls will trade throughout the day, keeping those dancing feet fuelled.
Greenwich+Docklands International Festival
23 August – 8 September, Various locations in Greenwich
Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF) is London’s premier free festival of theatre, art, dance and installations. Curated to the theme ‘All Change’, GDIF 2024 stretches over 17 days and promises to be bigger than ever. Catch performances like ‘Patois’ (which tells the story of culture, language and belonging through traditional Caribbean choreography, contemporary dance and Caribbean folk music) and ‘The Ballad of Thamesmead’ at venues like Cutty Sark Gardens and the Thamesmead Estate.
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Totally Thames Festival
1 – 30 September, Various riverside locations in Greenwich
Totally Thames celebrates London’s iconic waterway throughout September. The Festival’s varied programme of fascinating and accessible arts and culture takes place beneath, above and beside the grand old river, celebrating its rich history and restating the case for its conservation. Pop-up performances, community clean-ups, guided mudlarking and music and art in unexpected places like Crossness Pumping Station will take place in Greenwich and in other locations along a 42-mile stretch of the Thames.
Open House Festival
6 – 17 September, Various locations in Greenwich
London’s annual Open House festival offers a rare chance to get behind the scenes of some of Greenwich’s loveliest, most unusual and inaccessible buildings. Guided walks and off-limits tours reveal architectural and engineering wonders including the varied ‘intelligent’ buildings of Greenwich Peninsula’s Design District; the inner workings of the IFS Cloud Cable Car; Charlton House and Gardens; and even the Old Royal Naval College, Sir Christopher Wren’s Thamesside masterpiece. Booking is essential.
Greenwich Comedy Festival
11 – 15 September, National Maritime Museum
As summer seeps away and the festivals fold their tents, there’s still fun to be had at the five-day Greenwich Comedy Festival. Revolving around a Big Top in the scenic grounds of the National Maritime Museum, London’s oldest and biggest comedy festival always brings a hilarious mix of seasoned pros and emerging talent. In 2024, you can expect renowned talent like Dara Ó Briain, Josh Widdicombe, Simon Amstell, Dylan Moran and much, much more! Top-notch food and drink stalls cater to the chuckling crowds.
Related
The Friends of Greenwich Park are once again staging their hugely popular series of free concerts at the Greenwich Park Bandstand to brighten up your summer.
Discover the magic of summer in London with Peninsula Summer.
Park It in the Market returns to Greenwich Market for the first of two events this year.
Get ready for a day of global beats as Turning Tides Festival makes a joyful return to Greenwich Peninsula.
London’s leading festival of free outdoor theatre and performing arts.
Celebrating the River Thames with arts events, active adventures, environmental initiatives, heritage and education programmes.
The Open House Festival is a two week city-wide celebration of London’s housing, architecture and neighbourhoods that make London special.
London’s biggest comedy festival returns to the National Maritime Museum with stand-up’s finest live in the Big Top plus craft beers, street eats and more.
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