Streatham Festival 2021 will take place from Friday 8 October to Sunday 17 October and is celebrating all aspects of the arts.

The Streatham Festival organisers are calling on Streathamites and Londoners to visit the festival website, to book tickets and register for some of the many events and activities.

With the arts and venues suffering badly from the effects of the pandemic, the organisers feel the festival is needed to help restart Streatham’s vibrant arts scene.

Highlights of this year’s line-up:

STREATHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL – Now in its second year, following the successful combined IRL/virtual launch in 2020. There will be workshops and readings by writers, publishers, and illustrators – as well as a short story competition. In collaboration with Lambeth Libraries, there will also be events to mark Black History Month.

On Sunday 10 October, Streatham Space Project will host the Streatham Sunday Special – a day of workshops, readings and discussions followed by spoken word, music, and poetry. The Streatham Sunday Special includes a talk and drawing workshop by award-winning children’s author Kate Wilkinson. There is a children’s short story competition as part of the Literature Festival, sponsored by The White House Preparatory School

Streatham Festival is proud to be working with Moon Lane Ink to supply all the books that will be available to be signed at selected events.

STREATART21 – The Streatham Festival Art Trail, provides a platform to showcase local artists individually and create links with the many venues and businesses in the area. More than 30 artists have signed up this year, and their subject matter includes the landscape photography of Martin Sharpe and the energetic equine portraiture of Yaheya Pasha – both are bursting with vibrant colours. There are also three group shows taking place in the Streatham Tate Library, St Leonard’s Church, and The Woodfield Pavilion.

THE STREATHAM STRUT – The famous Streatham Strut comes back live from 1.00pm ’til gone 10pm on Saturday 9 October and this year, and makes its way from Streatham Hill to Streatham Vale with a crowd of music lovers, and artists and bands including WaYa and B’wani , Los Domingos, JustVic, and Carmen.

FUN FAMILY EVENTS AT THE ROOKERY

On Saturday 16th October, The Rookery Gardens will provide the backdrop for the Rookery Farmers Market, with arts, crafts, horticulture and artisan food stands and a feast of family entertainment and activity between 10.00am to 3.00pm, including:

Norvil & Josephine – The Top Hat Show 12-12.30pm and 2.30-3.00pm. Norvil and Josephine have created a new show on an amazing top hat stage. They turn the classic notion of a Vaudeville magic act on its head in their show full of comical gender bending twists and turns. Norvil and Josephine have appeared on London’s West End, at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, The Wintergarten in Berlin and on TV. Norvil & Josephine are actor and Magic Circle magician Christopher Howell and Guinness World Record acrobat and dancer Desireé Kongerød. This act was created with generous support from Arts Council England National Lottery.

AND THERE’S MUCH MORE – to tell you about. Stand-up comedy gigs, and amateur comedy cabaret; The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre are hosting Imaginarium, an exhibition exploring Streatham’s theatrical heritage and discussing its future, and a Treasure Hunt for teams; family events; dance classes for toddlers and babies, free Flamenco taster dance classes, art workshops, a Schnauzerfest walk on Sunday 17 October and Choral Evensong at St Leonard’s Church, featuring Dyson’s Evening Service in D.

Streatham Festival is immensely grateful to their main sponsors: InStreatham BID, Heart Streatham Magazine, Sambrooks Brewery (proud Sponsors of the Streatham Strut), Streatham Rotary and Anthony Gold Solicitors, who are this year’s Rookery Events sponsors.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP will be participating in the Literature Festival, interviewing local author and barrister Nicola Williams for the Sunday Special.

She says:

“The Streatham Festival is one of the highlights of our local calendar, celebrating a diverse range of culture and talent from Streatham and beyond. I’m really excited to be part of this year’s literature festival and to get the chance to see what our fantastic volunteers have pulled together this year.”