The Totally Thames festival is celebrating the world-famous River Thames’ past, present and future. Lucy Wood reports…
RUNNING throughout September, the festival features arts events, active adventures, environmental initiatives and more. First held in 1997, it is organised by the Thames Festival Trust, a charity which also works year-round to deliver a programme of heritage and education work.
“With the river facing mounting environmental pressures, from pollution to habitat loss, this year’s festival places a renewed focus on ecology and care,” said a spokesperson for the trust. “Artists across a variety of disciplines will respond to the river’s challenges using creative expression to spark awareness, inspire dialogue and imagine more sustainable futures.”
Composer Narotam Horn will open the festival by presenting the River Recital 2025 Summer Concert on September 7 at The Arts Ark, Tower Bridge Moorings, a unique river stage set against the backdrop of Tower Bridge on London’s only floating gardens. The concert honours the river’s biodiversity while amplifying the voices of communities living along its banks.
There will also be the premiere of River of Sound, a new partnership with community radio station Resonance FM, presenting audio excursions throughout the month, while the Great River Race on September 20 will bring together more than 300 crews for a 21.6-mile journey from Millwall to Richmond, supporting charities around the UK and beyond. Among the hundreds of vessels in this colourful river marathon, a junior crew from Cornwall will fly a dual Ukrainian-Cornish flag and The Firkin Berks will row in memory of boat designer Bob Berk in his handcrafted vessel. At St Katharine Docks on September 6/7, the 16th Classic Boat Festival will offer visitors close-ups of more than 50 vintage vessels, including Dunkirk Little Ships and heritage tugs.
Totally Thames will also welcome back its popular choral performances with two celebratory concerts on September 14 by 300-plus schoolchildren. Kid’s Choir will sing together for the first time, having spent six months learning a specially selected repertoire, while Sing For Water presents more than 500 singers from 40 choirs around the UK to raise awareness and funds for WaterAid.
And throughout the entire month, the festival’s sponsor, the Port of London Authority, will host The Clean Thames Challenge, inviting individuals and groups to help tackle litter along the river. Now in its second year, the challenge offers Clean Thames kits, including litter-pickers and high-vis vests to anyone taking part, as a practical and empowering way to protect the river’s health and support biodiversity. Alongside these events and more is a programme of talks, music and family activities.
Trust chair Stephen Warrington said: “Rivers have always been at the heart of our human civilisation’s development; a special platform for people to create, recall and enjoy the most rewarding things in life – art, culture, ways of living.”
Director Adrian Evans added: “Rivers run like arteries through the heart of our communities and are a source of inspiration, of joy, and delight. We value them for their natural environment, for their history and heritage, and for the connections they make for us with the wider world.”To find out more visit: thamesfestivaltrust.org
