Go with the flow at river festival

A million people are expected to converge on the banks of the river when London hosts the 10th Mayor's Thames Festival.

The event, supported by the Evening Standard, takes place between Westminster and Tower bridges, and celebrates the capital's greatest natural asset, the Thames.

Around 20 water-themed events have been organised, including open-air arts, pyrotechnics, illuminations, street theatre, massed choirs and music.

One of the largest will involve the requisition of Southwark bridge for an all-day feast. From 10pm on Friday 14 September to 7am on Sunday 16 September the bridge will be closed to all but foot traffic.

It will be transformed by a team of artists into a series of themed eating areas, including an enchanted woodland picnic, a traditional British seaside, a formal banquet and an Indian wedding celebration.

Festival director Adrian Evans said: "It's an unusual idea that harks back to a time when bridges were more than just a way to cross the river. They were somewhere to spend time rather than just rush over because they had shops and were inhabited. Eating over a river will be a unique experience for many."

On the Saturday evening a team of musical French acrobats, Transe Express, will perform from a giant chandelier suspended 100ft above the Thames. Throughout Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 September, music from around the world will be played at different venues along the river bank.

Bands include Baka Beyond, which features the music of Pygmy musicians from Cameroon, and Balkan wedding performers Orkestra del Sol.

The climax is on the Sunday, when 2,000 musicians and dancers carrying lanterns and wearing illuminated costumes will parade from Victoria Embankment to the Royal Festival Hall via Blackfriars bridge.

At 9.45pm the festival will close with a 10-minute fireworks display, set off from a barge anchored in the middle of the Thames.

"The idea is that a city should have events that bring people together. If London was a village this would be its village fête," Mr Evans said.

"The river is an ideal focus for such a festival because it is the thing that holds London together. Whether you live in Brent or in Bromley you still feel an association with the Thames.