Best things to do by the river in London this Spring

Was the turning point David Beckham piloting a speedboat under Tower Bridge during the 2012 Olympics? Or is the Thameside revival thanks to South Bank boss Jude Kelly apparently declaring a permanent state of festival at her Waterloo site?

Londoners who remember the 20th century will recall how the Thames riverside was once a place of darkness. After seeing a play at the National, or a concert at the Royal Festival Hall, you would scurry, head bowed, back across Waterloo Bridge to seek sustenance.

In those benighted days, architect Richard Rogers was a voice in the wilderness when he called on planners to put the Thames back at the centre of things.

How the tide has turned. As the 21st century enters its teenaged prime, Old Father Thames has never looked peppier. These days all switched-on Londoners know that a river runs through it and, beyond this weekend’s Boat Race, it is where to head for an entertainment or culinary fix. In 2016, the Thames has ever more spectacular riverside events happening by — and even on — it.