Wildlife organisations, river and environmental groups and community associations have this week announced plans for the fifth Tidefest to be held on the tidal Thames in London on Sunday 2nd September.

Tidefest is now an established River Thames event which aims to highlight the recreational importance of the Thames to Londoners and to encourage people to 'enjoy the river'. It is part of the month long Totally Thames Festival and is sponsored by Thames Water, Fullers Brewery and Tideway, the company delivering the new Thames Tideway Tunnel to clean up the river.

TideFest 2018 is once again based at Strand-on-the-Green in Chiswick with activities and events at Brentford, Barnes, Twickenham, Deptford and other locations along the Thames Tideway.

There will be lots of great activities for all the family including children’s games, foreshore walks, angling competition, boat trips, paddleboarding, river dipping, and kayaking. Visitors can also enjoy nature reserve visits, water games, stalls and displays, talks and film showing, live fish tanks and local artists. Tidefest also offers entertainment, food, music and generous discounts off admissions to the London Museum of Water and Steam and the Eel Pie Island museum.

The full programme is now available and can be booked via the TideFest website at www.thamestidefest.net    

Gordon Scorer, Chief Executive of London Wildlife Trust said: “Tidefest celebrates the recreational value and wonderful wildlife of the Thames, a river that keeps getting better, year after year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to discover the wildlife that lives in and close to the river, and to partake in exciting and inspiring events and activities. We hope to see you there!”

Tidefest organiser, Martin Salter from the Angling Trust, said: “Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and the hard work of local groups Tidefest is now a well-established annual event that grows in popularity every year and which aims to help reconnect Londoners with their river. The tidal Thames holds over 120 different species of fish and is home to a tremendous array of birds yet surprisingly few people are aware of what a great wildlife corridor we have here in the heart of London. This year there will be a special emphasis on highlighting the menace of plastic pollution which is doing so much harm in our rivers and oceans.”

There are range of new attractions this year, with boat trips on both the Thames and the Lea and visits to the Deptford Creek and Thames Water’s Hogsmill Nature reserve in Surbiton.

July 5, 2018