The incredible South London festival you may not know about celebrating its 51st year

This riverside festival is a joyous explosion of colour and fun for the whole family

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Summer is festival season across the UK, bringing together music, food, dance and more. And while there are many festivals that are household names, some of the smaller, local festivals can be just as special, even if they're less known.

One of these festivals can be found in South London, and will be celebrating its 51st year this summer. The Thamesmead Town Festival is held on just one day in August, but it promises an explosion of colour, music and fun in the South East London area next to the River Thames.

The festival will take place in Southmere Park, where four stages will be erected. There will be a wide variety of music throughout the day, from hip-hop and R&B to rap, indie and spoken word.

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The Park Stage will feature the House Gospel Choir, Logan J Parker and UNCSS, while the Unplugged Stage will bring acoustic and chilled sets to festival-goers. For the more energetic, there is a dedicated dance stage, which will be hosting a cheerleading competition, as well as TikTok dance sensation Dancer Ras.

There will also be community stalls, free workshops for children, and lots of food and drink so there's no chance of going hungry during the day. Last year's festival saw more than 60 local performers and 72 community stalls take part.

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Footage from the festival shows hundreds of people watching performances, wandering between stages and enjoying the food and drink on offer. The festivals bursts with colour, life and diversity, and is a great way to discover something completely new.

It's also very family friendly, with lots of things for children to do, try and learn.

The Thamesmead Festival will take place on August 12 between 12pm and 7.30pm at Southmere Park, SE2 9XA. The festival is free to attend.

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