2019 Festival
Illuminate Bermondsey & Rotherhithe
(scroll down for free lantern making workshops from 26th October)
Family Barn Dance, Saturday 9th November 1-3pm, Mayflower Hall, Neptune Street
Collection Creatives writing & art group, Saturday 9th November 5.30-7.30pm Canada Water Library
Pilgrim Statue Illumination Saturday, 16th November 6:30-7:00pm Cumberland Wharf SE16 5QH
Tales and Songs of Migration Concert, Saturday 16th November 7.30pm, Sands Films, St Marychurch St
Film Screening Weekend, Sands Films, St Marychurch St
– The Pilgrims Saturday 23rd November – 11am (Free tickets)
– Latcho Drom Saturday 23rd November – 4pm (Free tickets)
– In My Heart Sunday 24th November – 2pm (Free tickets)
– Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow Sunday 24th November – 5pm (Free tickets)
Rotherhithe Lantern Procession, Friday 29th November assemble from 4- 4:30pm at St Mary’s Churchyard Gardens, Rotherhithe, arriving St James’s Churchyard Gardens, Bermondsey. . . bring your lanterns!
Bermondsey Lantern Procession, Friday 29th November assemble from 3.30 at The Blue, Market Place, Bermondsey, arriving St James’ church . . . bring your lanterns!
Illuminate Rotherhithe Community Show, Saturday 30th November 7.30pm, Finnish Church, Albion Street – Music, Poetry, Cabaret, Folk, Choir, Performance, Merriment . . bring yourselves!
JOIN in our free events and make a lantern for the procession
Free Lantern Making Workshops with artist Frog Morris
Saturday 26th October 12 noon. Made in Bermondsey, The Blue Market Place Bermondsey, London SE16 3UQ
Saturday 2 November 10.30 am. Mayflower Hall, 1 Neptune St, Rotherhithe, London SE16 7JP
Wednesday 13 November 2.00 pm. Cherry Garden Hall, 210 Jamaica Rd, Bermondsey, London SE16 4RT
Friday 15th November 4.00 pm. Crafty Beasts T&T2, opposite Tesco Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, Redriff Rd, Rotherhithe, London SE16 7LL
Saturday 16th November 10.30 am. Blue Anchor Library, Bermondsey
Saturday 16th November 2.00 pm. The Gregorian pub, 96 Jamaica Rd, Bermondsey, London SE16 4SQ
Saturday 23 November 11.00 am. Canada Estate Hall, Moodkee Street, SE16 7BD at the junction of Renforth St.
Saturday 23 November 3.30 pm. T&T2, opposite Tesco Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, Redriff Rd, Rotherhithe, London SE16 7LL
Tuesday 26th November Beormund Centre 6.30 pm 177 Abbey St, Bermondsey, London SE1 2AN
The story so far…
The overall theme of the Illuminate Rotherhithe festival is Migration. The dedicated thread for 2018 was the River Thames. In 2019 the theme was Trade.
The name Rederheia (Rotherhithe) was first recorded in 1105 and Rotherhithe was originally a place of marshland. Bermondsey (possibly meaning ‘Beornumund’s Island’) first appears as Norman, with the building of Bermondsey Abbey founded as a Cluniac monastery in 1082. Both areas have rich layers of family, local, national and international history running through them.
The name ‘Illuminate’ derives from William Bradford (the Governor of the Pilgrim community in Plymouth, US) who wrote in his journal: ‘Just as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many’, and the festival is inspired by the motto of the new Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey created from three smaller boroughs in 1900: Prosunt Gentribus Artes – Arts Profit the People.
In the context of Rotherhithe & Bermondsey’s particular and changing circumstances, there is a need to grow our resilience and our understanding of each other.
The more we mix, the more we feel part of the community, and the aim of the festival is to encourage our communities to be involved, to participate, to collaborate and to mix.
The festival always welcomes new volunteers.
Header image: Duncan Grant, Rotherhithe 1933. © Museum of London
Photographs: Annabel Stockman
Lantern designed by Frog Morris
Header photograph, composite: 242 Rotherhithe Street, 1911