Totally Thames’ fantastic annual season of over 100 events celebrating the River Thames is back for the month of September. This year’s programme will look at the river as an inspiration and source of creativity connecting London to other cities around the world. It will also celebrate the heritage of our river and illuminate the long-standing traditions and unique stories the river holds.

Totally Thames will give Londoners and visitors the opportunity to take part in a programme of arts, culture, heritage and active events including foreshore archaeological walks, a poetry boat party and live music under the river in Tower Bridge’s Bascule Chambers.

Mother Danube will see a week of free performance at various unique and riverside locations, with storyteller Sally Pomme Clayton and musician Emma Clare, will take a magical journey across Europe evoking the River Danube.  Inua Ellams brings an exhilarating, vibrant, live literature event in The R.A.P Party aboard the beautiful Dixie Queen to sail down the Thames. Featuring a stellar line-up of spoken word artists performing poems inspired by hip hop culture whilst a DJ plays a kaleidoscope of tracks for a laid back, poetry-infused nostalgic boat party.

Composer and curator Iain Chambers returns to fill the atmospheric subterranean Victorian space in Tower Bridge with a brand-new programme of works, including commissioned spoken word performances and an immersive sound walk exploring London’s greatest hidden space. The concerts will feature music, vocal and poetry works from the Marian Consort, Tabla player Kuljit Bhamra and storyteller Rae Levine.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, comments “Totally Thames is a fantastic celebration of London’s historic 42-mile River Thames. It brings together Londoners young and old, with a range of over 100 artistic, participatory and community activities and events across the city - whether you’re in Richmond, Southwark, Greenwich or Barking and Dagenham. From the World’s Oldest Boat Race to the Rivers of the World programme, there is something for everyone and I encourage everyone – whether you’re a Londoner or one of our many visitors - to come along and enjoy one of London’s most spectacular cultural celebrations.”

Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project in partnership with the British Council which has worked with 30,000 12-14 year olds in 30 countries around the world to inspire young people to learn about rivers through art and creativity. This exhibition of river-inspired artwork has been created by young people from around the world working in collaboration with professional artists to explore and express what rivers mean to communities today. This year’s exhibition will feature work from Barking & Dagenham, Exeter, Worcester in the UK as well as Kenya, Malawi and Palestine.

The Race for Doggett’s Coat and Badge is the world’s oldest continually competed sporting event started in 1715. This incredible rowing race is competed in every year by apprentice river workers on the Thames. This year, Totally Thames will delve into this tradition passed down through generations of Thames watermen, hosting the race itself on Tuesday 4 September, and exploring its rich heritage in a series of outdoor exhibitions.

Totally Thames runs from the 1^st -30^th of September 2018, all the info you need is available at totallythames.org