The 2012 Festival
Saturday 21 April
The Great Southwark Dragon Quest
12.30pm-2pm with Mental Fight Club and Southwark Mysteries. Meeting place Red Cross Garden, Redcross Way [map], £3 donation, book via mentalfightclub@btinternet.com or call Declan on 07813 900062. Find 10 Georges and Dragons hidden around Borough High Street and learn of the traditions and folklore associated with them. (Also Sunday and Monday)
St George Festival Fun Day
2pm – 5pm at St George the Martyr Crypt [map] with contributions from Southwark’s many varied communities, including MIA dancers, Blackfriars Nightingales, LSBU Confucius Institute, BOST making mini greenhouses (to plant firey chilli peppers!), Ethiopian coffee ceremony and display of Ethiopian Christian art. See Facebook event.
- 2pm Movement into Age dancers
- 2.30pm Rockingham Somali Group
- 3pm Blackfriars Nightingales
- 3.30pm Ethipopian Music and Dance
- 4pm Peformances from Confucius Institute, London South Bank University
Sunday 22 April
Festival Eucharist
11am in St George the Martyr Church: all welcome
Celebrate St George’s Day at Borough Market
12 noon-4pm in the Jubilee Market (Winchester Walk)
Many only think of St George as the patron saint of England, but the dragon-slayer is also the patron saint of many other communities, including Catalonia. In celebration of this, the market has teamed up with the Government of Catalonia for a special day to honour our shared saint, diverse cultures and traditions. Borough Market traders will be showcasing the best of their produce including a special English charcuterie platter from Cannon and Cannon, dragon-themed baked goods from Bread Ahead and specialities from Brindisa.
There’ll also be demonstrations throughout the day focusing on English and Catalan dishes, including from the popular Catalan Cooking, alongside a traditional performance from Passamezzo.
The exchanging of roses and books is a Catalan custom on St George’s Day and the UK delegation of the Government of Catalonia will perform the ritual with members of the public, while traders will hand out roses throughout the day.
The Great Southwark Dragon Quest
12.30pm-2pm with Mental Fight Club and Southwark Mysteries. Meeting place Red Cross Garden, Redcross Way [map], £3 donation, book via mentalfightclub@btinternet.com or call Declan on 07813 900062. Find Georges and Dragons hidden around Borough High Street and learn of the traditions and folklore associated with them. (Also Saturday and Monday)
Monday 23 April – St George’s Day
Dragon Cafe
10am-10pm in the Crypt of St George the Martyr Church
Come and see us and have a cuppa, a St George themed snack, and explore the creative space, the exhibition of images, performances and ‘son et lumiere’ projections.The Dragon Cafe should open regularly from 1 October 2012.
Tours of St George’s RC Cathedral
11am & 3pm Tours of St George’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Lambeth Road, free.
Book Sale at Southwark Cathedral
11am-6pm Book Sale organised by the Friends of Southwark Cathedral in SW churchyard at the cathedral. Buy a book and receive a rose!
The Great Southwark Dragon Quest
12.30pm-2pm with Mental Fight Club and Southwark Mysteries. Meeting place Red Cross Garden, Redcross Way [map], £3 donation, book via mentalfightclub@btinternet.com or call Declan on 07813 900062. Find Georges and Dragons hidden around Borough High Street and learn of the traditions and folklore associated with them. (Also Saturday and Sunday)
Mass for St George’s Day
The Ballad of St George & the Dragon
Musical open-air theatre with the Lions part at four locations around Borough & Bankside.
- 2.30pm at St George’s Roman Catholic Primary School playground (entrance Lambeth Road, SE1)
- 3.45pm at Red Cross Garden, Redcross Way, SE1 [map]
- 4.45pm at Millennium Courtyard, Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge [map]
- 5.45pm next to St George the Martyr Church, Borough High Street [map]
Meditation
6.30pm Meditation on theme of St George and Identity with Fr Ray Andrews, St George the Martyr Church
St George’s Day Vigil
6.45pm for 7pm at Crossbones Graveyard, Redcross Way
A vigil to honour the outcast dead of Crossbones Graveyard has been held on the 23rd of every month since 2004. Every April 23rd, St George is honoured at Crossbones as ‘Our Lady’s Knight’ and as the protector of spiritual works. There’ll be poetry, songs and simple participatory rituals led by John Constable (‘The Southwark Mysteries’) and other local artists. Bring a flowers or a memento to renew the living shrine at the gates, and a poem, song or something else to share. A celebration of Englishness at its most diverse and inclusive. Meet at the gates in Redcross Way, SE1 (opposite The Boot and Flogger).
Morris Dancing
Finally: from 8pm New Esperance Morris and Hammersmith Morris start a tour of pubs in Bankside and Borough at Old Thameside Inn.
