Update: Hidden River Festival 22nd September

Here's an update on where things are at with the Hidden River Festival:

The Hidden River Festival 2013 is a celebration of the community living along the often unnoticed New River in N4 and N8. Timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the opening of the New River, it will be an exuberant merrymaking including music, theatre, a re-enactment, local food, history, art, and wildlife. There'll be plenty of entertainment on offer and lots of stalls, but there'll be a focus on participatory activities too.

Locations

The hub of the festival will be in the American Gardens, by the New River in Finsbury Park. However the festival is a multi-site event aimed to encourage people to explore along the New River and discover events and people in neighbouring areas. So, in addition to the fun and frolics in the park, there will also be activities at:

• Catwalk Place in Harringay’s warehouse district, 
• London Wildlife Trust’s centre, by Woodberry Wetlands
• Along the New River in the north Ladder by Hornsey Station
• The Castle Climbing Centre, Green Lanes

Highlights

Whilst the final programme is still evolving, here's just a few of the highlights.

Specially commissioned New River Cantata - Local composer Stuie Wood secured funding from the Arts Council to develop a cantata for the occasion. He will be rehearsing a locally recruited choir working with the UK’s top choir leader, Gitika Partington. The work will be recorded at Angel Studios and performed live on the day.

A Book in the Day: With the help of the public, local artist-publishers Simon Lewandowski (Wild Pansy Press) and Jim Pennington (Aloes Books) will assemble and print a publication compiled from the words and pictures visitors and participants in the Hidden River Festival bring us.

Using a mixture of old (typewriters and duplicators), new and alternative (a bike-powered copier-printer) technologies to give contributors a hands-on experience of putting together a publication. The book will capture the spirit of the festival and copies will be made and ready to take away at the end of the day.

Historical Re-enactment: There'll be a short reenactment of the ceremony that opened of the New River on 29th September 1613.

Treasure Trail: We have commissioned Kathy Brown to develop a fun and educational treasure trail for our section of the New River. The trail is an imaginative way to help people explore. An easy to follow route will enable festival goers to crack the clues whilst taking in some of the most fascinating sights along the way.

History Walks/Talks: Popular London guide Pete Berthoud will be giving walking talks to help people learn more about their fabulous local amenity.

Virtual Tour: As part of a community move to open the parts of the New River that remain closed, a virtual tour will be created (hopefully with the support of Thames Water).

Art Wall: Along the New River by Hornsey Station, an ‘Art Wall’ will be host to works by local artists and photographers for the day.

More Music: There’ll be lots of local music on stages in the park and in Catwalk Place in Harringay’s Warehouse District.

Dance: Swing masters Swing Patrol will be hosting participatory swing dance sessions in the park.

Theatre: Splash! Get your umbrella out and put your wellies on an enjoy this performance developed for the Lyric Hammersmith. Playful and inventive, the 20 minute show will explore the cycle of water form the perspective of a water droplet.

Food: Lots of local food in the park and at Catwalk Place.

Comedy: Comedic entertainment will be provided by local comedy club ROFL & LOL. If we can get the necessary permission, the comedians will be towed along the river on a raft. The period of their journey will act as an egg timer for each slot.

Open House Castle Climbing Centre: The Castle Climbing Centre, originally built as a pumping station for the New River, will be open for visits.

Open Water Swimming: The festival also coincides with the open water swim event being hosted by Capital Tri at the West Reservoir by the Climbing Centre. The event provides the opportunity for locals to take part in a thrilling open water swim experience.

Water Aid: Our charity partners for the event are Water Aid who will join us for the day. 400 years ago the New River was built to bring clean water to London. Today Water Aid carry on this work around the globe. DFID minister Lynne Featherstone will also be joining us for the day.