Happy 1st of August everyone! July just flew by, didn’t it? Just a few short days before my family touched down in London for the wedding, Lambeth Country Show took over Brockwell Park near Brixton once again. As a SE London dweller, I always insist on attending this crazy mix of country fair, food and drink and reggae fest. The weather wasn’t quite as idyllic for this year’s festival as it was for last year’s – but the threat of rain kept some of the crowds away.
The show is in it’s 42nd year, and unbelievably it’s entirely free. Donations are taken at the door, but there’s no pressure to donate, and it’s not ticketed at all. Every year there are some events that I just can’t miss. The vegetable sculpture contest is my absolute favourite; this year all the vegetable sculptures were very politically themed – Jeremy Corn-byn, vegetable Trumps, etc. I also love stopping by the flower show and staring enviously at all the beauties that these green-thumbed wizards produce. Sam, inexplicably, loves the sheep show so we always make a stop to see the lovely sheep.
What’s most surprising about it all, is come Monday morning it’s like the event never happened; the sea of tents and rides and food that surrounded Brockwell Lido is entirely gone. If you get a chance to attend next summer, I recommend making a day of it and purchasing some wears from the busiest tent of the whole weekend: Chucklehead Cider.
Have you attended the Lambeth Country Show before? What’s your favourite free summer festival?
