Wandsworth London Borough of Culture Summer programme including Wandsworth Arts Fringe and Wandsworth Heritage Festival…
Welcome to Wandsworth – London Borough of Culture 2025! Following the huge success of our opening event Strictly Wandsworth, we are delighted to announce a packed summer programme ahead, filled with so many exciting things for all to see and enjoy, including many activities that are completely FREE. For ticketed events, Wandsworth’s Access for All scheme offers discounts for eligible residents.
Kemi Akinola, Deputy Leader of Wandsworth Council, Cabinet Member for Business, Voluntary Services and Culture:
‘This year, like every year, we are championing culture for all. The Wandsworth Arts Fringe brings playful commissions into libraries, playgrounds, streets and schools and we’ve supported 30 brilliant companies to bring creative projects to Wandsworth residents.
‘Heritage and culture are indelibly linked – both have community at their core, and both enrich our understanding of ourselves. This year aims to show how heritage and culture intersect with one another, inspire one another, and form part of one another. It has come together, as it does every year, due to the willingness of local voluntary organisations and enthusiastic individuals to share their knowledge and throw open their doors.’
From 6 to 22 June, leap into Wandsworth Arts Fringe – a world where there’s something for everyone, including brand-new theatre, experimental dance and music, exhibitions, heart-racing cabaret and work-in-progress gigs from the next big names in comedy.
For the 16th year running, Wandsworth Arts Fringe will be shaking up South West London with its most ambitious festival programme to date, popping up in surprising spaces all over the borough. WAF2025 is going to be bigger and better than ever, with 180 events at 65 venues over 17 days covering the entire borough.
Over 60 events in the programme are completely FREE, for the rest of the programme £3 tickets are available for Wandsworth Access for All card holders. To celebrate Pride Month, explore health and wellbeing, cultural celebrations and lots of laughter in the comedy line-up.
WAF is proud to offer a range of exciting opportunities for young people; encouraging youth participation across its established Young Producers, Young Reporters and Young Reviewers programmes. The festival will also host annual WAF School’s Showcases, celebrating the talents of young people from schools across the length and breadth of the borough.
This year, WAF will be teaming up with Wandsworth Heritage Festival during the final week (Fri 13 – Sun 22), celebrating the borough’s rich history through a programme of walks, talks, exhibitions and performances that bring stories of the past to present day audiences. Through this collaboration, there are arts events inspired by the heritage of the borough, and heritage events inspired by the arts of the borough.
The 2025 Wandsworth Heritage Festival – a bumper four-weeks to mark Wandsworth’s year as London Borough of Culture – will take place from Friday 13th June – Sunday 13th July.
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries:
‘Wandsworth will come alive this summer with a vibrant celebration of creativity and community. The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture will see an unforgettable summer of performance, art and music, boosting the local economy and great opportunities for young people. From comedy and theatre at Wandsworth Arts Fringe to picnic performances at Battersea Park in Concert, it’s a fantastic opportunity to get together, as we build a better London for everyone.’
Wandsworth’s year as London Borough of Culture highlights include art installations, dance, and performance exploring place and memory; a walk through the Surrey Iron Railway route uncovering stories accompanied by soundscapes; a talk in our very own modern palace of variety, the Clapham Grand; literary walks through Wandsworth and Clapham Common; a talk (with musical accompaniment!) in the Chapel of Lambeth Cemetery about the once glittering music hall stars who now call Lambeth Cemetery home; poetry events; plaque unveilings; and walks uncovering the natural flora and fauna found here.
Drawing on both Wandsworth Arts Fringe and Wandsworth Heritage Festival, our month-long Winstanley Past, Present and Future Festival (13 June – 13 July) will showcase the history, culture and talents of Battersea’s Winstanley and York Road estates. Look out for the full programme soon.
