Lewisham's free People's Day festival returns on Saturday 10 July 2027, its first since 2022. Residents can join a paid advisory group until 23 November.

People’s Day, Lewisham’s free summer festival, is coming back. The council says it will return to Mountsfield Park, between Catford and Hither Green, on Saturday 10 July 2027.

It will be the first People’s Day since 2022, when it ran as part of Lewisham’s year as London Borough of Culture. The council announced the date on 19 October.

The festival was first held at Hilly Fields in 1985. The council calls it one of south-east London’s longest-running free festivals, with live music, community stalls, food, arts and family activities.

Residents can help shape it, and get paid for it

The council is setting up a People’s Day Advisory Group to work with the festival’s production team. It wants residents, community leaders, creatives, businesses and local organisations to apply.

What the council has said about the group:

  • it will meet monthly, in a mix of in-person and online sessions
  • members get an honorarium and their expenses back
  • it wants people with experience in arts and culture, events, fundraising, sponsorship, youth work, community engagement, accessibility, sustainability, marketing or communications
  • expressions of interest close on 23 November 2026

Traders who want a pitch at the festival can also register interest now, through a separate form linked from the council’s announcement. The council has not given a closing date for traders.

What the council said

The Mayor of Lewisham, Liam Shrivastava, said People’s Day “has a special place in Lewisham’s history. For more than four decades it has brought people together to celebrate our communities, creativity and diversity.”

Cllr Rotimi Skyers, Cabinet Member for Children, SEND, Youth Empowerment and Culture, said the return was “a real opportunity to put young people and emerging local talent at the heart of the festival”.

He added: “From performers and artists to volunteers and community groups, we want as many residents as possible to help shape what People’s Day 2027 looks like.”

What it means for you

  • Put Saturday 10 July 2027 in the diary. The council bills it as a free festival.
  • To join the advisory group, fill in the expression of interest form linked from the council’s announcement before 23 November.
  • Stallholders should use the separate traders’ form on the same page.
  • No line-up, times or programme have been published. The council says details will follow “over the coming months”, and it is pointing people to its We Are Lewisham newsletter for them.

We will add the programme when it is announced. For what is on before then, see our what’s on in Lewisham this month page, including the Blackheath Fireworks on 7 November.

Getting there

Mountsfield Park lies between Catford and Hither Green, so both stations are options. Our trains and travel page covers the lines through each.

Sources