Borough Market has launched its annual Summer Food Festival, transforming the Southwark landmark and surrounding streets into London’s largest open-air culinary event with over 200 vendors, free cooking demonstrations, and live music running throughout June.
Now in its eighth year, the festival has expanded to cover Borough High Street, Cathedral Street, and parts of Bankside, drawing an estimated 250,000 visitors over its four-week run.
“Borough Market is the beating heart of London’s food scene,” said Chris Maclean, the market’s director. “This festival is our way of celebrating that — the growers, the producers, the chefs, and most importantly, the visitors who make this place special.”
Highlights include a dedicated street food village featuring cuisines from 30 countries, a daily chef demonstration stage hosted by some of the capital’s best-known culinary names, and a series of masterclasses covering everything from sourdough baking to craft cocktail making.
New for this year is the “London Larder” section, showcasing producers from every London borough, and a zero-waste initiative where all food waste from the festival is composted or distributed to local community kitchens.
Entry is free, with individual food and drink purchases starting from £4. The festival runs Tuesday through Sunday each week until June 28.
Local businesses have reported a significant boost in foot traffic since the festival began. “It’s our busiest time of year,” said Maria Santos, owner of a tapas bar on Stoney Street. “The festival brings people who’ve never been to this part of London before, and many of them come back.”
Transport for London has added extra services on the Jubilee and Northern lines for evening visitors, with late-night services running until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the festival.