THAMES Festival 2024

In June 2024, 500 young people united in a vibrant festival of music and dance, celebrating the rich cultural diversity of Tower Hamlets.

The festival featured the culmination of three remarkable projects:

Songs That Move Us: This project took dance as the central theme, exploring how around the world, the different rhythms and beats in songs inspire us to move as well as to sing. 250 primary school children performed English and Bengali songs and dances learned and created during the project. This was a collaboration between THAMES, South Asian dance company Akademi, classical singer Jessica Summers, and British-Bangladeshi singer Sohini Alam with her band Khiyo.

Exchanging Notes: 100 young musicians from Tower Hamlets secondary schools, THAMES Wind Band, and Soundbox inclusive ensemble presented their interpretations of pieces representing the diverse musical cultures of Tower Hamlets. The project incorporated music from South Africa, India, Somalia and Jamaica, led by a diverse musical team reflecting a range of global backgrounds and instruments. This project, a partnership between THAMES, Grand Union Orchestra, Shoreditch Town Hall, and Sound Connections, was made possible by funding from the London Music Fund, supported by The Karlsson Játiva Charitable Foundation through the Signature Programme for the advancement of art of music.

Lights Camera Score: A music and film project in partnership with Little People Big Noise and the English Chamber Orchestra. Learn more and watch the full compilation of animated films from 2023/24 here

The festival also showcased performances by young musicians from the Tower Hamlets Youth Orchestra, Stepney All Saints Steel Pan Ensemble, THAMES Children’s Choir and a selection of primary instrumental ensembles.

Check out this film celebrating some of the brilliant moments during the festival, filmed and produced by Prakash Nathan and Forty Below.