Chingford May Day Fayre

Thousands gathered on Chingford Plain for a day of feasting, fun and fire created by And Now:, Bicycle Ballet and hundreds of local residents as part of Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019.

Chingford May Day Fayre was a celebration of May Day – the International Day of the Worker – and the invention of the modern bicycle, the mode of transport invented by Walthamstow born and raised John Kemp Starley, that helped democratise travel for the working classes. 

Thousands formed a procession on bicycles through the urban woodland to Chingford Plain, bordering Epping Forest. 

Through song, feasting, and dance – we marked the turning of the seasons in a very special place. 

Find out more about the communal feast in our Q&A with the Hornbeam Centre here.