A series of outdoor performances and visual installations injecting humour, energy and happiness into your commute. 

Artist: Various performers. Commissioned by Southwark Council as part of Blackfriars Stories. Produced by Robin Linde Productions.

Where: Various places on Blackfriars Road SE1, including buses and Southwark Tube Station.

When: Each Friday during MERGE: 8, 15, 22 and 29 June, 12.30pm – 1.30pm and 5.30pm – 6.30pm

Admission: FREE

There’s always time to smile! Your commute will come alive through a series of energetic and humorous encounters on Blackfriars Road. 

MERGE Bankside is working with circus performers, musicians, visual artists, and SmileyWorld to make Blackfriars Road merry. Pop up performances on Fridays throughout the festival will animate outdoor spaces at lunchtime and in the early evening to stimulate positivity and merry-making. We’ll be taking laughter workshops into businesses, and our very own Bankside’s superheroes will be taking to the streets with a mission to spread positivity and goodwill.

Bankside was once London’s rowdy pleasure district and its roots are steeped in entertainment. Time to Make Merry is inspired by a number of Southwark histories including Southwark Fair, The Blackfriars Rotunda, and The Royal Circus on Blackfriars Road; each had entertainment, fun and merry making at its core, as well as a sense of community.

If you encounter one of our pop ups, we’d love to see you smiling! Tweet us @MERGEfestival #MERGEBankside or Instagram @VisitBankside.

About the artist: 

Time to Make Merry is produced by Robin Linde Productions. After having been co-artistic director of The Nursery Theatre and producer of The Nursery Festival for five years, Robin Steegman founded Robin Linde Productions in London in 2014. Robin is a performance-maker/programmer focused on site-specific work which allows audiences an intimate theatrical experience - reaching those who would not typically go to the theatre.