Fun in the sun on the North End Road

Thousands of visitors had fun in the sun on Saturday 12 July when Hammersmith & Fulham’s summer festival returned to the borough. Working in partnership with Discover Fulham, the event highlights the eclectic mix of retailers along North End Road and the wider borough.

Taking place along North End Road, the annual all-day market boosts footfall and trade for businesses, benefiting the local economy. The festival also provides affordable opportunities for start-ups to test the market and trade on the high street.

On the day, more than 150 stalls filled the historic market street, selling food from around the world, art, jewellery, home accessories, clothing and more.

A huge mix of live music kept the vibes high. Performances included a Whitney Houston Tribute Act, soul and funk DJ sets, an award-winning virtuosic harmonica player and music from string quartet ZHL.

The entertainment didn’t stop there. Shoppers were joined by a whole cast of street entertainers. Walking the road were two giant chefs, emperor penguins dressed in tropical shirts and leis necklaces, a bubble-ologist and two dancing human lampshades.

Discover Fulham hosted a fringe festival in Jerdan Place with mini-golf, stunt table tennis and a host of fun games for visitors to play. We were also joined by movie stars BB8 and R2D2 from Star Wars, and Bumblebee, Megatron and Optimus Prime from the Transformers movie franchise.

Andy Bell, BID Manager, Discover Fulham said: “It is great to see North End Road so busy with people of all ages celebrating the great businesses we have. Our challenge is to keep these people coming back and supporting our businesses in what are difficult trading conditions.

We have welcomed new businesses into the Fulham area in Lidl, Huddle at the Fulham Centre and Wetherspoons, and have Aldi and Marks and Spencer joining us in the coming months filling some of the vacant properties in the Fulham Broadway area.”

Dates for both of Hammersmith & Fulham’s Christmas markets will be announced soon. www.discoverfulham.co.uk by

It is great to see North End Road so busy with people of all ages celebrating the great businesses we have. Our challenge is to keep these people coming back and supporting our businesses in what are difficult trading conditions.