This is what’s happening at the fete this year:
Kids’ Zone (in the Contact Centre, all day)
Dog Show (12 noon, in Narbonne Avenue)
Pet Show (1.30 P.M., outside 62 Abbeville Road)
Raffle (outside the church—final drawing at 3.45 P.M.)
Fancy Dress parade (starts at 2 P.M. outside Newton’s Restaurant.)
Silent Auction (inside the church, final bids at 3.45 P.M.)
Music in the church (click here for more information)
Hogiau Llundain Welsh male choir
Waiters’ Race (3 P.M., starts outside The Abbey clothes shop on Abbeville Road)
Kids’ Zone
There’s a special area of the fete just for kids! With plenty of games, hoopla, a tombola, candy floss, biscuit decorating and much more—including face-painting from Theatretrain.
You’ll find the Kids’ Zone in the Contact Centre. Entry is through the lane on the left side of the church.
Find more information about stuff for kids at the fete by clicking here!
Dog Show
Starts at 12 noon, in Narbonne Avenue. The show features various dog classes, including:
- Most handsome dog
- Prettiest bitch
- Waggiest Tail
- Best Junior Handler
- Stay & Recall
- Dog Most Like Its Handler
- Best Rescued Dog
- Best In Show
The entry fee is £2 per dog.
Proudly sponsored by David Cuffe & Associates, Veterinary Surgeons. Tel. 020 8772 9922
Pet Show
Starts at 1.30pm, outside David Cuffe’s, 52 Abbeville Road.
The pet show includes (but is not limited to) cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, and exotic animals. Rosettes will be presented in each class. The entry fee is £2 per pet.
Proudly sponsored by David Cuffe & Associates, Veterinary Surgeons. Tel. 020 8772 9922
Raffle
The Raffle has its own page—click here to go to it.
Silent Auction
The Silent Auction has its own page—click here to go to it.
Fancy dress parade
The fancy-dress parade is open to fairytale princes, princesses, fairy godmothers and godfathers, mermaids, goblins, ugly stepsisters, frogs, giants, ogres, dragons, heroes, seventh sons of seventh sons, pusses in boots, wicked witches, talking donkeys and other denizens of the lands of legend of all ages. Entry is free. Entrants must assemble at 2PM in the road outside Newton’s Restaurant, and will parade up the road to the junction with Hambalt Road, where there will be judging and prizes. Entry is free.
Music in the church
The church will be filled with music, from local choirs to jazz bands. Sadly we don’t have a schedule for who’s performing at what time—check back here nearer the date of the fete, or look out for timetables on the day.
Hogiau Llundain
Hogiau Llundain (“the London lads”) are pleased to be invited back to the Abbeville Fete for the ninth time.
We are an ad-hoc choir formed from members of the four leading London-based Welsh Choirs, the Côr Gwalia, The London Welsh Rugby Club Choir, the London Welsh Chorale and the London Welsh Male Voice Choir. Our conductor is Graham “Newport” Roberts.
As members of such choirs, we have performed for Royalty and Celebrities, on TV, stage and film soundtracks, at major sporting occasions and weddings all over the world. We have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for a wide range of charities and we’ve even had hit records!
We would very much like to thank our kind and loyal sponsors, MacFarlane’s Delicatessen, Newton’s Restaurant and Wells & Young’s Brewery.
If you would like to join a Welsh choir or chorale, or would like to book one for a personal or corporate event, please contact the London Welsh Centre in Grays Inn Road (020 7837 3722) or Martyn Jones of the rugby club choir (07958 953445 / jones-rm@hotmail.com).
We hope you enjoy the music.
Waiters’ Race
The fete is the day that the waiters and shopkeepers of Abbeville Road emerge onto the street and take part in an unusual and hotly contested race. While carrying trays of drinks. And wearing fancy dress.
Starting outside The Abbey at 3 P.M., the contestants must sprint, stagger or mince the length of the road to finish outside the Abbeville, having spilled as few drinks as possible. The winner is not the first to finish but the person who does it with the most style, which is just as well since cheating is strongly encouraged.