Hundreds flock to Bedford Place Summer Festival in Southampton

Bedford Place was a hive of cultural activity on Saturday as hundreds flocked to the city centre.

The Bedford Place Summer Festival boasted a varied selection of traders, entertainment, food and drink, and even alpacas.

For organiser Caroline French, of shoe shop W.J French & Son, it’s about bringing people together.

Caroline French (left) and Sharon Lisle (Image: Newsquest)

She said: “It’s really lovely for the traders to meet residents and members of the community.

“It’s a really friendly day where you can get to know people.

“The festival is organised by local traders. It’s a community event; to give back to the community through a really fun day.

“And it shows how many amazing businesses there are in Southampton.”

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Fellow organiser Sharon Lisle added: “It all brings everybody together, especially after Covid-19 and lockdown.

“Bedford Place has a lot of memories for people, and we want people to know that we are still here, and we are all friendly.

“We are a lovely, fun, family.”

Visitors perused a range of stalls, from artwork to jewellery, and sweets to brownies.

Several performers also graced the stage at the festival, which included the Sing Now Choir and The Lindy Hop Dancers, among many more.

Sarah Smith from Totton was visiting the festival with her husband, daughter, and granddaughter.

The 58-year-old said: “We are very glad we came today.

“This is our first year and it’s really brilliant as it reflects the area.

“There’s lots of independent traders and it’s nice seeing them all work together and support each other.

“I think going independent is the way forward, especially as everyone is struggling at the moment.

“Events like this spread the word.”

Mum Emma Clarke enjoyed the festival with her daughter Wren.

Emma, from Southampton, said: “We have just arrived and Wren has already had her face painted and stroked the alpacas.

“It’s a lovely event. We came down here for dinner last night and saw the road closure signs, so decided to come along.

“Doing something like this is a bit different for a Sunday.”