Bored Clappers. WE HAVE BEEN BORED. With a lack of things to do in the evening in Clapham, us Clappers have had to turn to either binge drinking, paying extortionate prices for meals or jogging around the common. All of which sound good in principle but leave you with an empty, soul destroying feeling afterwards in their own unique ways. So it’s with a massive sigh of relief and a cheer that Love Clapham can announce that The Funny Side… of Clapham Common comedy nights are now every blinkin’ Thursday at the Alexandra on Clapham Common south side (by the bus stops!) Check it out, it’s a bargainous £12.50 and you can still binge drink, eat and perhaps jog home. Wonderful.

It’s that time of year again when we all head to Clapham Common, strip off most (in some cases all) of our clothes and burn our skin to the sound of amazing music from some of the world’s best artists with an alcoholic bevvy in hand. Yup, it’s time for Clapham Common Festival season – just another typical summer eh? There’s tonnes going on and here’s a brief run through of what’s been, gone and coming up…

• Saturday, 24 July
  Ben & Jerry’s Sundae on the Common: day one (go to site) SOLD OUT
• Sunday, 25 July
  Ben & Jerry’s Sundae on the Common: day two (go to site) SOLD OUT
• Saturday, 28th August
  South West Four 2010: day one with Armin Van Buuren (go to site)
• Sunday, 29th August
  South West Four 2010: day two with Fat Boy Slim and Salt n’ Pepa (go to site)
• Friday, 24 September
  Toast Festival: South Africa (go to site)
• Saturday, 25 September
  Toast Festival: New Zealand (go to site)
• Sunday, 26 September
  Toast Festival: Australia (go to site)

Have you been to one? Was it good? Bad? Tell us on the Clapham Forum.

This weekend saw the introduction of the Clapham Venn Street Market with locally sourced, seasonal produce piled high for Clappers to enjoy. As a local resident of Clapham, I have to say that this is probably the best thing to happen to the Clapham High Street area in years (it’s on Venn Street, outside the cinema). With a variety of hot and cold food, fresh veg, breads, cakes and even handmade Christmas decorations, it was a genuine treat, but it requires your support if you want to keep it.

Love Clapham enjoyed a hot Bratwurst with sauerkraut plus the biggest cup of freshly cooked churros and melted chocolate you have ever seen. There was plenty more on offer while it was open on Friday and Saturday, with local butcher Moen’s offering a fresh hog roast and other stalls selling food of the highest quality. On Sunday it became a flower market with hot food stalls too.

The next market is scheduled for the 11th, 12th and 13th of December (two week’s time) and it is being used as a test to see how popular the market will be for next year. So, if you want a high quality, weekly market in the future similar to Northcote Road and even a mini Borough Market, please make sure you a) tell people about it b) pop down to take a look for yourselves. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. See more pictures in the Clapham Social Network.

Clapham Common Fireworks Display 2009 is on Thursday 5th November starting bang on 7.30pm and it’s totally free! No self-respecting Claphamite would dare to leave it off their winter social calendar, it’s yet another reason why we completely Love Clapham. I do hope they turn the flood lights down and change the music this year though, I’m a bit bored of Queen…

Clapham Common Fireworks Display 2009

• Thursday 5th November
• 7.30pm on the dot
• Clapham Common (Clapham Common tube is closest)
• Free
• Follow us on Twitter: @loveclapham

The nights are drawing in, the leaves are turning brown and we’re snuggling up inside with toasty drinks, which means only one thing: time to get your gloves and sparklers ready for the biggest fireworks show in town. The area has a number of free fireworks displays, with Clapham’s among the longest running, most popular and most spectacular.

On the night there is often a large number of stalls selling food, snacks and other goodies (hopefully nice toffee apples and waffles, Mmm). There are no bonfires sadly because fires aren’t allowed in public parks, probably because someone might trip and fall into it… or something.

Getting to Clapham Common Fireworks

Clapham Common tube is the nearest stop to Clapham Common’s fireworks display. Visit our Clapham Common Guide for a simple map and full travel and local amenities information.

Travel warning

On the night, be sure to leave work early to get a good place before 7.30pm; Clapham’s fireworks display attracts thousands of people, often packing the Underground to the max, causing congestion and the risk of missing the display. We’re not underestimating either, last year Love Clapham was stuck in Kennington while tube staff closed the rammed station, causing chaos and us to miss the fireworks.

Follow us on Twitter…

For info from the night, plus future news and info for Clapham area events, please follow us on Twitter (@loveclapham).

Love Clapham’s on holiday this week, so sorry about the site being slightly quieter. This weekend marks the end of Clapham’s run of festivals – boo hoo! – and it’s the big ones, SW4 and Get Loaded in the Park. If you managed to secure yourself tickets have a wicked time! We’ll have Clapham Picture House’s film listings up today or tomorrow, but Love Clapham’s mega excited about a one-off charity screening of Bugsie Malone at 1pm on Bank Holiday Monday. Classic! Now, if you will excuse us, Love Clapham needs to go and chillax. TTYL.

Internationally renowned DJs, The Freemasons are heading to Clapham this weekend to play at the White House on Saturday 15th August. The Freemasons can often be spotted dj-ing at clubs across South London, particularly in Vauxhall, but they’re better known for their remixes of international music artists like Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Sophie Ellis Bextor. Not to mention their own albums from which you probably know more songs that you think.

They first came to clubland’s’ attention with the much loved, Jackie Moore sampling – ‘Love On My Mind’ closely followed by ‘Watchin’. Other hits you’ll recognise as being more recent are ‘Rain Down Love’, ‘Uninvited’, ‘When You Touch Me’ and current track ‘Heartbreak’ featuring Sophie Ellie Bextor.

The Freemasons website is running a competition to win tickets and signed CDs, but if you’re not feeling lucky – like Love Clapham – you can get in the usual way. Full info below:

White House, Clapham presents The Freemasons

VENUE: The White House, 65, Clapham Park Road, Clapham Common
SW4 7EH
OPENING TIMES: 9pm – 5am
DOOR COST: £10 concessions £12 door
DETAILS: The White House present’s THE FREEMASONS with support from ANDY M and David Minns
DATE: Saturday 15th August (PLEASE FEATURE)
WEB: www.thewhitehouselondon.co.uk

Yes, you’re right. That is the most amazing picture you have ever seen in your life. As if a man in a wet suit breaking through the ice of a Clapham Common pond wasn’t brilliant enough, a goose decided to honk along and make the picture approximately 1 MILLION TIMES more amazing. Taken on Clapham Common in the winter, John Forbath who runs the Big Squid Dive Centre, donned his wetsuit, cracked open the ice and had a little paddle. Bonkers! This can definitely be filed under ‘don’t try this at home kids’ and ‘only for experts’. John Forbath is one of the nominees for our Clapper of the Year award in the Clapham Awards 2009. More photos in the rest of the post.

What a lovely day for a snorkel on Clapham Common!

Not only do you need to be fully equipped from head to toe, you have to be a professional to do this.

Fantastic news in Love Clapham’s opinion, Lambeth Council is proposing the permanent closure of Windmill Drive on Clapham Common to traffic (the road that cuts across the common next to the Windmill Pub). We’ve nearly been mown down numerous times crossing this road and, highlighted by the above picture of the childrens playground, this is hardly ideal for a park that attracts thousands of families with children. Keep reading and tell us what you think.

According to the South London Press “The council has sent 4,000 questionaires to residents in the area asking for their views as part of a public consultation, which ends on August 10.” If you have a view, even a positive one, you are encouraged to email gbull@lambeth.gov.uk to ask for an opinion questionnaire.

You can view the full proposal, with good artistic drawings, by viewing the full plans (PDF) by the Council on their website. The plans specify that the main purpose of this proposal is to:

1. Stop ‘rat running’ traffic, its environmental impact and risks to park users.
2. Reconnect existing footways and cycle paths currently severed by the road.
3. Extend and rejoin the two areas of parkland while improving aesthetics.

However, the Friends of Clapham Common, a committee that helps safeguard the public interests of Clapham Common, seem to have some reservations. Specifically, Peter Burke-Murphy, the chairman of the group says:

A section of the road alongside the storage/recycling dump will be dug up and returned to the Common leaving a path for cyclists and pedestrians only. Approximately half of Windmill Drive lies in the Borough of Wandsworth and this part will not be affected, apparently because there has been no consultation between the boroughs!

Paved turning areas will need to be formed at both ends of this closure encroaching into the Common thus minimizing any gain of green space and 12 parking spaces will be lost close to the children’s playground. Your Committee is waiting for further details before making a recommendation but at the present time I have strong reservations.

In my opinion it is a half hearted measure which does not link the adjacent sections of the Common as envisaged by the Master Plan and does nothing to tidy up the dump which is an eyesore or address the problems created around Tom’s Cafe. When we last took a poll of members’ views there was no clear majority for or against so if you have a strong view you can respond to the public consultation details of which will be on our website.

What is the correct answer here? Closing the road sounds great to us, but do the plans not fully meet the needs as stated by the Friends of Clapham Common? Please share your views or help enlighten us with more information in the comments below.

Windmill Drive location

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Favourite new Clapham shop alert! MilkInIt is a cute little frozen yoghurt shop that’s just opened opposite Clapham Common tube on the Starbucks / Iceland side. Not only are the ladies that run the place incredibly friendly, the yoghurt is amazing too. Which is a good thing given that’s their primary product. Toppings of fresh fruit through to cake and chocolate make these healthy treats incredibly delicious.

What’s your idea of heaven? Part of LoveClapham’s idea of heaven includes endless supplies of ice cream. Thanks to Ben & Jerry’s Sundae on the Common festival this Saturday and Sunday, we’re going to have heaven on earth… on Clapham Common to be specific. Not only are the Human League (the blinkin’ Human League!!) and the Super Furry Animals performing at the festival, there will be non-stop supplies of ice cream too. But that’s not all that’s going on in Clapham this weekend, keep reading for your chance to win a £500 bar tab for The Loft. Enter quickly ‘cos LoveClapham’s got our eye on THAT prize!

Not only are those fiesty people at The Loft offering 50% off meals during the week, 2-4-1 on selected cocktails, now they’re throwing £500 at you. Literally throwing wads of cash in your FACE! Well… maybe not. But they are offering The Loft customers the chance to get their sexy paws on that £500 bar tab we mentioned. Visit The Loft’s website for all the details to help you on your way to an amazing night out in Clapham.

On Sunday, don’t forget to get jiggy at Gigalum for their 3rd birthday. With an amazingly successful three years under their belts, they have reason to offer free food and drinks to anyone that turns up at 3pm on Sunday to celebrate.

Address: The Artesian Well, 693 Wandsworth Road, Battersea, London SW8 3JF
Phone: 0207 627 3353

Address: Lost Society, 697 Wansworth Road, London SW8 3JF
Phone: 020 7652 6526

During the summer, Gigalum at Clapham South can’t be seen behind the throng of people out the front. It’s an incredibly popular and lively bar opposite Clapham Common.

Address: Gigalum, 7 Cavendish Parade, Clapham South, Clapham, London SW4 9DW
Phone: 0208 772 0303

Address: Firefly, 69 Clapham Common Southside, Clapham, London SW4 9DA
Phone: 0208 673 9162

Watch the above interview with DJ Armin Van Buuren as he talks about the run-up to SW4 on Clapham Common. It’s always a massive festival, and this year looks to be no exception when it finally happens on Saturday 29 August. Note Love Clapham’s favourite clubbing accessory in this video: massive sunglasses when you’re inside. Oh yes. An after show party has also just been announced for an additional twenty smackers at The Coronet in Elephant & Castle. Eric Prydz will be playing, if that helps tempt you to part with your cash. Visit our Clapham Festival Guide to find out about all upcoming Clapham Common gigs.

This week’s Clapper is going like the clappers. Believe it or not, these stunning photos are from Clapham Common at the Toast Festival 2009 polo competition, the festival’s main highlight. From the first day, you can see South Africa vs Great Britain in the above picture. Great Britain won 7:6. Thanks to Eddie Clarke, who runs the Clapham Omnibus blog, for sending these in, see a selection of photos including the Umhlathuzi welcome singers in the rest of this post.

Toast Festival 2009's Umhlathuzi singers

Toast Festival 2009 South Africa Player

Players giving it their all in the Great Britain vs South Africa polo match

The umpire trots across Clapham Common

Polo players compete in a heated match

Toast Festival safety zone - don't get trampled under hoof!

South Africa and Great Britain

The first of Clapham Common's festivals is a major success

Find out about the other 2009 festivals on Clapham Common by visiting our Clapham Festival 2009 Guide.

Take celebrity Australian chef John Torode, three horses, a flock of sheep and some scantily clad Antipodean dancers. Stick them altogether on Clapham Common, take a photo and BAM! There’s your perfect launch photo for the Toast Festival 2009 this weekend. Update: the competition is now closed, Love Clapham reader Richard Kellow is the lucky winner! Read on to learn about the Toast Festivals.

Toast Festival 2009 is the largest celebration of Australian, New Zealand and South African culture to hit the UK. Toast is taking place on Clapham Common this weekend from Friday 26 June until Sunday 28 June showcasing a huge mix of food, wine, sport and culture.

Best bits include polo matches kicking off each day, BBQs piled high, headlining performances from Sydney dance group Sneaky Sound System and over 200 varieties of New World wine. It’s the perfect taste of life down under, so head down there!

In preparation for Toast, MasterChef judge and Aussie cook John Torode has been busy herding sheep on Clapham Common with the help of two other riders, and dancers from South Africa and New Zealand in traditional dress. It was touch and go as a couple of sheep nearly escaped on to Clapham Highstreet but John managed to round them up in the end.  Not only a top critic on MasterChef ready to pull apart any dish thrown his way, John also looks good on a horse!

John Torode will be at Toast Festival dishing up traditional Aussie fare including BBQ lamb leg, beef party pies and Hokey Pokey ice-cream.

Visit the Toast Festival 2009 website for full information and to book your tickets.

What is this? Clapham Common has four of these blighters and they’re clearly a part of a conspiracy. Someone on our forum suggested Victorian rubbish, another said more air raid shelters, a friend thought old basketball courts. Any clues?

There’s a saying from Ricki Lake: “You have been told girlfriend!” And Love Clapham has been told. There we were, being all smug earlier in the week stating that “Clapham Band Stand is never used” when SHABAM! A whopping great schedule of Clapham Band Stand events comes flying into our inbox. Just for you, fellow Clappers, here is said schedule.

Saturday 20 June @ 10am – 4pm
Cheeky Monkey’s Tea Party
The Cheeky Monkey’s Tea Party is a fundraising event for the NCT and will include a mix of stalls, entertainment, arts and crafts.

Sunday 21 June @ 3pm
Back to Brass – Crystal Palace Brass Band

Sunday 5 July @ 3pm
Back to Brass – South London Jazz Orchestra

Saturday 11 July 2009
Rhythm of London
12pm – 4pm
Rhythm of London aims to provide young people the opportunity to experience and take part in live music. 24 young musicians will perform live and the music genres will include pop, folk, R&B and Jazz.

Sunday 12 July @ 3pm
Back to Brass – South London Concert band

Thursday 30 July
Purple Broccoli Story Telling Session
11am – 11.30am
Aimed at 4 – 7 year olds.

Saturday 1 August @ 3pm
Back to Brass – South London Saxophone Quartet

Sunday 2 August
Purple Broccoli Story Telling Session
11am – 11.30am
Aimed at 4 – 7 year olds.

Thursday 6 August
Purple Broccoli Story Telling Session
11am – 11.30am
Aimed at 4 – 7 year olds.

Sunday 9 August @ 3pm
Back to Brass – Becontree Brass Band

Thursday 13 August
Purple Broccoli Story Telling Session
11am – 11.30am
Aimed at 4 – 7 year olds.

Saturday 15 August
Purple Broccoli Story Telling Session
11am – 11.30am
Aimed at 4 – 7 year olds.

Sunday 16 August @ 3pm
Back to Brass – South London Jazz Orchestra

Sunday 23 August @ 3pm
Back to Brass – Crystal Palace Brass Band

Please note all events are subject to change and weather permitting.

Oh yes people, it’s that time of year again – Clapham festival time! Love Clapham is going totally gaga thinking about the massive partying ahead of us this summer. With Orbital, Super Furry Animals, Eric Prydz and The Human League all paying a trip to Clapham Common to headline, you lovely Clappers are totally spoilt for choice this year. But why choose when you can go to them all?! Read on for Love Clapham’s definitive guide to Clapham’s 2009 festivals.

Clapham is getting quite a name for itself as party central. Scrap that, with a 20,000 person venue (hello Clapham Common) it already is party central. Londoners will pour into our cosy little suburb for music and drinking gallore with no less than eight festivals on Clapham Common in 2009. And what the hell, we’re gonna join them!

Festival essentials

We’re in touch with all of the festival organisers and this page will be updated regularly with loads of useful tips and info related to Clapham’s 2009 festivals, so be sure to save it and visit back often.

• Clapham Common Guide: for info about travel to and from festivals.
• Clapham events: for other events to the big festivals.

Festival schedule

South Africa, New Zealand and Australia all have a healthy serving of residents living in Clapham, so it will come as no surprise that Toast Festival 2009 is a three day festivalathon to cater for all three nations. With Polo, music, mayhem and more it’s a brilliant event. Throw in BBQ’s and wine tasting, and we’re there!

Gay + Clapham = hand-in-hand and as a celebration the local gay Clapper community put on a song and a dance every year on the road next to Kazbar. Drag queens and tonnes of celebs usually turn up to entertain between music and drinking. Plus it’s free, just pay for the booze and enjoy. [More info coming when we're sent it!]

Super Furry Animals are the headline act for the first day of Ben & Jerry’s Sundae on the Common festival. As usual there will be music, frollics, drinking and ice cream, possibly in reverse order (and then repeated).

You love icecream, we love icecream, most of London loves icecream – let’s go back for second helpings at the second day of Ben & Jerry’s Sundae on the Common festival. Tickets have sold out already, but if you nabbed yourself a ticket, you’ll be lucky enough to see the Human League performing.

Probably Clapham’s best known gig, South West Four has a steller line-up this year with Eric Prydz and David Guetta headlining. Yummy.

With a line-up as long as your arm, Get Loaded in the Park is the last Clapham festival of the 2009 season – so you better get your skates on, buy tickets and get us a pint ready when you’re there.