One of the things that make Marylebone so special is that it manages to retain a village like atmosphere, despite being in the very heart of London. Part of that charm comes from community events such as the hugely popular Marylebone Summer Fayre. The festival, organised by the Henry de Walden Estate, takes place every year in June in Paddington Street Gardens and the surrounding roads and is a wonderful mix of music, food, dancing and entertainment. To get things started, there’s even an open air film the night before.

The event normally takes place on a Sunday – this year it was on 17th June -  and it attracts up to 25,000 people. It’s very much family focused, with lots of things to keep the kids amused, including a funfair with a vintage carousel, ferris wheel and a giant inflatable slide. There’ll also be a petting zoo with llamas and rabbits, chicks and ducks, drawing competitions and face painting.

For the adults there’s a wonderful selection of market stalls, selling all manner of things from artisan food to local crafts, many run by local restaurants and shops. The smells of cooking food are everywhere and, as you wander around, you can gorge on anything from curries to burgers, mac ‘n’ cheese to Nigerian specialities. But don’t forget to leave room for cake, because there’s always some seriously tempting ones on offer. And, there’s take home food, too – handbaked breads, meats and cheeses galore.

Don’t worry about putting on weight, either, because there’s a whole range of dancing, cycling and keep fit classes to help you burn it all off.

The centre piece, of course, of the fayre is the music and there’s a really impressive line-up this year which should please even the pickiest music lovers.

12:00 Chicken Teddys - https://www.facebook.com/chicken-teddys-257925247562057

12:20 Vade - http://www.vadesings.com

12:40 Jake Morrell - https://jakemorrell.co.uk

13:00 Thom Worth - https://www.thomworth.com

13:20 Burbank - https://www.facebook.com/pg/burbankduo/about

13:40 Luke Edney - https://www.facebook.com/lukeedneymusic

14:00 Haz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmdgyoukxny

14:20 Kit Rice - http://kitrice.com

14:40 Grafton Ash - http://graftonash.com

15:00 Tony Moore - https://www.tonymooremusic.com

15:20 Hollie Rogers - https://www.hollierogers.com

15:40 Emmay - http://www.emmayofficial.com

16:05 Hope - http://www.hopemusic.co.uk/p/link.html

16:40 Ten Fe - http://www.tenfemusic.com

17:20 Lost Hollow - https://losthollowband.com

17:55 Ilona - https://www.ilonamusic.com

18:30 Katy Hurt - https://www.katyhurt.com

19:15 Coffeepot Drive - https://mobile.facebook.com/coffeepotdrive

For full details, see - https://www.marylebonevillage.com/marylebone-summer-fayre

It’sall in a very good cause, with the event supporting COSMIC (Children of St Mary's Intensive Care), which provides life-saving care for over 400 patients. Sadly, demand for their services is outstripping supply and, last year they had to turn away 200 critically ill children, because there weren’t enough beds. The good news is that, in 2017, the fayre raised £27,000 to help them refurbish an area of the hospital to provide parent accommodation for families of the critically ill children. Their target is £600,000, so let’s hope even more money is raised this year.

See you there.