The Soho Village Fete

43rd annual Soho Summer Fête

This July sees the 43rd annual Soho Summer Fête, a fixture on the West End summer season that returns Soho to its rôle as London’s most central village.

The Soho Summer Fête began in the early 1970s when The Soho Society wished to counter the accepted view of the neighbourhood and make it known that Soho was more than just commercial property, strip joints, sex industry and a good night out. It was, and still is, home to community of a few thousand people, a great place in which to live and to raise children, and its residential population help keep it the accessible, friendly place it is today.

In 2015 The Soho Society revived an old Soho summer tradition – the Waiters Race. This event will once again be part of this year’s Fête. The Waiters Race is the perfect way to acknowledge Soho as the London home of so much good food in the middle of a neighbourhood party and for one afternoon a year brings the streets to a standstill as the staff of various restaurants and cafes compete for the coveted ‘Soho Waiters Cup’.
The race will start at 3.30pm on Sunday 02 July outside legendary Soho pub The French House, running north and turning into Soho Square, down Greek Street and back along Old Compton Street to finish at Gerry’s Wines & Spirits.

Staff from many of Soho’s leading gourmet hostelries will be competing to win whilst raising funds for a new charity - The Soho Hospitality Workers Benevolent Fund.

The Soho Summer Fête will this year see performances from the Fabulous Lounge swingers, students of Soho Parish school, Ruby Venezuela, Ian Beetlestone and the Drowned Rats, a female morris dancing troupe, Charlie Carter, a Marlene Dietrich impersonator, and a ukulele orchestra!
There will be snail racing, spaghetti eating, human fruit machine, alpine horn blowing and the tug of war.

We are preparing for a community fête for all the family with great food from Thai in a pie, Yum Yum jungle, What the Dickens, More Tea Vicar? and The Soho Kitchen.

The Soho Summer Fête is completely free, run entirely by volunteers and raises funds for The Soho Society. It is also the best family day out in the entire West End!