Who needs to slog all the way to Notting Hill when we have our own carnival right here in greater Kennington?  Just substitute Calypso with a handbag toss and move Soca aside for a drag relay and you have one of the most enjoyable days at KR towers. It’s all happening on Monday,  and please let us explain.

Every year in Spring Gardens the Royal Vauxhall Tavern hosts a sports day for Gay Men Fighting Aids. GMFA is a charity that uses the Sports Day as a key part of its fundraising season. The event is free and volunteers are all about the place with buckets for contributions. It usually draws a sizeable and has been around for aeons.

The sports day is composed  of 10 or so teams, usually dressed up and with great names. As you can imagine, there is a definite comedy element to the proceedings and it is MC’ed by the hilarious Timberlina (plus some real BBC sports reporters as some people take the events very seriously). The various tasks (egg and spoon, the 50 metre mince, tug of war, etc) are constructed in a knockout format with the winning team being crowned at about 5.

The day is certainly not limited to a specific demographic and there are a number of families there with kids, older folks, and an overall sense of mirth abounds. There are bars, music and once in a while the critters from Vauxhall City Farm even come for a visit. My suggestion is to grab a blanket and some food and make a picnic out of it. The website indicates a kickoff at 1, but is usually about 1:30.

RVT Sports Day – Monday 26 August, 1 -5.