Ooh La La! with a distinctly French flavour, this year’s Soho fete celebrates all things Francaise in the lead up to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. French House Pub landlady Lesley Lewis features on the fete poster(by cartoonist David Shenton), celebrating 35 years in Soho, Whilst the iconic Soho Waiters Race will be showing Paris how it is really done, with not a croissant in sight.
From drag queens, snail racing and a dog show, to the annual waiter’s race, human fruit machine, spaghetti eating contest and Soho Police versus Fire Station tug of war, the 2024 Soho Village Fete will deliver an eclectic mix. Add in six hours of live music and entertainment, plus a raffle where first prize is an overnight stay for two at Hazlitt’s Boutique Hotel featuring the best of Soho’s hotels and restaurants, and visitors can spend a fantastic afternoon in London’s most central village.
The Soho Village Fete, originated over 70 years ago, reborn in the 1970s as a traditional village fete in the heart of the capital, is a firm fixture in the calendar for residents and Soho fans. The main event, is the Soho Waiters Race at 3pm. Soho waiters come under starter’s orders from outside The French House Pub, Dean Street. Soho’s waiters, bartenders and baristas are in training to win a trophy and £100 cash prize, with Soho House entering the largest team.
The Soho Waiters Race which dates from the 1950s, routes up Dean Street, around Soho Square and back down Frith Street, tracking across Romilly Street and back to the French. Waiters must balance a tray, bottle of champagne, a glass and ashtray for ballast. Rules are strict and competition fierce. Waiters must navigate Soho streets, without dropping their champagne or glass, or holding on. The race has 100 volunteer marshals who watch for rule breakers.
The Fete will also feature; the Tug of War between Soho Police and Soho Fire Station, with Soho Fire Station looking for a win after last year’s defeat.
Don’t miss the human fruit machine, snail racing, dog show, spaghetti eating contest, “More Tea Vicar!” with the Vicars of St Anne’s Church, Splat the Rat! and a bar run by historic French House Pub. There are 25 stalls from Soho Businesses and community groups including Soho Parish School, and six hours of live stage entertainment, rounded off with a drag queen finale.
The Fete is free to attend, just grab your friends, and family and head down to enjoy a uniquely Soho, summer festival, all welcome!
The Soho Fete and Waiter’s race, is a Soho Community event organised by a team of volunteers from The Soho Society, a charity founded in 1972 to make Soho a better place to live, work and visit.
London Diary Date: The 49th Soho Village Fete and Waiter’s Race
Sunday 21st July 2023, 12-6pm
St Anne’s Gardens, Wardour Street, Soho W1D 6LB.
