Vintage Festival

Forget Glastonbury, this is my kind of festival. No mud, no tents and home to clean sheets every night. Thankfully there's not a pair of cut-off denim shorts in sight at London's Southbank Centre (though apparently Alexa Chung and Daisy Lowe will be rocking up on Sunday!) Just a superior type of festival chic. With a nostalgia for the forties and fifties, guests are decked out in the most amazing traditional garb. The Vintage Festival has a lovely friendly atmosphere, fashion shows, live music and a variety of workshops including dance classes, hair and beauty salons and dressmaking sessions.




And it's worth popping into the Museum of 51 too. Designed to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, there's a fabulous collection of posters, photos and original fifties furniture:





I enjoyed it so much, I'm going back again today. Only this time I'll be wearing a dress!

Vintage Festival is on 29 - 31 July 2011 at the Southbank Centre.

The New Festival of Britain

Exciting news, people. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain the Southbank Centre is throwing a big party in July (29th- 31st). That's Not My Age is thrilled to hear that amongst the celebrations - including afternoon tea with Heston Blumenthal - the Vintage Festival is coming to town. This is the shindig organised by Wayne Hemingway, we missed last year's bash at Goodwood but as the Royal Festival Hall is the Blog Widower's favourite London building and it's just down the road from That's Not My Age Mansions, this summer we'll be paying Vintage a visit.

Here are some photos of vintage-lovers at Goodwood:






And here's some wallpaper designed by Robert Sevant for the Festival of Britain Group:



I do love a fifties print, this furnishing fabric is Lucienne Day for Heals (1951):



This Ernest Race Antelope chair was featured at the Festival of Britain, if only we had room for more furniture...




As Wayne Hemingway says, 'At a time when we need some good news, this is a good news event.'




Royal Festival Hall print by Paul Catherall
Vintage-lovers: vintagegoodwood.com
Fifties prints: V&A
Antelope chair: Race Furniture