Market Town
Friday 28 – Saturday 29 August 2026
Romford Market
For over 775 years, Romford Market has been a place of exchange, encounter and community. This August Bank Holiday, Market Town transforms the historic market and surrounding streets into a 24-hour stage celebrating the voices, stories and everyday experiences that define this place.
Daytime, Saturday: Suburban Legends
During the day, Suburban Legends brings the market to life through performance and participation, with a hundred participants animating Romford Market and its surrounding streets. Residents are invited to take part, encountering stories of traders, local characters and the myths that shape the town – celebrating enterprise, humour and resilience, and revealing the epic within the everyday.
Evening, Friday & Saturday: Meet Me by the Fountain
As night falls, the market is transformed through a large-scale light, projection and sound installation inspired by the iconic 1970s Liberty Shopping Centre fountain. Designed and directed by Romford born artist David Shearing, with text by Essex writer Vickie Donoghue, and original sound by James Bulley, Meet Me by the Fountain reimagines a shared piece of Romford’s history – turning the market into a powerful, collective experience.
Market Town is presented in partnership with Greenwich+Docklands International Festival.
Romford Market
Be part of it
Suburban Legends: Be part of an epic Romford Celebration Romford Market.
As part of Market Town, we’re inviting local groups and individuals to help bring Suburban Legends to life – uncovering, reimagining and animating the myths, memories and half-told stories that shape Romford. There are three ways to be part of Suburban Legends:
1. Storying a Legend (Generator) Take part in a free creative workshop exploring Romford’s heritage and hidden histories. Together, we’ll imagine suburban legends – real, forgotten, misremembered or entirely invented. Open to schools, performing arts and community groups who want to shape the stories at the heart of the event.
2. Making a Legend (Maker) Every legend needs a good outfit! We’re creating over 100 costumes and are looking for volunteer makers, costume designers, fashion and textile artists, prop builders and hands-on creatives to help design and build them.
3. Performing a Legend (Animator) On Saturday 29 August, the legends step into the town. We’re looking for individuals and groups – including dance companies, theatre groups, choirs, youth organisations, schools and individuals – who would like to be part of the live performance element in Romford town centre. Whether you’re a community group, school, youth organisation, maker or individual, we’d love to hear from you.
Credits
Fountain. Photo: Brian Harris / Alamy Stock Photo