Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF)

I had a great time at GDIF on Sunday afternoon. The grounds of the Old Naval College in Greenwich were packed with people enjoying the sunshine (or seeking out a spot to rest in the shade) and making the most of all the fabulous free entertainment. There were also performances in St Alfege Park - a great new find for me. I hadn't realised there was such a peaceful spot so close to Greenwich town centre. Some of the activities spilt out on to the streets of Greenwich too like these glamorous stilt walking Princesses with outsize feet.

The Princesses in Greenwich High Street

The 'not so dainty' feet of one of the Princesses

With so many different things going on it was hard to know what to pick from the programme but as is often the best way with these types of event, we decided to just wander around and stop for a while when something took our fancy. We saw a performance called Heartland which was apparently inspired by the Minotaur and Icarus legends. To be honest, I didn't pay too much attention to the plot but I was impressed by the aerial acrobatics.

Aerial acrobatics in Heartland

The Iron Man in St Alfege Park proved a more absorbing plot and was clearly captivating the dozens of children sitting in the blazing sun to watch as the eponymous hero saved the planet from a murderous dragon.

A captivated audience watches The Iron Man

St Alfege Park

An interactive sculpture park  provided entertainment for those looking for something other than theatre. Various artists had re-imagined famous sculptures as machines or games that could be moved or played with, providing an opportunity for visitors to engage with these works of art in a new way.

A sculpture park with a difference

The Bollywood dancing I'd had hoped to watch was cancelled for some reason but there were lots of other weird and wonderful things to see from 6ft tall meerkats to a phoenix rolling by dispensing gifts as she went.

6ft tall Meerkats introduce themselves

The Phoenix

 The festival continues next week-end with dancing at Canary Wharf and a finale at Woolwich Town Centre on Saturday night and there's further entertainment in St Alfege Park the following Saturday (9 July) when the friends of the park are organising what sounds like a great festival.