The National Theatre's River Stage festival

Words by
Tallulah Huston

17th July 2017

Come the end of July, the National Theatre will be bringing music, theatre, food and an array of drinks to the banks of the Thames

The River Stage festival is an annual five-weekend affair featuring a mix of DJs, family events and outdoor cinema, alongside a range of well-polished pop-ups on the South Bank. Out of their bespoke trailer, Brisket and Bird will be serving up global street foods from America to Asia. Alternatively you can lean across the boxy Understudy Container Bar and order a range of craft beers and pale ales. The Understudy has already brought out three new brews in partnership with Anspach & Hobday, and will be launching the new L’Ermitage and Anspach & Hobday collaboration at the festival.

For those more in the spirit to sip than swig, The Green Room Garden Bar is back in association with London dry gin Sipsmith. The bar will be nestled in the Green Room’s urban garden, complete with a living wall of fresh herbs and flowers, where you can sample a range of intrinsically English burgers combined with a selection of cocktails and lagers. For those who prefer to dine with wine, French Mas de La Source will be on draught alongside Lyme Bay Sandbar, an English wine exclusive to the National Theatre.

Espresso Bar will be fuelling the festival with cold brew coffees (both soft and alcoholic) to keep guests refreshed. The festival will also feature Apothecary, designed to transport us to 1980s New York. Its original cocktails are all inspired by different icons of the era and NYC’s eclectic downtown culture. Never forgetting its roots, Apothecary’s list will also involve a range of Collins gin-based drinks, various bitters and the botanical concoctions that saw it soar to success at the National Theatre in 2016. If you crave more simple summer flavours, the NT will be welcoming back its beloved ice cream van and Aperitivo Bar.

So come and tempt your taste buds while you enjoy the River Stage festival’s music and entertainment from July 28 until the end of August.