Farmopolis: Fun, Fitness, and Philosophy

And now as Farmopolis on The Jetty flourishes and blooms, literally as well as metaphorically, we’re all starting to wonder how we ever lived without it. It’s only been a couple of months since Farmopolis opened its gates to the public, but thanks to its pioneering mix of events, it’s been teaming with people having a go at one thing or another.

We’ve seen people get passionate during talks and debates, we’ve seen them get stretchy and giggly in yoga sessions and hula hooping classes, and we’ve seen them get a little hot under the collar thanks to Areola Theatre’s production ‘The Secret Sex Life of Wildflowers’. But wait, there’s more! Here’s a little taster of what’s coming up.

For yogis and booty-shakers

Yoga classes for adults and kids (not at the same time though, perish the thought) brought to you by Stretch, a family-run yoga company founded on community and FRAME, the chain of hipster London gyms whose raison d’être is to get you to move your frame. For the more energetic among you there are hula hooping sessions to get you swinging those hips like they’ve never swung before, as well as Barre classes, which use ballet-based exercises to strengthen, tone and lengthen limbs and muscles alike.

For foodies and oenophiles (that's wine lovers to you and me)

Tasting, nibbling, sipping, concocting and even debating, are all part of the food and wine events on offer at Farmopolis. There are wine-tasting workshops with Alex Percy, the man behind The Modest Merchant an online portal dedicated to debunking and demystifying wine-speak to make the world of wines more accessible to all. Alex talks on the role and future of the food grown, made, cooked and saved in London. And hands-on workshops where you can learn new skills like preserving tomatoes or mixing sensational cocktails.

For musos and theatre-lovers

Eyes wide, ears open and toes ready to tap because Farmopolis is drawing a truly eclectic collection of performers to The Jetty. Coming up is spoken word/hip-hop mash The R.A.P. (Rhythm and Poetry) Party, curated by the multi-talented Inua Ellams, promising a night of soulful sounds and wise words. Woodburner will also be bringing their diverse mix of artists in a series of live, acoustic sets over the coming weeks and months, and Sunday Soul Food Sessions will be bringing some mellow vibes from their impressive roster of DJs, so make sure you keep your ear to the ground for more info.

For doers and makers

If you’re the sort of person who likes a more hands-on experience, get ready to muck in. There are screen printing workshops, tile designing sessions, still life drawing classes, photography classes and even jewellery-making workshops. Oh did someone say ‘I’d love a hand-made Christmas present’? Yes. Yes they did.

For talkers and thinkers

Do you have a thing for ‘Question Time’? Find yourself heckling the telly? Come on down to Farmopolis for the real thing. Debate the lost art of conversation over breakfast with the clever people from School of Life, or come and discover the deepest, darkest history of the Thames with a talk and Q&A from BBC historian and author Dan Cruickshank. With several interesting talks and debates coming up, it’s a wonderful way to discover new ideas and make new friends – or frenemies!

This is only the beginning

Worried you’ll never be able to fit in all the experimental things you can do at Farmopolis? Relax. This is just a taster of some of the things available over the coming months. The programme is evolving and expanding with fresh collaborations constantly in the pipeline. There’s a stimulating mix of diverse and original events for everyone, young and old, no matter what you’re into. All you have to do is keep an eye on the listings.

For more information, visit farmopolis.com