Thames Alive celebrates and promotes the River Thames

Welcome to The Thames Alive website. We are celebrating and promoting the River Thames by harnessing its many activities and attractions as dynamic assets for London and the country as a whole. Recent and regular river events prove that the Thames captures the public’s imagination, but they also demonstrate that a specific and coordinated effort is necessary to create synergy. The Thames Alive logo is the free branding specially designed for this purpose. Please display it if you believe in the wellbeing and importance of the River Thames.

Team Thames Alive is driving the initiative with distinctive and major river events, the like of which have not been seen since the mid-nineteenth century. The Emirates Thames Nelson Flotilla in 2005, The Tudor Pageant in 2009 and Henry’s Honeymoon in 2010 were all successes and laid the foundations for the extraordinary river events in 2012. Notably the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June, which Thames Alive initiated in 2007 and for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation organised the manpowered squadron.

Thames Alive also successfully campaigned for London 2012 to include a substantial stretch of the river for the final day of the Olympic Torch Relay and organised its journey from Hampton Court Palace to the Pool of London on 27 July 2012 aboard The Queen’s Row Barge Gloriana.

Thames Alive produced another exciting River Pageant in June 2015 as a part of the 800th anniversary celebrations of the sealing of the Magna Carta. Magna Carta 800th The River Relay took place on and beside the River Thames between Hurley and Runnymede and was arranged with the support of and on behalf of the Borough of Runnymede and the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.

In 2018 Thames Alive once again worked closely with Historic Royal Palaces and produced the modern day version of the final journey of Anne Boleyn to HM Tower of London.

Since the launch of HM Queen’s Row Barge ‘Gloriana’ in 2012 Thames Alive played a major role in the planning and execution of all the events the Royal Barge attended until 2019 when Malcolm Knight retired from the role as Events Manager for the barge.

Team Thames Alive successfully produced a series of memorable event on the River Thames in 2020 and 2021 to celebrate Mayflower 400 We commemorated the Pilgrim Fathers setting sail from Rotherhithe in 1620 to travel to the New World with events here in London and in Washington USA. The safe return of The Mayflower in 1621 was celebrated here in London and culminated in a presentation ceremony in Plymouth.

Thames Alive was honoured to be invited by HM Barge Master Chris Livett to join the organising group to create the ‘Platinum Reflections Flotilla’ in September 2022. Originally conceived to celebrate HM Queen’s Platinum Jubilee but sadly latterly changed, following the passing of HM Queen, to commemorate her 70 year reign and the ascension of King Charles III to the throne.

The Final Chapter...

After seventeen years of planning and managing events Thames Alive have taken the difficult decision to step away from creating these ceremonial events. We hope the wealth of knowledge and experience can be made available to anyone interested in following in our wake who wishes to take up the challenge.

May we, Team Thames Alive, sincerely thank everyone who has played a part, no matter how small, in all of the wonderful events over the years, it’s been great fun and we’ve certainly created many memorable moments in the liquid history of the Thames for 1000’s of people - please keep ‘messing about on the river’!

The Thames Alive team continue to be involved in the life of the River Thames through their individual sports and interests.

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