The Medieval Parties Thrown On The Surface Of The Thames

Festivals on the frozen rivers of the Little Ice Age

Going back as far as 250CE, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that the River Thames would freeze solid during the winters. It is an event that rarely happens today. The last time the Thames froze solid was in 1963. Before that, the river would freeze periodically, with 1814 being the last major freeze before 1963.

During the period known as the Little Ice Age, the major rivers of Europe would freeze far more regularly than they do today. Not wanting to put an ecological event to waste, the intrepid natives of medieval England would use the frozen surface of the Thames as a place to hold festivals and fairs.

By the early 17th century, the events had become so common that they were given a name, frost fairs. These events drew hundreds of people onto the ice for drinking, eating, shopping, singing, and gambling, all taking place on the hard freeze of the river. Such an event is almost unthinkable today for a multitude of reasons.

The Earliest Frost Fairs

There are sporadic reports of people meeting on the hard ice of the River Thames going back nearly two thousand years. The earliest reports date back to 250CE when merchants wrote about being…