Watch This Space, National Theatre

If you thought the summer season of festivals was over just because we’ve had the first rainy, cold and grey days of autumn and had to put the heating on once or twice then think again! Down at the Southbank they are holding what they describe as “an annual summer festival of outdoor theatre, circus, music, dance, comedy and film on the Southbank” that runs until 27 September.

Note the (probably intentional) use of the words ‘summer festival’ there. Now I know that every year everyone hopes for an Indian summer in September, to delay the onslaught of S.A.D and chilblains that inevitably arrives come October every year but I went to Bestival last year and I have the trench foot to prove it so I know that such things as Indian summers are probably something of mere folk law when it comes to any weekend where there happens to be festival goings on. Nevertheless, I admire this Blitz spirit and one is always hopeful.

The festival takes place in various spaces on and around the National Theatre itself which, if you didn’t know, is down on the South side of the river almost next to Waterloo station.

If you happen to have walked past there recently you may have noticed the giant Astroturf space apparently containing enormous items of furniture, also made of Astroturf – this too is part of the Watch This Space festival.

In addition to the furniture, the festival has a number if local and international artists on the bill to amuse us into the balmy (hopefully) autumn weeks. These include the legendary tightrope company, Les Colporteurs, splattered street artist, Spin Cycle, and La Roue de la Mort: La Trilogie du Temps, Les Studios de Cirque de Marseille – “a remarkable structure of a counterweighted cylindrical wheel which pivots around a 10m wide central axis, a trilogy of narratives weave a dramatic episodic spectacle through time.”

So if you want to take yourself off and enjoy what must be the last of the summer festivals from a giant Astroturf armchair then you have until the end of September (www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/wts).