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The arrival of May brings with it the promise of warmer days and as daylight hours slowly stretch into the evening, there is a feeling of summer fast approaching.

A hint of which was seen over the school Easter holidays last month. As temperatures rose, every patch of green from Peckham Rye to Dulwich Park was covered with a picnic blanket. Kids ran in and out of trees at One Tree Hill, swung from ropes at Peckham Adventure playground and scooted the streets of Dulwich smeared in Factor 50.

The Plantastic exhibition at the Horniman Museum was also very popular. With a huge crawl-through root system, super seedpods and exploding cucumbers, there was plenty to keep little ones entertained.

After a few construction delays, the East Dulwich Picturehouse also finally unveiled its new three-screen cinema with luxury seating and state-of-the-art digital, 3D and satellite projection! Angela was invited along to the VIP launch party, along with a few stars of film and television, to a preview of Dark Horse – the true story of how a barmaid in South Wales bred a racehorse on her allotment that went on to win the Welsh Grand National.

No invitation was necessary to the 20th Century Modern, Art Deco & Art Nouveau Fair at St. Barnabus Parish Hall in Dulwich Village. High quality ceramics, glass, silver, furniture and art were on offer from a small group of stallholders. Don’t worry if you missed it, as Brockwell Lido will be hosting The Modern Movement, a festival of 20th century design, back for its eighth year from May 2-3.

For a wider selection of pieces from local designers, make sure you have the Dulwich Festival from May 8-17 marked in your diary! This year’s programme is bursting with wonderful music, stimulating literary and theatre events, amazing art in the Artists’ Open House and a whole array of excellent walks and fairs. Look out for the Artists’ Open House booklet in local shops, cafés, libraries and bars for a full list of exhibitors.

There is much more to look forward to this month as well – two bank holiday weekends being just, well, two!

The Dulwich Festival Fair on Goose Green on Sunday May 10 will bring together a selection of the best craftspeople, designers, independent shops, family fun, bars and cafes from East Dulwich.  To entertain the children, there will be bouncy castles, face painting and donkey rides. Grown-ups can enjoy live music from The Goose is Out! and refreshments will be available in the EDT beer tent.

The Ivy House will be hosting an Election Night Cabaret on May 7 with veteran of Comedy Store and local boy Jim Barclay and the Scummy Mummies leading the entertainment.

Details of all local news, events and ticket information can be found on our events page here. You can also find Around Dulwich on Facebook and follow us on twitter @arounddulwich.

This feature first appeared in the May 2015 issue of SE22 magazine.