London Lore: Seasonal Customs with Simon Costin

Part of What the Folk? Fest from Saturday 13 – Sunday 21 June 2026.

Join Simon Costin, Founder and Director of the Museum of British Folklore and Director of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, for an introductory talk to our What the Folk? Fest programme.

From May Day revels to midsummer fairs, this talk explores the vibrant tapestry of seasonal folk customs that take place in London each year — tracing the processions, rituals, and celebrations that mark the turning of the year in one of the world’s greatest cities, and asking how much of that living tradition survives into the present day.

About Simon Costin

Simon Costin is a curator and creative director. He is the director of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, in Cornwall and the founder and director of the Museum of British Folklore. Born in London, he completed a BA in Theatre Design at Wimbledon School of the Art where he was taught by the film maker Derek Jarman, who recognised his fledgling interest in magical practise.

His creative process is informed by museum and archival research and his own art practise, along with some lucid dreaming, when needed. Costin has both exhibited his own work within and curated shows at leading cultural centres such as the ICA, Whitechapel Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Compton Verney in Warwickshire.