| May 2, 2009 | to | September 6, 2009 |
V&A Museum of Childhood
This event promises a wild and wacky journey through the childhood of Quentin Blake and Roald Dahl. This travelling exhibition shows off some of Roald Dahl’s best stories, with illustrations by Quentin Blake.
| June 18, 2009 | to | September 20, 2009 |
National Portrait Gallery
The most prestigious portrait competition in the world, the BP Portrait Award promots the very best in contemporary portrait painting. The first prize for this competition is £25,000, and it acts as a springboard for many new artists to launch a successful career. The exhibition presents a diverse range of styles from intimate family portraits to revealing portraits of celebrities.
| June 22, 2009 | to | August 23, 2009 |
Tate Britain
This exhibition is a rare opportunity to view exceptional works by Britains leading artists today, and explore Tate Britain’s contemporary collection. This exhibition encompasses paintings, sculpture and installations by artists including Damien Hirst and Gillian Carnegie.
| May 2, 2009 | to | August 16, 2009 |
Tate Britain
Tony Swain uses old newspapers as his canvas, layering on top of it with paint to create dream-like paintings. Any text that is let through takes on new meaning in his paintings.
| May 2, 2007 | to | April 30, 2012 |
Tate Britain
Price: Free
This free exhibition showcases Turner’s exploration of methods and techiniques, of colour and line. It follows Turner’s travels through Europe and his responses to different places, lighting and materials available. This ongoing exhibition will change exhibits every 6 months.
| July 12, 2009 |
The British 10k London Run is now in it’s 8th year, and returns to the streets of London. The course runs from Hyde Park down past St. James’ Palace to Trafalgar Sq, past St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, the Tate Modern, the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament. Over 35,000 people are expected to take part in this charity run, and previous winners include Halle Gebreselassie and Stefano Baldini.
| July 10, 2009 | to | July 25, 2009 |
London Bridge Area
The London Bridge Festival is an arts festival set in the heart of London. With events such as art, comedy, music, poetry, film, theatre, street shows, tours, photography and children’s events, there ’s sure to be something for all the family at this festival.
| July 7, 2009 | to | July 12, 2009 |
Hampton Court Palace
The annual flower show at Hampton Court Palace returns again this year on 7th July until Sunday 12th. This years highlights include ‘Garden Energy’, an interactive feature garden, ‘Growing Tastes Feature’, ‘Fiji Long Water Feature’, ‘Henry VIII’, ‘Catwalk in Bloom’, and of course the gardens themselves.
| July 2, 2009 | to | July 16, 2009 |
Southbank Centre
This festival at the Southbank Centre has a fascinating programme of literature, music, poetry and debate. Headlining events include Buzz Aldrin, Arundhati Roy, Benjamin Zephaniah, Sarah Waters, Lemn Sissay, Amartya Sen, Peter Ackroyd, Martin Bright, Billie Whitelaw, and Vikram Seth.
| July 1, 2009 | to | July 5, 2009 |
Henley Royal Regatta
The Henley Royal Regatta is an annual gathering for racing at Henley, and this year is no different! The heats will start on Wednesday, with the final occuring on Sunday 5th July. The course runs down the river starting at Temple Island and finishing 1 1/4 Mile down, nearby Henley Bridge.
| July 4, 2009 | to | July 19, 2009 |
Leytonstone
The Leytonstone festival consists of a series of events occuring throughout July. The array of musicians living in Leytonstone is truely great, and the festival promises to be somthing special. In addition the the great music, films, drama, comedy, walks, and other events will be occuring. Highlights include A Night of South African Jazz, Leytonstone Film Club presents Bronco Bullfrog, Woodhouse Players present ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’, The Misfits Comedy Club presents Christian Lee, Patrick Monaghan & Andi Osho, Cornelius Night, East Side Jazz Club Special and many more!
| July 2, 2009 |
Theodore Bullfrog
PHP London’s monthly meetup for talks, chats and drinks. Talk about code, architecture, innovation, and open source in general. Anyone interested in PHP is welcome! Also has a prize draw for £10 of food/drink from Theodore Bullfrog!
| July 4, 2009 |
Cittie of York, High Holborn
An entire day of talking about pubs, in a pub. Food from 1pm – 4pm. Free bar and free food!
| July 4, 2009 |
University of London Union
This is a day of informal talks and conferences on technology, this year with the theme “Working on Stuff that Matters”. There are set to be 33 talks in 3 sessions, over 7 hours. Talkers will include Bill Thompson and Ben Goldacre, and subjects will include ‘making your ideas happen’, ‘your electronic rights’, ‘effective internet campaigning’, a ‘freedom of information’ workshop, and others.
| May 22, 2009 | to | January 31, 2010 |
Victoria and Albert Museum
This exhibition by the Royal College of Art displays highlights from 2008 graduates’ final collections. It shows the garments themselves, and the process of designing them from ideas to complete clothes.
| June 12, 2009 | to | September 27, 2009 |
Fashion and Textile Museum
Wed – Sun: 11am – 6pm
This Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum(FTM) chronicles the changes in female underwear, from health garment to fashion ‘must have’. It explores different themes, styles, advertising and it’s impact on society and culture. At the exhibition are such classics as M&S, Triumph, La Perla, Christian Dior, Elle Macpherson, Myla, Wonderbra, and others.
| September 12, 2009 |
Hyde Park
5:30pm
The Proms in the Park returns for it’s 14th year to Hyde Park, promising to be one of the best events in the musical year. The line-up includes Katherine Jenkins, Gardar Thor Cortes, Barry Manilow, Counterfeit Stones, Gary Mullen and the Works, Royal Choral Society and the BBC Concert Orchestra with Martin Yates as conductor. Prepare for a great day out, bring a picnic, and finish off with a fireworks display!
| July 17, 2009 | to | September 12, 2009 |
Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Royal College of Music, Royal Geographic Society
The Proms, the ‘World’s Greatest Classical Music Festival’, returns again to the Royal Albert Hall. With at least one concert every day, there is a phenominal amount of music to be played. In addition to this, there are over 70 events planned, including talks, films and family days out. Music by everyone from Adams to Zimmerman, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Elgar, Gershwin, Handel, Haydn, Holst, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Purcell, Rachmaninov, Schubert, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Wagner and many others.
| May 21, 2009 | to | August 31, 2009 |
Glyndebourne
This year is the 75th anniversary of the Glyndeburne Festival, a great festival of Opera in the surroundings of Sussex. This year the operas being performed are Falstaff, Giulio Cesare, The Fairy Queen, Rusalka, L’elisir D’amore and Tristan und Isolde.
| August 30, 2009 |
Royal Festival Hall
Price: Free
On the 30th August, crowds of people will decend on the Royal Festival Hall to take part in a huge dance routine. Easy to learn and great for all ages, you can be just like in those adverts on tv!
| June 29, 2009 |
Bloomsbury Theatre
An entire night of science, music and comedy. The Line-up includes Simon Singh, Marcus Chown, Ruth Padel, Helen Keen, Peter Buckley Hill, Lucy Porter, and others.
| March 13, 2009 | to | September 21, 2009 |
Soho Theatre
This sell-out event is proving Russell Howard as a big star in the comedy world. The star from Mock the Week, Russell Howard is even better on stage. His new material is great, and when he gets on a roll his comedy is some of the best around!
| September 11, 2009 | to | December 12, 2009 |
Trafalgar Studios
Production by the Northern Broadsides and West Yorkshire Playhouse. Starring Lenny Henry in the lead role.
Regent’s Park
A variety of productions are on show in Regent’s Park this summer, as well as comedy and music. Productions include Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, The Importance of Being Ernest and Hello Dolly! The Comedy Line-up includes Daniel Kitson, Adam Hills, Simon Amstell. Music includes British Sea Power, Alabama 3 and Tunng. Check beforehand as not all events runn until September.
| July 17, 2009 |
Scala
9pm
The launch party of Scandalism at Scala, a new indie rock night. The line up includes: The Maccabees, Tommy Sparks, Marina & The Diamonds, Yes Giantess, Black Cherry, Telepathe, Plugs, Wolf Gang, and more!
| July 4, 2009 |
Matter
In association with Pride London, Circus at Matter promises to be a great night out. The line-up includes: Kissy Sell Out, VV Brown, Siouxsie, Frankmusik, Dan – The Feeling, Jodie Harsh, Kris Di Angelis, the Mister Mister, and more!
| July 3, 2009 |
Fabric
Bugged Out returns to London on the 3rd of July. The line-up this time round includes big names such as: Brodinski, Dusty Kid, Matt Walsh, The Rumblestrips, Hannah Holland, Mamma and many more!
| June 26, 2009 | to | October 2, 2009 |
The Scoop
Wed, Thu, Fri: 7pm
Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, The Scoop will be offering free film viewings as part of More London. Simply turn up, grab a seat, and enjoy! Recommended to get there early as seats are first-come, first-serve. The film line-up includes some great films, such as: Slumdog Millionaire, For a Few Dollars More, Mama Mia, The Wizard of Oz, Local Hero, The Usual Suspects, Strictly Ballroom, La Vie en Rose and Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
Various Venues
Throughout the month of June, many events will be taking place under the ‘Story of London’, a month-long festival celebrating the past, present and future of London. Events include art exhibitions, literature, architecture, fashion, history, film and others, both free and paid.
| July 24, 2009 | to | July 26, 2009 |
Various Locations
On the weekend of 24-26 July 2009, there will be hundreds of events occuring across London and the rest of the UK as part of the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Last year featured over 650 events, from art performances, free films and workshops to festivals. Over 700,000 people attended last year, with highlights including Hip-hop Shakespear in the Southbank Centre, a Singing Bus in Ireland and art and literature festivals. This year looks set to be even bigger, with events such as festivals, dance, circus training, photography exhibitions, sports days and many more!