January 2009

Looking for reasons to get out more? January in London is a great place to start. And, if the credit is starting to crunch, you can always opt for some free entertainment. Kick off with The Lions Part Twelfth Night celebrations, free street theatre at its best, then celebrate the Chinese New Year with a day of free entertainment in the shadow of Nelson's Column. If, however, you've got some post-Christmas spending money you can always blow the budget at The London Boat Show. Well, it's free to dream.

New Year's Day Parade

Starts at Parliament Square
1st January 2009

A major American-style parade, with extravagant floats, marching bands from around the country and beyond, street performers, and a host of family activities. Around half a million revellers are expected to turn out for this hugely popular start to the New Year. Expect vast, Disney-style floats, with plenty of loud music and a little dancing in the street as children and adults alike jiggle their way into 2009. There are also 10 concerts around London including one at Trafalgar Square. This is a great way to get 2009 off to an active start, see the streets of London and work off some Christmas excess. The kids will love it as well.

The parade begins at Parliament Square as Big Ben strikes 12noon, it then travels up Parliament Street and through Trafalgar Square, via Piccadilly Circus to finish at Berkeley Street at approximately 3pm.

www.londonparade.co.uk

More info: New Year's Day Parade Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Lions Part - Twelfth Night Celebrations

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London, SE1 9DR
4th January 2009

Braving the cold, singing loudly and saying "wassail" a lot is all part of the fun at the Twelfth Night celebrations performed by The Lions Part theatre group. A green and prickly man emerging from the river is central to the celebrations on Bankside marking the New Year. Don't worry, it's not a monster from the deep; this is Holly Man, the winter guise of the pagan Green Man. The actors give an entertaining mix of street theatre and education, imparting ancient myths, folklore, symbols of fertility and the origins of the British Christmas. After more 'wassailing' of the River Thames, the people and The Globe - an old tradition encouraging good growth - the King and Queen for the day are crowned and, in true English tradition, everyone ends up in the pub. You'll find them in George Inn on Borough High Street for storytelling, the Kissing Wishing Tree and dancing. Happy New Year!

More info: The Lions Part - Twelfth Night Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The London Boat Show

ExCel London Exhibition Centre, London, E16 1XL
9th January 2009 - 18th January 2009

One of the highlights of this year's London Boat Show is the chance to see the Sea Queen stage show. The music and dance spectacular combines with aerial acrobatics and underwater scenes telling the story of 'A Mermaid's Tale'. The ExCel Centre's waterside position is ideal for London's biggest exhibition of boats and water crafts of all kinds. With displays ranging from indoor canoeing to sailing, tall ships, historic vessels and a marina full of some the largest exhibitor boats in production (at the Royal Victoria Dock), it's set to be an action-packed event. Add to this around 650 exhibitors, activities including an anchor watch masterclass, a boating for beginners area - pleasantly free of people peddling products - new boat launches and the Dinghy Racing Weekend. A must-see for anyone who likes messing about on the water.

More info: The London Boat Show Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

London International Mime Festival

Southbank Centre, London, SE1 8XX
10th January 2009 - 25th January 2009

For something a little bit different this January, the 'London International Mime Festival' is in town, taking place at five top arts venues - the Barbican, ICA, the Southbank Centre, Royal Opera House and Shunt Vaults. If you thought mime was all about white-faced clowns continually plagued by invisible glass and very strong winds, think again. This year's festival brings contemporary visual arts from around the world to London, meaning it's packed with some of the freshest and most inventive physical theatre, dance, circus, puppetry and live art. Selected highlights include a brilliant Theatre of the Absurd version of the Faust story by Akhe Engineering Theatre at the ICA and, at the Southbank Centre, Familie Floez's hilarious masked theatre in 'Hotel Paradiso' and sheer eccentric playfulness from entertainer Tomas Kubinek. It's also worth checking out the impossibly cool home of avant-garde theatre Shunt Vaults where Sharmanka's 'Gothic Circus' and Akhe's explosive event 'Plug 'n' Play' are on.

More info: London International Mime Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The London Art Fair

Business Design Centre, London, N1 0QH
14th January 2009 - 18th January 2009

Despite celebrating its 21st year, The London Art Fair at the Business Design Centre shows no signs of losing its cutting-edge. Whether you're buying or just looking, you'll have over a hundred of London's best galleries to rummage through. Stunning works on display cover the last 100 years or so of British art. With prices going as low as £20 it's an interesting exhibition for the amateur collector as well as the professional. There are two elements to the show: 'Art Projects', showcasing 21 galleries from the UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands; and 'Photo50', now in its third year, where 50 photographs from UK and international galleries are featured in a curated exhibition. A great place to browse, buy and contemplate, even if you're just looking for something nice to put on your wall.

More info: The London Art Fair Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Carmina Burana

The O2, London, SE10 0PE
17th January 2009

Franz Abraham's blockbuster production of Carl Orff's ''Carmina Burana, first launched in 1995, has played to vast audiences worldwide and now arrives at The O2 for one night for its first UK showing. This lavish production of Orff's masterpiece features over 250 performers and artists including the Brighton Festival Chorus and Youth Choir, and the highly acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The extravagant set has been specially created by close friend to Orff, Walter Haupt, with fireworks, light projections, giant puppets, cannons, bungee aerial sequences and a huge, moving central tower. With a capacity of 18,000, this is expected to be one impressively large extravaganza and is the first classical music production to take place at the O2. Productions of 'Carmen', 'Aida' and 'The Nutcracker' are set to follow.

More info: Carmina Burana Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Hussein Chalayan

Design Museum, London, SE1 2YD
22nd January 2009 - 17th May 2009

More than just a fashion designer, Hussein Chalayan pushes the definition of the term beyond its conventional limits. The designer - twice named 'British Designer of the Year' - once famously turned a skirt into a table as part of his Fashion Week catwalk show. This is typical of the kind of avant-garde work on display at this Design Museum tribute to one of the foremost fashion innovators of our times. As the exhibition shows, Hussein's talents jump artistic oeuvres; in 2005, he represented Turkey at the 51st Venice Biennale with his Absent Presence video installation. Starring Tilda Swinton the installation typically crossed several design disciplines, including film, sculpture and performance to explore issues of identity and environment, themes set to prevail in this Design Museum tribute.

More info: Hussein Chalayan Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Spring Awakening

Lyric Hammersmith, London, W6 0QL
23rd January 2009 - 28th February 2009

Forget Disney's 'High School Musical'; the latest American teenage drama - actually set a million miles from a high school prom in 19th-century Germany - is messy, adventurous and shocking. When 'Spring Awakening' opened Off-Broadway, Charles Isherwood of The New York Times wrote "when was the last time something new happened in a new musical?", for here is a show where the "new" is palpable. No sing-a-long numbers, instead Duncan Sheik's vital rock score; no jazz hands but rather soul-searching students rocking out; no bursting into song because "the hills are alive" but dark explosions of emotion about masturbation, rape, homosexuality, abortion and suicide. The production scooped eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score while on Broadway in 2007 and it arrives at the Lyric with the original creative team to recreate its hard-hitting spirit with a new British cast.

More info: Spring Awakening Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Chinese New Year Celebrations

Gerrard Street and the West End, WC2H 7BP
26th January 2009 & 1st February 2009

Chinese New Year in London is one of the most spectacular in the West, with huge dancing puppets, martial arts displays and an abundance of incredible food. Each and every year the celebrations get more extravagant, attracting an ever-expanding crowd and for the start of the Year of the Ox it should be no different. In 2009, Chinese New Year falls on Monday 26th January but the big celebrations take place the following Sunday 1st February 2009. The main event takes place at Trafalgar Square with the area taken over by stalls, marquees, dragon and lion dances, and traditional and contemporary music and performance. Join the throng in a stall-covered Leicester Square for fun and firecrackers, then head to Gerrard Street, Lisle Street and Chinatown for impromptu parties, food stalls and lion dancing.

More info: Chinese New Year Celebrations Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

MCN London Motorcycle Show

ExCel Exhibition Centre, London, E16 1XL
29th January 2009 - 1st February 2009

The Motorcycle Show at the ExCel Centre is one big playground for bikers everywhere. This exhibition is a celebration of roaring engines, the smell of gasoline and every motorised two-wheeler that goes. It's a traditional annual gathering of motorbikes at their most muscular, which begins each day with visitors and exhibitors riding in a grand parade of revving engines. There's everything for the serious enthusiast, with exclusive launch models from major manufacturers' new ranges, a classic bike competition and 150 stalls selling accessories, parts and bikes. There is also the chance to meet celebrity bikers and the inevitable bevy of scantily-clad models. Best of all is the massive live display, featuring top riders putting their bikes through testing tricks and stunts.

More info: MCN London Motorcycle Show Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Andrea Palladio: His Life and Legacy

Royal Academy of Arts, W1S 3EX
31st January 2009 - 13th April 2009

It may be five hundred years since the birth of the great Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) but his influence is still apparent today. This major exhibition at the Royal Academy goes to show exactly how far his elaborate stylistic finishes have permeated. While some of his famous buildings still stand - the Basilica in Vicenza exists as a prime example of his early work - it was his 'Four Books of Architecture', written in 1570, that had the greatest influence. This handbook on architecture spread his name and influence over Europe and America, with the Palladian style especially popular in Britain. You only have to look at the Royal Academy's own courtyard to see the widespread influence of this great architect.

More info: Andrea Palladio: His Life and Legacy Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube