June 2010

In June Hyde Park reverberates to the sound of Pearl Jam, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney in Hard Rock Calling, the London Festival of Architecture takes a bow across venues throughout the capital, while there are food festivals aplenty, including the ever popular Taste of London in Regent's Park. Read on to find out more.

Richmond Food & Drink Festival

Petersham Nurseries Cafe and Teahouse, London, TW10 7AG
1st - 6th June 2010

With its riverside setting - and more than its fair share of excellent eateries - Richmond is the ideal place to host a brand new gastronomic event. This summer sees the launch of the first ever Richmond Food & Drink Festival, backed by local food heroes Skye Gyngell from Petersham Nurseries, Paul Merrett, author, TV presenter and chef/owner of The Victoria gastro pub and award winning chocolatier William Curley. The whole town is taking part with a range of activities including an extensive producers market organised by Slow Food and Food Lovers Britain running along the riverside. There's a gourmet family picnic on the Terrace Gardens, tastings, celebrity chef talks and demonstrations and events in the restaurants and food shops of Richmond. With festival veterans Melvyn Benn of Festival Republic, Richmond resident and entrepreneur Adam Page and Phil Jones of the Manchester Food & Drink Festival behind it, this should be the first Richmond Food & Drink Festival of many.

More info: Richmond Food & Drink Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Opera Holland Park

Holland Park Theatre, London, W8 6LU
2nd June 2010 - 14th August 2010

The annual Holland Park Opera is a highlight of summer in London, when the temporary structure of Holland Park Theatre is erected in West London's Holland Park and the operatic arias soar over the tree tops. The magical atmosphere of these productions owe a lot to their surroundings but it's also a tribute to a remarkable opera company that has defied expectations and budgets to produce productions of the very highest standard. For the 2010 season, they're mixing popular favourites - 'Carmen', 'Don Giovanni' (the famous music has featured in films like Amadeus and The Bonfire of the Vanities) and Beethoven's only opera 'Fidelio' (reviving the 2003 production) - with slightly less familiar fare. Performed at the Holland Park Theatre for the first time are Debussy's tragic fairytale, 'Pelleas et Melisande', Verdi's 'La forza del destino' and Riccardo Zandonai's 'Francesca da Rimini' which take place in July and August, finishing the 2010 season. Online booking opens at 10am on Friday 26th March, telephone booking opens at 10am on Monday 29th March.

More info: Opera Holland Park Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Scoop at More London Free Festival

The Scoop at More London, London, SE1 2AA
2nd June - 1st October 2010

The South Bank is a hive of theatrical activity this summer and walking along the Thames from the National Theatre, where the Watch This Space festival is in full swing, to Tower Bridge will be a lively experience. The Scoop at More London, next to City Hall, is a huge open air amphitheatre, making it an ideal al fresco venue for a Free Festival of music, theatre, film and fringe performances from 2nd June to 1st October 2010. To kick things off, the Pantaloons are putting on a fringe production of Macbeth. Further free theatrical entertainment comes in the form of The Wind in the Willows, performed by The Steam Industry, followed by swash-buckling adventure Don Juan in Love. Musical interludes are performed by three unique choirs - the Norton Rose Choir, London Gay Men's Chorus, and the Unexpected Opera Company and, at the end of June, The AllStars Collective puts on a series of free music concerts. Finally, for three weeks from 15th September until the end of the Free Festival on 1st October, the big screen plays host to nine films including Up in the Air, The Kite Runner and The Hurt Locker as well as old favourites Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing. This is what al fresco summer entertainment should be about: no tickets necessary - so you can just turn up and enjoy the show, outdoors and (best of all) it's free.

More info: The Scoop at More London Free Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Hampton Court Palace Festival

Hampton Court Palace, London, KT8 9AU
8th - 19th June 2010

The Hampton Court Palace Festival returns for its 18th year with over 10 nights of concerts featuring some top performers for the older generation. Mick Hucknall's Simply Red play two back-to-back gigs while American performers Jackson Browne and (arguably the highlight) Van Morrison also figure in a star-studded line up which includes actor-cum-crooner Michael Ball, soft rock balladeer Michael Bolton and Welsh classical crossover star Katherine Jenkins. French flamenco troupe Gypsy Kings and the smooth-talking pianist and charmer Jools Holland also feature, while there's a special night of Classics and Fireworks with Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti. The grown-up nature of the line-up is entirely in sync with the nature of the mature vibe of the festival, which takes place in the 17th-century courtyard and gardens of the lavish Tudor palace. Guests can bring their own picnic hampers full of goodies or take advantage of the pre-ordered Villandry picnic options on offer. Drinks and more basic meal options (such as jacket potatoes, sandwiches and salads) are also available from stalls, while those who want to go the whole hog can opt for the Hampton Court hospitality package, which includes VIP seating, a champagne reception with canapes, and a dinner with fine wines. Check www.hamptoncourtfestival.com for all times, prices and ticketing details.

More info: Hampton Court Palace Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Kew Music Festival

Kew Palace, London, TW9 3AB
9th June 2010 - 27th June 2010

The first ever Kew Music Festival takes place this June with standout performances from world famous violinist Nicola Benedetti (pictured) and actress Juliet Stevenson. The nine-day classical festival takes place in a series of historic venues (including Kew Palace) and celebrates the best of the area's rich cultural talent with concerts by local groups such as the award-winning Kew Wind Orchestra and Kew Sinfonia. Benedetti's exclusive appearance, which takes place in a private residence on Kew Green, features cello virtuoso Leonard Elschenbroich and Ukranian pianist Alexei Grynyuk. Stevenson, meanwhile, will appear alongside actor Alex Jennings and pianist Lucy Parham in their critically acclaimed performance of 'Nocturne' about the romantic life of Chopin. For a full programme and further information visit www.kewmusicfestival.com.

More info: Kew Music Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Spitalfields Music Summer Festival

Christ Church Spitalfields, London, E1 6LY
11th - 26th June 2010

Hawksmoor's glorious Christ Church in Spitalfields and an array of other local venues combine to host a fortnight's worth of classical music for Spitalfields Music Summer Festival in June. Music by old and new contemporaries - from Monteverdi to Xenakis, Allegri to Clementi - spills into churches, galleries, streets, houses and markets in the heart of the East End for this annual event. Highlights include Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, the UK premiere of James MacMillan's Miserere, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group in David Sawer's acclaimed Rumplestiltskin, profiles on Aldo Clementi and Chris Newman, and a selection of Renaissance and Baroque music. Alongside the delightful 1729 Christ Church (pictured), the festival stages events in venues including the Whitechapel Gallery, 18th Century Fournier Street, Old Spitalfields Market, Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the Palladian-style Shoreditch Church, the century-old bandstand at Arnold Circus and new arts spaces, The Rag Factory and Village Underground. Alongside the musical backdrop, the festival is also a celebration of one of London's best-loved neighbourhoods, offering the chance to explore Spitalfields' historic houses, its vibrant market, galleries and open spaces. In addition, the festival showcases the talents of young ensembles, bands and soloists in two special platform concerts, and a popular walk series returns with downloadable walking tours of the area, and a Magical History guided coach tour. For more information and to book tickets online go to www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk.

More info: Spitalfields Music Summer Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Fair in the Square

Pond Square, London, N6 6BP
Saturday 12th June 2010

Highgate Village puts on its annual free Fair in the Square on Saturday 12th June when a steel band, Punch and Judy shows and over a hundred colourful stalls fill Pond Square in the heart of the historic Hampstead village. A line-up of local musicians, singers, dancers take to the stage putting on all manner of entertainment. It's a real family day out and youngsters can get creative in the children's tent helping to paint a giant canvas, as well as getting their faces painted. They can hop on the roundabout ride, enjoy bungee jumping and special performances by Miss Ballooniverse. In between acts you can browse among the stalls selling gifts, jewellery, crafts, clothing, plants and every type of food from cupcakes to hog roast provided by the Red Lion and Sun Public House. There's a dog show too, organised by PetVet, with competitions for the dog who looks 'most like its owner'. Given that Highgate is famous for its village-y atmosphere, the Fair in the Square is as close as London gets to a village fete.

More info: Fair in the Square Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Bike and Kite Festival

Blackheath Common, London, SE3 7AS
12th & 13th June 2010

A colourful collection of kites fills the skies over Blackheath on this midsummer weekend as the Bike and Kite Festival takes over the heath, timed to coincide with the start of National Bike Week. Following an impressive turn out of 15,000 people last year, the family day out is set to be even bigger this time around with kite fighting teams from around the world challenging one other. Look out for aerial tricks, demonstrations and kite ballet performances. As well as the kite displays there are kite-making workshops, stalls, sporting events and a bike arena where stunt riders and MAD mountain bikers put on a pedal power display. Dr Bike is also on hand to advise on how best to keep your own two wheels roadworthy. Once fit for travel, you can ride your bike on a guided cycle to The O2, Surrey Docks City Farm and the 2012 Olympic site. Note: there are no parking facilities on Blackheath. The nearest train stop is Blackheath, and it's around a 10-minute walk to the heath from Lewisham station. Or you can always bike there!

Bike and Kite Festival - Information

Meltdown Festival 2010

Southbank Centre, London, SE1 8XX
12th - 21st June 2010

Meltdown at the Southbank returns once again as a highlight of the summer festival season with the guitarist Richard Thompson at the helm as artistic director. Named by Rolling Stone as one of the Top 20 guitarists of all time, Thompson was a founding member of British folk-rock innovators Fairport Convention back in 1967 and went on to write and record over 400 songs in an ever-changing and innovative career. His choice of acts will be intriguing, to say the least. Last year, the jazz legend Ornette Coleman took the baton from Massive Attack and came up with one of the most successful Meltdowns in the unique festival's 17-year history. With five-star reviews for Baaba Maal, Patti Smith and Coleman himself, Meltdown 2009 was hailed by The Guardian as "one of the strongest ever" and by Metro as "the shapeshifting highlight of London's summer". Each year the festival is curated by one of pop music's great innovators - which have included David Bowie, John Peel, Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker and Lee 'Scratch' Perry - and produces a wildly eclectic line-up of acts. Check www.southbankcentre.co.uk for the latest news on Thompson's line-up choices.

More info: Meltdown Festival 2010 Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Taste of London

Regent's Park, London, NW1 4NR
17th - 20th June 2010

Direct your rumbling stomach to Regent's Park for four days of al fresco gluttony as over forty of London's best restaurants, including a flurry of Michelin stars, show off their culinary handiwork. 'Taste of...' has become a nationwide phenomenon with events taking place in cities all over the country. The London event in Regent's Park must be one of the most enjoyable. Work your way through a range of miniature speciality dishes - visitors can sample seven or eight small courses in a meal - hot off the plates from upmarket places like Le Gavroche, Gordon Ramsay's Boxwood Cafe, L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon and Theo Randall. While tasting fashionable fare and shopping for fine wines, spirits and gourmet foods among the 120 stalls, the civilised sounds of live jazz and opera fill the air and aid the digestion. A gourmet grazing picnic extraordinaire, no restaurant lover should miss this tasty event which has already become a firm fixture in the foodie calendar.

More info: Taste of London Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Paradise Gardens

Victoria Park, London, E3 5SN
19th & 20th June 2010

Victoria Park is transformed into the Paradise Gardens for the third weekend in June and almost all the events are free at this family-friendly festival with live music, street arts, circus acts, impromptu performances and DJs. You can enjoy two days of live music across three stages featuring Brass Roots, the National Youth Orchestra, Yiddish Twist and a whole programme curated by Continental Drifts and The Barbican. This is a real family day out and the park gets filled with children's activities featuring not one but two circus shows. Footsbarn Travelling Theatre have joined forces with a gypsy horse circus to present 'Sorry!' in their 550 capacity Big Top (continues in Victoria Park until 4th July; 0845 120 7511 to book). In addition, the beautifully old-fashioned Carters Steam Fair will be setting up their vintage stalls and rides in the park including James Messham's Wall of Death. There's street theatre, a boxing club inspired outdoor theatre show by Ragroof and a Jump 'n' Jive session with The London Swing Dance Society where the audience can have a go at a the Charleston, Big Apple, Lindy Hop and the Twist. Add to that the food and craft market and village fete, and you've got a whole heap of fun, interactive events to create your very own paradise in the park.

More info: Paradise Gardens Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

London Festival of Architecture

Various venues across London
19th June 2010 - 4th July 2010

The London Festival of Architecture presents four weeks of architectural discussion, debate and examination with exhibitions, talks and bike tours taking place across the city. With the 2012 Olympics creating numerous building projects this year's festival looks at ways that planners, architects and local communities play their part in the development of 'The Welcoming City'. There are over 500 events across town including a photographic exhibition at the Mall Galleries celebrating 50 years of London Architecture, from 1960-2010. Further highlights include a preview of proposals for the new Design Museum at the former Commonwealth Institute, celebrations marking the tenth birthday of millennium landmarks like The Dome, The Eye and the Millennium Bridge, and, on the final weekend, you can see the Bankside Urban Forest scheme between the Southbank and Elephant and Castle. These activities include a theatre built from locally-sourced recycled materials by German architects Kobberling and Kaltwasser, a pop-up cookery school at Borough Market, and guerrilla gardening projects. This is a thoroughly enjoyable mix of the serious, the popular and the personal, and provides a unique chance to get to know the city around us. Check www.lfa2010.org for details.

London Festival of Architecture - Information

City of London Festival

St Paul's Cathedral, EC4M 8AD
21st June 2010 - 9th July 2010

Set against the awe-inspiring architecture of the City of London this annual three-week festival is dedicated to getting the cultural heart of the capital beating. This year's event celebrates a rich array of music and culture from the Portuguese-speaking world, presents a new generation of classical music stars and gets the Square Mile buzzing in the International Year of biodiversity. From early May, 21 beehives are being installed in popular City locations with honey being harvested in outdoor lunchtime ceremonies with live music, commissioned bee poetry and honey tastings. The UK debut of the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra opens the festival, which continues its accustomed 'Trading Places' theme with a strong focus on Portuguese music, film and dance, and features more than 50 ticketed performances and a further 100 free outdoors events over three weeks. St Paul's will host a weekly concert - Monteverdi's Vespers 1610, Haydn's The Creation and Beethoven's Symphony No 9 - and there will be 12 early-evening concerts in City churches by the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists. There will also be 21 street pianos located throughout the City, while composer Richard Causton will premiere The 21 Piano Nocturne to commemorate Chopin's 200th birthday. St Paul's remains the spiritual centre of the festival, but other City landmarks - such as the Guildhall, Finsbury Circus Gardens, the Barbican Centre, Paternoster Square - feature heavily. Events also go on before and after the festival's three-week duration so it is well worth checking what's on at www.colf.org because you'll be surprised at how many things will pique your interest and curiosity.

More info: City of London Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Greenwich and Docklands International Festival

Greenwich, London, SE10 9HF
24th June 2010 - 4th July 2010

The whole of Greenwich comes alive for the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, a 10-day free festival of street performances, art and dancing in the streets. This year, the theme of the festival is 'Earth', the second installment of a four-year programme, 'Out for the Elements', which runs from 2009-2012 bringing elements of 'Water', 'Earth', 'Fire' and 'Air' to the festival. This year's 'Earth' theme draws on Greenwich's role as 'the centre of time and space', the home of the Prime Meridian. Over the ten days a huge range of events will be revealed from large scale spectacles exploring Newtonian gravity and Darwinian evolution, to more intimate work inviting us to think about climate change, ideas of 'home' and different cultural maps of the world. With events taking place across Maritime Greenwich, the Isle of Dogs, Canary Wharf, Stratford and Woolwich, there's plenty to keep the expected crowds of 50,000 entertained including stunning aerial performances from Argentinian company Voala.

More info: Greenwich and Docklands International Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Hard Rock Calling Festival 2010

Hyde Park, London, W2 2UH
25th - 27th June 2010

Grunge royalty Pearl Jam have been confirmed to headline the opening night of June's Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park. Eddie Vedder's Seattle rock veterans will pick up the baton left by The Killers and Bruce Springsteen last summer and delight the crowd with tunes from their extensive armoury, which includes brilliant break-through album Ten and latest record Backspacer. Taking place over the same weekend as Glastonbury, the three-day festival is London's equivalent to the country's favourite mud-fest, bringing tens of thousands of music lovers into one of the capital's best loved parks for three days of superb entertainment. With Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney headlining on Saturday and Sunday respectively, it's small wonder why organisers didn't rebrand this year's festival as 'Soft Rock Calling'. The latest confirmed acts are below but keep checking www.hardrockcalling.co.uk for the latest line-up additions.

Friday 25 June: Pearl Jam, Ben Harper & Relentlesss 7, Wolfmother, The Gaslight Anthem, Robert Francis, The Hives, Gomez, Chief, Expatriate
Saturday 26 June: Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, James Morrison, Corinne Bailey Rae
Sunday 27 June: Paul McCartney

More info: Hard Rock Calling Festival 2010 Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Kenwood House Picnic Concerts

Kenwood House, London, NW3 7JR
26th June - 21st August 2010

There are few better locations for a summer Saturday night concert to be enjoyed with a picnic and champagne than Kenwood House. With its own lake and captivating view, the grounds of this magnificent stately home on Hampstead Heath have been a unique fixture in the capital's summer concerts calendar for 56 years and counting. This year's Kenwood House Picnic Concerts launches on 26 June with a performance by American new wave rockers Blondie. Highlights over the season include theatrical pop maestro Rufus Wainwright (3 July), Canadian jazz singer songwriter Diana Krall (10 July), English pop idol Will Young (17 July) and pocket-sized pianist Jamie Callum (7.30pm). The season also includes two classical 'Prom' nights, including a night of Vivaldi's Four Seasons (7 August), with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and virtuoso violinist Diana Yukawa, and the season's finale - a Last Night of the Kenwood Proms special, starring classical sensation Faryl Smith and the magnificent tenor Wynne Evans (21 August). For more information and full line-up details please go to www.picnicconcerts.com.

More info: Kenwood House Picnic Concerts Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Serpentine Sessions

Hyde Park, London, W2 2UH
28th June 2010 - 1st July 2010

A more relaxed and pastoral alternative to Hyde Park's predominantly raucous mainstream festival scene is this three-night low-key affair. Back after a successful inaugural turn last summer, the Serpentine Sessions brings a small intimate crowd of 3,000 discerning revellers the chance to see sophisticated acts under a tent in a leafy corner of Hyde Park between the Serpentine and Park Lane. This year's headliners are Brooklyn psych-folk quartet Grizzly Bear (Monday 28th June), punk rock's poet laureate Patti Smith (Tuesday 29th June) and the enchanting singer-songwriter Laura Marling (Thursday 1st July). A range of support acts will be chosen before the mini-festival to play across both stages and will no-doubt contain some of the up-and-coming talent on the indie folk scene. Keep checking the official website for further information - and buy your tickets while you can because these will go like hot cakes. Performances run from 6.45pm-11pm each night.

More info: Serpentine Sessions Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube