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June 2009
June 2009
Hyde Park reverberates to the sound of Hard Rock Calling in June, and London itself takes centre stage at the mayor's Story of London Festival, happening at venues across the capital. These are just two of the numerous festivals taking place in the city this month, read on to find out more.
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Story of London Festival
Museum of London, EC2Y 5HN1st June - 30th June 2009
This major festival organised by the mayor's office takes us on a tour of London's rich heritage from the city's architecture and art to its theatres, music, food, film and fashion. Taking place at many venues across London, the city is celebrated through exhibitions, blogs, podcasts and performances. Fans of the city's architecture can explore everything from the Roman amphitheatre at the Museum of London to modern glass and metal constructions at a special heritage Open Day. Choose from over 120 walks, explore the city's historic houses - including a Tudor Joust at Eltham Palace - or head to the BFI for a cinematic exploration of the city. The National Archives at Kew are here to help Londoners trace their family history and the heritage of the West End theatres is explored. A wonderful all-encompassing celebration of the city.
Hampton Court Palace Festival
Hampton Court Palace, London, KT8 9AU2nd June 2009 - 13th June 2009
The Hampton Court Palace Festival returns for its 17th year with over 10 nights of concerts featuring some top performers - and Lemar. One of the most prominent opera singers of his generation, Jose Carreras, gets the show on the road with an opening-night performance which will show just why the Catalan tenor is set to pick up a prestigious lifetime achievement award at this summer's Classical Brits. Pianist and charmer Jools Holland will play two gigs, while opera maestro Russell Watson, singer-songwriter James Morrison and jazz funksters Level 42 also get in on the act. Classical concerts come from The Four Seasons, RPO's Best of Broadway and the Beethoven Festival Finale, while Beverley Knight injects a bit of soul alongside Fame Academy's Lemar. Musically, there's something for everyone to enjoy while they enjoy an evening picnic in the spectacular 17th century gardens of the Tudor palace. Check www.hamptoncourtfestival.com for all times, prices and ticketing details.
Opera Holland Park
Holland Park Theatre, London, W8 6LU2nd June - 7th August 2009
The Holland Park Theatre is located in West London's prettiest park, and the magical atmosphere of these productions owe a lot to their surroundings. It's also a tribute to a remarkable opera company that has defied expectations and budgets to produce productions of the very highest standard. As usual, they're mixing popular favourites - 'La boheme', 'Orpheus in the Underworld' (including the famous can-can music) and 'Hansel und Gretel' (sung in German with English surtitles) - with slightly less familiar fare. Donizetti's 'Roberto Devereux' - the Italian composer's take on the English Tudor period - is not often staged though critics say it contains some of his best music. Holland Park will become an enchanted garden for Verde's powerful tale of political intrigue, 'Un ballo in maschera'. The final opera in the season is Leos Janacek's 'Kat'a Kabanova', the darkest yet most lyrical of the Czech composer's nine operas.
Love London Green Festival
Launch at WWT London Wetland Centre, London, SW13 9WT4th June - 28th June 2009
If you drive a Zip Car, use Ecover washing up liquid and take a bag-for-life to the supermarket you'll love the Love London Green Festival (which replaces what used to be known as London Sustainability Weeks). Throughout June, there are many green themed events across town that promote ways in which we can be kinder to the planet. To mark the launch on 4th June, the WWT London Wetland Centre is hosting a Recycled Sculpture Show which features a heron made from rescued shopping trolleys by Ptolemy Elrington among the artworks made from reclaimed materials. Eco issues are debated and green living tips given at the various local food feasts, nature walks, talks and tours. And there's a strong focus on celebrating London's Green Places. Most events are free - welcome news in the current economic climate - and many of the green fairs will showcase green money saving ideas. There's even an eco vehicle rally for petrol heads with a environmental conscience.
Spitalfields Music Summer Festival
Christ Church Spitalfields, London, E1 6LY7th June - 19th June 2009
The delightful Christ Church in Spitalfields and the exquisite Wilton's Music Hall in Tower Hill combine to host two weeks' worth of classical music in the annual Spitalfields Music Summer Festival in June. Mixing music from masters such as Bach, Schubert, Brahms and Mendelssohn, the festival also showcases world premieres from some of the most exceptionally talented composers in the country, such as Jonathan Dove, Michael Finnessy and Diana Burrell. The festival is also a celebration of one of East London's best-loved neighbourhoods, offering the chance to explore Spitalfields' historic houses, its vibrant market and a specially adapted Routemaster Bus - all alongside a magnificent musical backdrop. For more information and to book tickets online go to www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk.
Bike and Kite Festival
Blackheath Common, London, SE3 7AS13th & 14th June 2009
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!
Ornette Coleman's Meltdown Festival
Southbank Centre, London, SE1 8XX13th June - 21st June 2009
Jazz legend Ornette Coleman steps into Massive Attack's shoes as the artistic director of this year's Meltdown Festival. Meltdown has become the musical highlight of the Southbank's rammed summer catalogue. Each year it's curated by one of pop music's great innovators, and produces a wildly eclectic line-up of acts. Coleman follows the formidable choices of David Bowie, John Peel, Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker and Lee 'Scratch' Perry as well as many other top stars who've helped to make Meltdown a must-see event in the festival calendar. Highlights of this nine-day event include a first ever UK performance by Yoko One Plastic Ono Band and concerts by Patti Smith, Yo La Tengo, Moby, Baaba Maal and Cornelius. Meltdown will conclude with two unmissable concerts which will give the audience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the avant-garde Coleman perform some of the music that wowed the world in the late 50s. For full listings and details please consult www.southbankcentre.co.uk. Due to Meltdown's popularity and Coleman's sax appeal, it is advised to become a member of the Southbank Centre to ensure the best chance of obtaining tickets.
Taste of London
Regent's Park, London, NW1 4NR18th June - 21st June 2009
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 nationwide. 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 Club Gascon. 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.
Paradise Gardens
Victoria Park, London, E9 7HD19th June - 21st June 2009
Victoria Park is transformed into the Paradise Gardens for the third weekend in June. Almost all 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 The Soothsayers, The Destroyers, Les Dynamiques and - from the Barbican's Cuba 50 programme - Orquestra Aragon and Changui de Guantanamo. This is a real family day out and the park gets filled with children's activities featuring not one but two circus shows. Circus Ronaldo presents the UK outdoor premiere of 'La Cucina dell'Arte' (suitable for ages 12 and over, tickets £12.50 from Love Theatre, 020 7907 7000). In addition, the beautifully old fashion Carters Steam Fair will be setting up their vintage stalls and rides in the park. Avant Garde Dance pick up the circus theme and, with help from Cicus Space, they've put together a new commission called 'The Silver Tree', a fusion of hip hop dance and circus. What with the Tea Dance Tent, food and craft market and village fete, there's lots of lively events to create your very own paradise in the park.
City of London Festival
St Paul's Cathedral, EC4M 8AD19th June - 9th July 2009
Set against the awe-inspiring architecture of the City of London this annual three-week event is dedicated to getting the cultural heart of the capital beating. With more than 50 ticketed performances and a further 100 free events outdoors on offer - from music to visual arts, films, walks and talks - this year's festival continues with its Trading Places theme (that is, linking the City culturally and commercially with its historic partners overseas as opposed to eulogising the 80s stock-floor caper starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd). The best of London's contemporary and classical music performers will be joined by musicians from both countries in a fortnight of concerts across the Square Mile. Concerts take place inside many of the City's beautiful churches, the Guildhall, Finsbury Circus Gardens, the Barbican, Paternoster Square and many more City landmarks. As always, the heart of the festival will be the great dome of St Paul's Cathedral. But it's not all about music. The programme is extremely diverse, offering the chance to explore some iconic buildings in the Square Mile such as Mansion House as well as undergo guided walks that reveal the secrets of the area. 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 pander to your interest and curiosity.
A Grand Victorian Fayre
Kenwood House, London, NW3 7JR20th & 21st June 2009
Kenwood House hosts an old fashioned Victorian Fayre this summer, taking us back to the times when pig-sticking stood for family entertainment. The Grand Victorian Fayre is a great theme for a family day out, and from Kenwood House it's always worth leaving time to explore the green expanse of Hampstead Heath. At the Fayre, 19th century inspired events include ladies riding side-saddle, gentlemen playing polo, and the famous 'teapot dash'. You can also take part in the traditional Victorian games, meet the redcoat soldiers or try your hand at Victorian dance - a time when music halls, Tea Dances and morris dancing flourished.
King Henry's Tudor Joust
Eltham Palace, London, SE9 5QE20th & 21st June 2009
See Eltham Palace as it was when Henry VIII lived here with jousting knights and an appearance by the king himself. Thundering hooves, courtly music and costumed characters show the palace and grounds as they would have been 500 or so years ago. Engaging in battle on foot and horseback was one of Henry's favourite pasttimes - he spent much of his reign at war with France - and this show of pagentry harks back to the Tudor way of life once seen here.
Greenwich and Docklands International Festival
Various Venues in Greenwich & Docklands, London, SE10 9HY25th June - 28th June 2009
The whole of Greenwich and East London come alive for a free weekend of street performance, art and dancing in the streets. This year, the theme is 'Water', the beginning of a four-year programme, 'Out for the Elements' which runs from 2009-2012, bringing 'Earth', 'Fire' and 'Air' to the festival over the next three years. This year's 'Water' theme is an appropriate one given the festival's dockside setting. The reflective water's surface provides a stunning backdrop for the colourful and crazy performers, stiltwalkers, fireworks and pyrotechnic displays. Highlights include a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Baroque composer Handel with an outdoor son et lumiere (sound and light show) inspired by the Thames entitled 'Water Music'. In addition, we're treated to the UK premiere of French company Ilotopie's 'Fous de Bassin', a poetic spectacle in which the performers literally walk on water.
Hard Rock Calling
Hyde Park, London, W2 3JA26th June - 28th June 2009
The Killers headline Hard Rock Calling at Hyde Park on Friday 26th June with backing from The Kooks. This festival has become a summer favourite and the excellent line up this year looks set to make it a memorable one. Joining the list are old time favourites Bruce Springstein (still rocking) and Neil Young. Playing on Saturday, Neil Young shares the slot with Fleet Foxes, Ben Harper, Seasick Steve and The Pretenders. The expansive central Hyde Park is a wonderful location for live music festivals and these legendary musicians join the likes of Eric Clapton, The Police, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer and Starsailor who have all played at the park as part of the Hard Rock offering. With The Killers' third album selling over a million copies, you can be sure they'll get London's summer music festival scene off to a rocking start this June weekend.
Kenwood House Picnic Concerts 2009
Kenwood House, London, NW3 7JR27th June - 22nd August 2009
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 27th June with a performance by former Kinks frontman Ray Davies and his band. Highlights over the season include the award-winning singer-songwriter James Morrison (4th July), flamenco-latin stars The Gipsy Kings (11th July), the "people's tenor" Russell Watson (18th July), British soul legends Simply Red (1st Aug) and Jools Holland, the UK's most popular pianist and charismatic band leader (15th Aug). For more information and full line-up details please go to www.picnicconcerts.com.
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