January in London 2012

More than 10,000 performers representing 20 countries world-wide will gather in Central London on 1 January 2012 to celebrate the 26th Anniversary of the New Year's Day Parade. More than half a million revellers are expected to pack London's streets to see this fantastic spectacle as it weaves its way along the two-mile route, which this year starts outside the Ritz Hotel and finishes three hours later at Parliament Square. Expect vast, extravagant, Disney-style floats, with plenty of loud music and a little dancing in the street, along with marching bands, cheerleaders, street performers, clowns, acrobats, kites, colourful costumes and much more - including 33 stunning entries from each of the London Boroughs. This is a great way to get 2012 off to an active start, see the streets of London and work off some Christmas excess.

Following their successful spell at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011, the English National Ballet take their sell-out show Strictly Gershwin on tour, with 16 dazzling dates at the London Coliseum. Derek Deane choreographed Strictly Gershwin, a razzmatazz, feet-tapping extravaganza which celebrates the beauty of George and Ira Gershwin's timeless tunes. This astounding tribute is a great introduction to the world of dance and will hopefully encourage a wider audience to take a chance on ballet. Some of Gershwins' most memorable classic hits included in the show are Summertime, I Got Rhythm and Rhapsody in Blue. There's a romantic duet to the Man I Love, and a wonderfully old-fashioned dance to the Summertime, "a headrush of intoxicating, but unforced, passion" (The Guardian). The English National Ballet dancers are joined by special guest stars, tap dancers, roller skaters and a 50 piece jazz orchestra on the stage at the London Coliseum. The glittering production, big band glamour and a spectacular finale will be sure to transport the audience into the glitzy world of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Following last year's spectacular success the awe-inspiring Cirque Du Soleil acrobats have decided to return to London once again to dazzle audiences with their sell-out show Totem. This touring show celebrates the extraordinary journey of the evolution of mankind, the gravity-defying French-Canadian troupe will return to the Royal Albert Hall for a four-week run to get 2012 off to a flying start. Inspired by founding myths, the spectacular Totem traces the journey of the human species from its original amphibian state towards its ultimate aspiration of flight. Coupling highly polished acrobatics and theatrical showiness with consummate precision and elegance, Cirque du Soleil has been drawing flabbergasted gasps from audiences since starting out on the streets of Quebec in the early 1980s. Now a global phenomenon, Robert Lepage's creation is set to continue to wow, with the cast performing an array of hoop dances, roller skating segments, trapeze tricks, clown acts, Chinese unicycle skits and death-defying trampoline stunts - to name just a few. Throw in some of Cirque Du Soleil's most dazzling costumes yet - not to forget trademark striking lighting and new dimension-shattering video projections - and Totem promises total excitement, entertainment and astonishment.

Ahoy there! The London Boat Show, sponsored by Tullet Prebon, strives to bring every type of water faring vessel to the ExCel Centre - its waterside position making it the ideal location for London's biggest exhibition of boats and water crafts of all kinds. Boats, ranging from 1.4-metre sailing dinghies to 37-metre trideck motor yachts go on display as more than 500 exhibitors showcase their seafaring wares. This year sees visitors able to take part in a range of thrilling watersport activities such as kayaking, windsurfing and wakeboarding on the 70m x 24m Watersports Action Pool - all free of charge and under the supervision of Rockley Watersports and Neilson Active Holidays. 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 with all hands on deck. Additional activities include an anchor watch masterclass, boating for beginners area - free from people peddling products - new boat launches and the Dinghy Racing Weekend. A must-see for anyone who likes messing about on the water.

Twelfth Night is a traditional celebration of the New Year that takes place annually in the Bankside area of London. It starts with the foliage-covered Holly Man - the winter guise of the pagan Green Man - emerging from a boat on the Thames, rowed by brave volunteers. The Holly Man 'wassails' or toasts the people as he 'brings in the green' for the New Year. The Bankside Mummers then perform the traditional Folk Combat Play of St George - which features such colourful characters as Beelzebub, the Turkey Sniper, Clever Legs and the Old 'Oss among others. At the end of the play cakes are handed out, two of which have a bean or a pea hidden in them. Those who get the hidden gifts are declared King Bean and Queen Pea for the rest of the ceremony. It all ends with a procession to the George Inn on Borough High Street for drinking, dancing and storytelling. Times and events may be weather dependent.

Gymnasts from around 60 different nations are due to take part in the seven day Visa International Gymnastics, the last chance for gymnasts to qualify for the London 2012 Games. Gymnasts will compete in all three disciplines: Artistic, Trampoline and Rhythmic Gymnastics. The men's Artistic Gymnastics covers six pieces of apparatus: floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar while women only compete in the Rhythmic Gymnastics performing to music using a rope, hoop, ball, clubs or ribbon. Reigning rhythmic gymnast champion, Russian Evgenia Kanaeva (who won individual gold in the 2008 Olympics and swept the boards at the qualifiers in Montpelier in September 2011), is among the world-class gymnasts who will be performing at this event. If you haven't managed to secure tickets to the Olympics this test event, part of the London Prepares series, is an important qualifier which offers sports fans another chance to get close to the action. The venue, the North Greenwich Arena (also known as The O2), hosts the artistic gymnastics, trampoline events and the basketball finals during the 2012 Olympic Games as well as the wheelchair basketball during the Paralympic Games a few weeks later.

If you thought mime was all about white-faced clowns continually plagued by invisible glass and very strong winds, the London International Mime Festival will make you think again. Taking place at six top arts venues across London - the Barbican Centre, the Southbank Centre, the Roundhouse, Soho Theatre, Jacksons Lane and the Royal Opera House - this year's festival brings contemporary visual arts from around the world to London. It's packed with some of the freshest and most inventive physical theatre, dance, circus, puppetry and live art. Selected highlights include Switzerland's thoroughly entertaining Baccala Clowns, haunting adult fairytale Plucked by animation and puppetry performers Invisible Thread and award-winning French Autour De Mime. Theatre groups come from far and wide - France, Japan, Italy and Spain to name a few - to perform, and stage shows are supplemented by 'meet the artist' sessions, workshops and lectures. The Guardian describes the festival as "some of the most gasp-worthy theatre you'll see all year."

Israeli-born choreographer and composer Hofesh Shechter joins forces with artist Antony Gormley to bring the premiere of Survivor to the Barbican stage this January. This exciting pairing is not only Shechter's first collaboration but it's also the first time he has created a piece which focuses on his music, rather than choreography, bringing a band of 30 musicians and 100 drummers together to perform the work live within a visual landscape created by Gormley. The renowned British sculptor, creator of the Angel of the North, describes his latest project as, "a work by Hofesh Shechter, interrupted and reconstructed by Antony Gormley." Shechter says: "In Antony I have found a spirited partner with whom I can reimagine the visual world in which my music might exist." If previous projects by the two are anything to go by, this is sure to be a spectacle audiences won't forget.

Israeli-born choreographer and composer Hofesh Shechter joins forces with artist Antony Gormley to bring the premiere of Survivor to the Barbican stage this January. This exciting pairing is not only Shechter's first collaboration but it's also the first time he has created a piece which focuses on his music, rather than choreography, bringing a band of 30 musicians and 100 drummers together to perform the work live within a visual landscape created by Gormley. The renowned British sculptor, creator of the Angel of the North, describes his latest project as, "a work by Hofesh Shechter, interrupted and reconstructed by Antony Gormley." Shechter says: "In Antony I have found a spirited partner with whom I can reimagine the visual world in which my music might exist." If previous projects by the two are anything to go by, this is sure to be a spectacle audiences won't forget.

Back for its 11th year, The Outdoors Show will be dedicating four days to celebrate the great outdoors. The ExCel Centre will be packed full of a range of activities, guest speakers, and outdoor enthusiasts, and with a number of interactive workshops focusing on walking, biking, climbing and eco tourism, everything will be provided to prepare visitors for the wilderness that awaits them. Although with the chance to climb the 8 metre crazy climbing wall, or the ice climbing wall the adventure really does start on the day. Then brand new to 2012, the photography village will invite specialist photography holiday companies and a range of retailers to give photographic advice to ensure all experiences in the great outdoors can be captured and kept forever. In order to set the mood and whet your appetite even further, there will be a number of top adventurers and outdoor experts on the main stage; all eager to share their stories and secrets. The Food Lovers Britain Farmers Market will also be on site ready to serve sausages, breads, biscuits, chocolate and more; much needed to keep energy levels up for this day brimming with activities. For anyone still with further energy to burn, The London Bike Show and the Active Travel Show take place consecutively and are included in the price.

Sergei Prokofiev is known as one of the 20th century's greatest composers, but he is also one of the most misunderstood. Artistic director Vladimir Jurowski has teamed up with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to curate and present some of the composer's most loved, and rarest works in a programme dedicated to the elusive Russian. The series of nine events launches with a trio of acclaimed works at the Southbank Centre, also on the bill is an intimate look at the man behind the music with readings from Prokofiev's diaries and autobiographical writings staring Simon Callow, there will be a rare chance to hear Prokofiev's Ivan the Terrible film music and a new interpretation of his early ballet score Trapeze.

Now in its 24th 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 look 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 additional shows within the show: 'Art Projects', showcasing galleries from the UK, New York, Germany and Ireland and 'Photo50', now in its sixth year, where 50 contemporary photographs from the UK and international galleries are featured in a curated exhibition. A great place to browse, appreciate and shop, even if you're just looking for something nice to put on your wall. For more information search for London Art Fair on LondonTown.com.

A film installation inspired by trade and immigration routes across the Indian Ocean between India and Africa forms the centrepiece of the first major UK survey exhibition of British artist Zarina Bhimji. Part one of Yellow Patch (2011), shot on 35mm, features Bhimji's characteristic evocative use of sound and follows the journey from Gujarat to Uganda which was undertaken by her father when she was eleven. It premieres simultaneously at Whitechapel Gallery, London and The New Art Gallery Walsall and is one of a number of her works - photographs and large-scale film installations - which span her 25 year career. Born in Mbarara, Uganda, to Indian parents, Zarina Bhimji lives and works in London, and uses India and East Africa "as an open-air studio". Both locations frequently feature in her poetic film works which are steeped in meticulous information and research - both crucial aspects of her work. Nominated for the Turner Prize in 2007, the Tate description included a universal truth about her works: "Despite a conspicuous absence of the body, the photographs emit a human presence."

Seven years' worth of David Hockney's work are exhibited in a major show at the Royal Academy which includes film for the first time. The first of the London 2012 Festival Countdown events and part of the Cultural Olympiad, David Hockney: A Bigger Picture spans a 50-year period to show the artist's long exploration and fascination with the depiction of landscape. A poster for the show at the Royal Academy reads: "All the works here were made by the artist himself, personally" - a glancing blow at fellow artists, Damien Hirst chief among them, who use assistants to do their work. He may well do all his own works but the 74 year old artist is clearly not afraid to embrace new technologies. The Royal Academy show of around 150 works includes paintings, drawings, sketchbooks, and drawings made on his iPad as well as a series of new films produced using 18 cameras which create large moving images across multiple screens. Returning to his native Yorkshire a few years ago after living in California for over 30 years, Hockney has been living and working from his late mother's house in Bridlington, taking inspiration from the landscape he knew in his youth to produce these larger than life-sized landscapes.

Theatre's version of a rom com, She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy about mistaken identity, love and rebelling against class expectations. Hardcastle has high expectations for his beloved daughter, Kate, and is hoping to acquaint her with his friend's son for a future marriage proposal. However, unfortunately for him he stumbles across Lumpkin who tricks him into believing the innkeeper, Marlow is in fact his hopeful son-in-law. This light hearted play by Oliver Goldsmith is a humorous showcase of a dysfunctional family and how chaos can be caused by a slight rebellion and unexpected love. Coronation Street actress Katherine Kelly takes the lead role, her first since leaving the popular soap - it's quite a change for the star who swaps her gold jewellery and animal print for a corset in this 18th century comedy. If you can't make it to the theatre, She Stoops to Conquer will be broadcast to select cinemas across the UK and around the world on 29th March 2012 as part of National Theatre Live.

The Toy Fair is 59 years old this year, but it remains young at heart as it brings the worlds finest toys to London's Olympia. With nearly 200 exhibitors and 24,000 square meters it is chock full of toys, games and collectables and is a brilliant place to showcase and sample exciting new products in the toy market. Back in 1954 when the Toy Fair was born, Sooty and Scrabble were the big hits in toyland. But this year's big sellers look likely to be a sea monster hydration station and an interactive purple alien named Fijit. Toy Fair moved from the ExCel building to Olympia two years ago and has now expanded to the large gallery level. Budding new companies exhibit alongside leading international companies offering a unique chance for toy-lovers to witness the latest trends and try out emerging products. There will be a chance to preview the official Olympic and Queen's Diamond Jubilee toys.

One of the five pillars of Islam central to Muslim belief, Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim must make at least once in their lifetime if they are able. This major exhibition in the British Museum's reading room charts the history of this deeply personal journey. Through its display of beautiful textiles, maps, manuscripts and personal objects carried by the pilgrims throughout the centuries the exhibition shows the spiritual significance of this important ritual which originates from Prophet Muhammad in AD 632. Divided into three key strands, we are invited to look at: the pilgrim's journey including the major routes used from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East; the Hajj today and its associated rituals; and Mecca itself. Objects include a 17th Century ceramic wall tile showing the Holy Mosque of Mecca with the Ka'bah at its centre, the cube-shaped building that Muslims believe was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, hopes that the exhibition, "will allow non-Muslims to explore the one aspect of Islamic practice and faith which they are not able to witness, but which plays such a major part in forming a worldwide Islamic consciousness."

This unusual festival at the Southbank Centre looks The Grim Reaper square in the eye and takes on the taboo of death with a series of events that tackle subjects as diverse as funeral choices in the 21st century and the Mexican Day of the Dead rituals. In 'An Instinct for Kindness' Chris Larner gives a personal account of his experience accompanying his chronically ill ex-wife to Switzerland's Dignitas clinic. Jon Snow chairs a panel discussion about assisted dying with guests including Baroness Kennedy QC. And Petra Jean Phillipson performs songs from her spectral new album 'Notes on Death'. These are just some of the events included in the four-day festival through which our attitudes to death - and our reluctance to talk about it are examined. The famous Pa Joe workshop in Ghana and Crazy Coffins in Nottingham present a vibrant collection of bespoke coffins. With 'Before I Die' artist Candy Chang invites participants to share their new year's resolutions, pledges and life-long dreams and on a giant chalkboard. And if anyone can extract some mischievous merriment out of the macabre Sandi Toksvig can - and she aims to do just that with her memorial lecture at Queen Elizabeth Hall on Saturday 28 January 2012.

The winner of the latest Strictly Come Dancing series, McFly's Harry Judd is joined by his closest rivals Australian actor Jason Donovan and Chelsee Healey for this season's Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour. Ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, former footballer Robbie Savage and ex-Olympic swimmer Mark Foster and Nancy Dell'Olio are also among the eclectic list of celebrities donning their sequin ensembles and taking part in the live show, hosted by Kate Thornton. As reality TV shows go, this one appeals to every generation. You can watch it with your kids, your parents, even your grandparents and, try as you might, you can't resist having an opinion about the dresses, the dances, the judges or just Brucie's jokes. If you've ever sat at home on a Saturday night and wished you could be in the studio audience, now's your chance as 'Strictly' goes on tour. The live shows, coming to The O2 Arena (and before this, Wembley Arena for one night) and directed by judge Craig Revel Horwood, follow much the same format as the BBC series - basically, the celebs take to the floor with their professional dance partners before the judges either tear them to shreds or sing their praises. Still, if you're a 'Strictly' fan, you'll have a ball!

Bringing together a number of specialist travel providers, The Telegraph Adventure Travel Show looks to explore all different forms of adventure. Including out of the ordinary cultural experiences, exotic destinations and exclusive tours, plus with a number of volunteering projects, the show aims to provide something to cover everyone's idea of the broad term 'adventure'. If unsure on what the ideal adventure would be, the show has numerous features to help discover many dream destinations. There will be six theatres providing tales and information from a number of travel experts, writers and tour leaders; one example being a discussion on 'How to Plan an African Safari', presented by The Zambezi Safari and Travel Company. There will also be travel photography and travel writing seminars to teach you how to blog and record your trips in style.

Chinese New Year in London is one of the most spectacular in the West with over 300,000 people taking part in the celebrations across the capital last year. This year, the Year of the Dragon, Chinese New Year falls on 23rd January 2012 but the London celebrations are on 29th January. Festivities begin at 10am with the parade which passes through Chinatown, Shaftesbury Avenue, Charing Cross Road and Rupert Street, reaching its final destination of Trafalgar Square at 12pm. An official opening ceremony then takes place in the square with speeches from special guests including Boris Johnson and the Chinese Ambassador to London, Mr. Liu Xiaoming. Once officially opened, the real celebrations kick off with Dragon dancing, music and performances on the Trafalgar Square stage from 12pm to 6pm. A second stage on Shaftesbury Avenue, also open from 12pm to 6pm, hosts performances from local community groups and schools. Join the throng in a stall-covered Chinatown for fun and firecrackers on and around Gerrard Street and Lisle Street where there are impromptu parties, food stalls and lion dancing.