Royal Wedding fever strikes London

Boroughs battle it out for the most number of street parties

There are still a few weeks to go but it seems that Royal Wedding fever has begun to grip the capital's residents. London's boroughs are battling with each other for the honour of hosting the greatest number of street parties honouring the impending union of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29th.

According to the London Evening Standard, Richmond and Wandsworth are currently leading the way with a whopping 64 applications each to hold parties in each borough. Wandsworth council has approved 55 of those applications with Richmond just behind them with 50. But Richmond claims to be further ahead when population size is taken into account - it has 184,000 residents as opposed to Wandsworth's 276,000.

Richmond Council leader Lord True has pledged to make sure his borough is as street-party friendly as possible. He said: "I said last year that we would move heaven and earth to make it easy for local people to have street parties to celebrate special days such as the forthcoming royal wedding.

"I am absolutely delighted and would urge anyone who is still thinking about having a party to get in touch with our staff who will be very happy to help. Let the streets party, the bunting fly and the bells ring out for William and Kate."

Street parties are set to be commonplace across the capital to celebrate the marriage of the second in line to the British Throne. A survey by the Local Government Association found there had been 570 applications to 28 of the city's 33 boroughs. Newham has received 52 requests and Croydon has 50 – 47 in public streets and three in borough parks.

The suburbs appear to be extra keen to celebrate the wedding with 40 applications in Barnet, 39 in Bromley, 37 in Hillingdon and 33 in Kingston. Hillingdon is also hosting a public event at Manor Farm, broadcasting the wedding on large outdoor screens and inside the historic Great Barn and putting on a 'wedding breakfast' of bacon and sausage rolls followed by a hog roast lunch.

The royal cheer doesn't seem to have affected the entire city just yet, however. Two boroughs – Barking and Dagenham and the City of London – are currently set to not host a single event. Barking and Dagenham claimed they received a couple of enquiries but these fizzled out when it became apparent the cash-strapped council would be unable to offer any kind of financial support. The City of London, which houses only 8,000 residents, said many of its homes were on private estates, meaning licences would not be needed.

Street parties aren't the only outlet of London's royal wedding joy. There are plenty of specially planned events and celebrations arranged so that Londoners can make the most of the momentous occasion. Clapham Common is host to a three day campsite where guests can reside for the duration of the wedding, watch the event live on large screens and make their way in and out of the city with ease.

And there are plenty of alternative parties being planned as well. The Alternative Royal Wedding Reception at the E4 Udderbelly in Southbank is putting on a programme of comedy, cabaret and general entertainment with drink discounts to those dressed in their best wedding attire. The Porchester Hall is hosting a decadent party and evening ball, including a live screening of the wedding, champagne reception, three-course lunch and live music and entertainment. And Chelsea Physic Garden is hosting a specially-themed day with a live screening and wedding related food and drink as well as extended opening hours.

As if that wasn't enough, Mayor Boris Johnson has also announced the design of a limited edition royal wedding-themed Oyster card, to be available in the week leading up to the wedding. The design features a portrait of the couple and commemoration of the wedding date. The special design follows the tradition of commemorating royal weddings after a unique ticket was produced by London Transport back in 1981 for the marriage of Prince William's parents, Charles and Diana. Around 750,000 cards will be available while stocks last from all Underground and Overground stations.

With the big day just a few weeks away now, it seems the excitement around London and its residents is building up towards fever pitch. With the hundreds of street parties and organised celebrations, you'll be hard pressed not to find yourself engrossed in the spirit of it all.

Extended Tube service during Olympics

Transport chiefs have announced that there won't be a 24-hour service on the Tube during the Olympic Games next summer but that services will run an hour later. Transport for London said that the last trains will leave the Olympic Part at 1am each day and central London at 2am. Only after the opening ceremony, which may not finish until midnight, does a round-the-clock service appear possible. A TfL spokesman said: "Running 24 hours a day for a prolonged period presents obvious issues in terms of allowing time for the maintenance and upkeep of trains and track." He also added that a 24-hour service was not required as events finished long before the last train services.

Brick Lane named Curry Capital

Staying slightly with the Olympic theme and organisers have named Brick Lane in East London as the 2012 Olympics Curry Capital. The area, famed for its extensive number of curry houses, has been given the honour in the aim of giving publicity to Tower Hamlets, a borough that lost the 2012 marathons to central London. The original route was to being at Tower Bridge and end at the Olympic Stadium, taking in most of Tower Hamlets and the East End. But organisers changed the route in October to incorporate more central London landmarks.

Jacko tribute at Craven Cottage

Fulham Football Club have erected a bizarre new statue outside their Craven Cottage ground – of late pop sensation Michael Jackson. Fans were treated to the unveiling of the statue before last Sunday's game with Blackpool and the football community in general has reacted with confusion and bemusement at chairman Mohammed Al Fayed's decision. Jackon's links to Fulham are questionable at best – the singer once watched a game as a guest in 1999 – but that hasn't stopped Al Fayed launching an impassioned defence of the statue. He said: "Why is it bizarre? Football fans love it. If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift this guy gave to the world, they can go to hell. I don't want them to be fans. If they don't understand and don't believe in things I believe in they can go to Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else." Not exactly a statement designed to endear himself to the Fulham faithful.

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