A two-day festival smack bang in the middle of London - no long car journeys, no queuing for mud-covered taps, no losing your tent at 4am - it sounds like manna from heaven. Now in its fifth year, Wireless has established itself as a major live music event, attracting crowds of over 20,000 every day to Hyde Park. You don't have to commit yourself in quite the same way as a traditional festival - just dip in when you want, buy a ticket for the days you like (maybe one, maybe three) and go home to your own bed. The downside is that it definitely lacks the atmosphere of a camping festival - the weirdoes in costumes, stalls, tee-pees, organic cafes and strange entertainments have been replaced by blandly corporate fare, drenched in giant logos; there's definitely less of a community feel, and music licensing laws can restrict the volume. Gripes aside, the line-ups are consistently excellent.
Dance duo Basement Jaxx are set to headline on Saturday 4th July and while it will take a lot to top Daft Punk's performance in 2007 and Fatboy Slim's explosive set last year, if anyone can, it's funky house partners in crime Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. Support for Basement Jaxx on Saturday 4th July will come from Mike Skinner and The Streets and British rapper Dizzee Rascal, who will be making his debut on the main stage. Also performing are Paul Okenfold, Frankmusik, Fischerspooner, Sneaky Sound System and Tommy Sparks. US rapper Kanye West will headline on Sunday with a full supporting bill over four stages to be announced soon.
As well as all the musical entertainment there promises to be fairground rides, a massive variety of food stalls, beer gardens and fun games.
What's on at
Hyde Park
Rollerstroll 24th May 2009 - 20th December 2009 Every Sunday, meet on the east side of Serpentine Road...
Price: FREE
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland 21st November 2009 - 3rd January 2010 Throughout December a section of Hyde Park near Hyde Park...
Royal Park
3 Westbourne Terrace, Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park, W2 3UL
You'll be welcomed with a drink and mince pies on arrival at the Royal Park over... More
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Hyde Park, W2 2UH
21st November 2009 - 3rd January 2010
Throughout December a section of Hyde Park near Hyde Park Corner... More
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Hyde Park, W2 2UH
22nd November 2008 - 4th January 2009
Throughout December and into early January a section of Hyde Park... More
Harrods
87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7XL
It'll be packed and full of tourists but, if you can cope with this, Harrods has its finger on... More
Peter Pan Cup Swimming Race
Serpentine, W2 2UH
Christmas Day, 25th December 2008
This lot are a hardy bunch but tradition is tradition and members of the ... More
Keys legend Jools Holland returns to the Royal Albert Hall with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra for two nights of boogie-woogie, swing and ska. Performing ...More
This four-day visual extravaganza may be baulked at by classical diehards and orchestral purists, but so are the Proms - and they're still an integral ...More
Throughout December a section of Hyde Park near Hyde Park Corner is transformed into a Winter Wonderland, complete with fairground rides, giant wheel, circus, Christmas ...More
With artworks dotted around the hotel and a huge, bright, modern reception filled with sculptures and stark, overhead pools of lighting, first impressions are more ... More
Located at one end of Oxford Street, one of London's most famous shopping districts, with Bond Street not far and Hyde Park opposite, this Art ... More
A year in the construction, this £3.6 million attraction opened in a blaze of farcical incompetence, as the architects discovered two shocking things: kids play ... More
If you're feeling flush and flashy then Cutler & Gross in Knightsbridge is a very exclusive place to invest in eyewear. They stock a selection ... More
Quintessentially English, this pretty al fresco spot, attached to the Mandarin Oriental hotel and overlooking Hyde Park, offers a real summer treat. Enjoy a light ... More
Technically two different parks, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are in practical terms one huge, merging expanse. The 'split' dates back to 1728 when Queen ... More
The Park Manager,
The Ranger's Lodge,Mayfair,
London,
W2Map
1 minutes walk from O2 Wireless Festival 2009
Central, sporty park.
Technically two different parks, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are in practical and historical terms one huge, merging expanse. Almost every kind ... More
A two-day festival smack bang in the middle of London - no long car journeys, no queuing for mud-covered taps, no losing your tent at 4am - it sounds like manna from heaven. Now in its fifth year, Wireless has established itself as a major live music event, attracting crowds of over 20,000 every day to 
