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Upcoming Events, Articles, and News at London
Annual Events in London
London New Year Day Parade (January)
More than 10,000 dancers, acrobats, cheerleaders, musicians and performers assemble in the heart of the city for a "celebration of nations." Young people from the US, Japan and Europe come together with those from London for three hours of pomp and frivolity.
London International Mime Festival (January)
Internationally recognized as the world's leading showcase for innovative and entertaining visual theatre, the London International Mime Festival, founded in 1977, is the largest event of its kind in the world. Artists perform in a number of venues across the capital including the South Bank Centre, Royal Opera House and the ICA, attracting an annual audience of around 16,000 people.
London Marathon (April)
Greenwich to Westminster Bridge via the Isle of Dogs.
Queen's Birthday Gun Salute 21 April
Hyde Park and Tower of London. A 41-gun salute to mark the actual (not the official) birthday of The Queen, fired by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Hyde Park (opposite the Dorchester Hotel), and a 62-gun royal salute fired by the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London.
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships (June)
Wimbledon's centre court is world famous and for the last two weeks in June the whole of London goes tennis mad. Tickets are available on the day and discount tickets are available for the afternoon session.
Party in the Park (July)
A huge open-air pop festival to benefit the Prince's Trust, takes place on the first Sunday of July, featuring big name acts on one ticket.
Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (July)
The world's largest and most vibrant annual flower show. The idyllic setting in the parkland of Henry VIII's favourite palace is transformed for six sumptuous summer days. The spacious grounds showcase an exciting range of flowers, plants and gardening accessories, giving you the opportunity to both browse and buy.
Notting Hill Carnival - August Bank Holiday
The world's largest carnival. It takes place over the August bank holiday weekend, and attracts almost 2 million people. It has a distinctly Afro-Caribbean flavour, and highlights include a competition between London's steel pan bands and a 3 mile street parade with dancing and music.
State Opening of Parliament (November)
Parliament is reopened after the summer break in October by the Queen with great pomp and ceremony. The Queen wears her crown and rides down to Parliament from Buckingham Palace in a lavish coach. The ceremony offers the best opportunity to see the royal family.
Lord Mayors Show (November)
This annual event has been taking over the streets of London for nearly 800 years now. A parade involving over 6,000 people, bands, over 140 decorated floats, costumed performers and a gilded State Coach that the Lord Mayor travels in.
Lonely Planet Article: Day Trips from London
Published November 11, 2012
Need a break from the hustle and bustle of London after a week of sightseeing? England’s compactness means there are don’t-miss day trips on the doorstep of the capital. From the dreaming spires of Oxford to sophisticated, sexy Brighton, and upper crust Windsor and Eton to classy Bath, you can easily hop on a train or catch a bus to a range of real gems.
Oxford
The Victorian poet Matthew Arnold called Oxford ‘that sweet city with her dreaming spires’. For visitors, the superb architecture and the unique atmosphere of the more than three dozen colleges – synonymous with academic excellence – and their courtyards and gardens remain major attractions.
Brighton
The town’s character essentially dates from the 1780s when the dissolute, music loving Prince Regent (the future King George IV) built his outrageous summer palace, the Royal Pavilion, here as a venue for lavish parties by the sea. And that charmingly seedy ‘great-place-for-a-dirty-weekend’ vibe lasted throughout the gang-ridden 1930s of Graham Greene’s novel Brighton Rock and the mods versus-rockers rivalry of the 1950s and ’60s.
Windsor & Eton
With its romantic architecture and superb state rooms, Windsor Castle is one of Britain’s premier tourist attractions and, since it is so close to central London and easily accessible by rail and road, it crawls with tourists in all seasons.
Bath
This delightful city of honey-coloured stone has always been renowned for its architecture, especially its fine Georgian terraces. Nowadays, though, it is celebrated in equal measure for its association with the novelist Jane Austen – not so much for her actual works but for the films based on them.
Visit London - The Official Website for London:
Why London
London is one of the world’s most remarkable and exciting cities. It has something to offer every type of traveller. This vibrant metropolis embraces the diverse cultures of its population, reflected through cuisine, shops, music and colourful festivals.
Attractions
London has the greatest concentration of major attractions in Britain and boasts four World Heritage Sites.238 attractions that are free to enter, so there's nowhere else in the world where you can see so much for so little. Choose from the classic British Airways London Eye to museums and galleries, or head outdoors to one of London's many parks.
Pubs and Bars
London has a vibrant bar and pub scene. With over 5,000 pubs and bars, the capital has everything from traditional British public houses to cutting-edge and modern venues.
Sports and Outdoors
From tennis and cricket to more unusual sports on skates and skis, London is host to a wealth of sporting events and activities.
Shopping
With over 30,000 shops and 26 major street markets to choose from, the sheer variety on offer is hard to imagine. The city that gave the world the mini skirt, punk and Alexander McQueen continues to bubble over with excellent fashions, from in-the-know East End boutiques to the world-famous Selfridges.