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FORTHCOMING MAJOR LONDON
EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS
This is simply a rundown of the principal festivals
and annual events in the capital, ranging from
the upper-caste rituals of Royal Ascot to the
sassy street party of the Notting Hill Carnival,
plus a few oddities like Horseman's Sunday.
Our listings cover a pretty wide spread of interests,
but they are by no means exhaustive; London
has an almost endless roll-call of ceremonials
and special shows, and for daily information,
as always, it's well worth checking Time Out
or the Evening Standard.
January 1
London Parade To kick off the new year, a procession
of floats, marching bands, clowns, American
cheerleaders and classic cars wends its way
from Parliament Square at noon, through the
centre of London, to Berkeley Square, collecting
money for charity from around one million spectators
en route. Information Phone:+44 (0)20 8566 8586;
www.london parade.co.uk. Admission charge for
grandstand seats in Piccadilly, otherwise free.
Late January
London International Mime Festival Annual mime
festival which takes place in the last two weeks
of January on the South Bank, and in other funky
venues throughout London. It pulls in some very
big names in mime, animation and puppetry. Information
tel Phone:+44 (0)20 7637 5661; www.mimefest.co.uk.
Late January/Early February
Chinese New Year Celebrations The streets of
Soho's Chinatown explode in a riot of dancing
dragons and firecrackers on the night of this
vibrant annual celebration, and the streets
and restaurants are packed to capacity.
March
Head of the River Race Less well known than
the Oxford and Cambridge race, but much more
fun; there are over 400 crews setting off at
ten-second intervals and chasing each other
from Mortlake to Putney. Information Phone:+44
(0)20 1932/220401; www.horr.co.uk.
Late March/Early April
Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race Since 1845, the
rowing teams of Oxford and Cambridge universities
have battled it out on a four-mile, upstream
course on the Thames from Putney to Mortlake.
It's as much a social as sporting event, and
the pubs at prime vantage points pack out early.
Alternatively you can catch it on TV. Best source
of information is the current sponsor's
Web site: www.aberdeen-asset.com.
Third Sunday In April
London Marathon The world's most popular city
marathon, with some 35,000 runners sweating
the 26.2 miles from Greenwich Park to Westminster
Bridge. Only a handful of world-class athletes
enter each year; most of the competitors are
club runners or obsessive flab-fighters. There's
always someone dressed up as a gorilla, and
you can generally spot a fundraising celebrity
or two. Information Phone:+44 (0)20 7620 4117;
www.london-marathon.co.uk.
May Bank Holiday Weekend
IWA Canal Cavalcade Lively celebration of the
city's inland waterways held at Little Venice
(near Warwick Avenue), with scores of decorated
narrowboats, Morris dancers and lots of children's
activities. Information Phone:+44 (0)20 8874
2787.
Sunday Nearest To May 9
May Fayre and Puppet Festival The garden of
St Paul's church in Covent Garden is taken over
by puppet booths to commemorate the first recorded
sighting of a Punch and Judy show, by diarist
Samuel Pepys in 1662. Information Phone:+44
(0)20 7375 0441.
Mid-May
FA Cup Final This is the culmination of the
football (soccer) year: the premier domestic
knock-out competition, played to a packed house
at Wembley Stadium. Tickets are pretty much
impossible to obtain if you're not an affiliated
supporter of one of the two competing clubs,
though they are often available at inflated
prices on the black market. The game is also
shown live on television. Information Phone:+44
(0)20 8902 0902.
Third Or Fourth Week In May
Chelsea Flower Show Run by the Royal Horticultural
Society, the world's finest horticultural
event transforms the normally tranquil grounds
of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea for four
days, with a daily inundation of up to 50,000
gardening gurus and amateurs (the general
public are allowed in on the last two days
only). It's a solidly bourgeois event, with
the public admitted only for the closing stages,
and charging an exorbitant fee for the privilege.
Information Phone:+44 (0)20 7834 4333; www.rhs.org.uk.
May 29
Oak Apple Day The Chelsea Pensioners of the
Royal Hospital honour their founder, Charles
II, by wearing their posh uniforms and decorating
his statue with oak leaves, in memory of the
oak tree in which the king hid after the Battle
of Worcester in 1651. Information Phone:+44
(0)20 7730 5282.
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