It’s Hackney WickED festival time again, the 4th annual festival so far at Hackney Wick.
It’s a kind of open studio artists festival, combined with lots of street food and music events, and his quickly become one of London’s most popular fringe festivals.
There’s also a Coracle Regatta on the Sunday.
Coracle Regatta
This year’s Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (24 June – 2 July) broke all previous records with over 200 performances from 46 companies taking place over a nine day period. Events across Greenwich, Woolwich, Mile End and Canary Wharf were attended by more than 75,000 people, here is just a sampling of some of the enthusiastic comments:
“Spectacular. Unlike anything I have ever seen and
completely amazed that it was FREE!!”
“Wow, it was stunning. Enjoyed every second –
great performance, movement, storyline.”
“An absolutely fantastic festival… the disability access was first class (thank you), best I’ve ever seen and so many integrated performances too.”
There are some dedicated cider festivals all over the UK, not always at the best time of year for holding a cider and perry festival, and of course there are many real ale and cider festivals. But the real ale and cider festivals don’t always have any decent real cider at all, or else it all sells out in the first day. But where are the cider festivals in London?
I looked through the UKCider list of cider festivals and events and I couldn’t see any this year taking place within the London area except the Builders Arms back in May.
Cider Festivals - Real Cider and Perry at ukcider
It’s the London Mela Festival today, Sunday August 8th so get along to Gunnersbury Park for some great music, dance and culture from the Asian sub continent
The London Mela Festival 2010 takes place at Gunnersbury Park, West London from 1pm – 8.30pm, Sunday 8th August 2010. The festival is free to attend. Nearest tube: Acton Town.
via London Mela 2010 – London Mela at Gunnersbury Park, Mela 2010.
the London Mela Festival
For all of you that love live performance, comedy & music, the fifth Camden Fringe kicks off today & lasts until the 29th of August.
The fifth Camden Fringe Festival takes place from the 2nd to the 29th of August. Tickets are on sale now and we’ve kept them at the price of £7.50 each – the same cost as tickets to the first Camden Fringe Festival in 2006.
The full programme of 207 different shows can be viewed online now.
This year we are using 8 Camden venues to host our usual eclectic mix of performances. Our 4 new spaces include the very old – Upstairs at the Gatehouse is situated in the oldest pub in Highgate – and the very, very new – the New Diorama has been freshly built and opened in 2010.
Similarly our theatre shows range from the classic to the modern. Past masters like Euripides, Shakespeare and Marlowe sit comfortably alongside a whole host of new writing and devised pieces.
With more children’s shows than ever, plenty of musicals, a strong football theme, some science fiction, some science fact and our usual generous helping of sketch comedy and stand-up, we’ve tried to make sure that there really is something for everybody at this year’s Fringe
The Camden Fringe festival aims to give anyone the chance to perform and showcase their talents, from very experienced performers and companies to ambitious newcomers. We’ll be taking applications for 2011 from January 2011.
Looks like some awesome comedy acts going on! I will definately try to make it over there at for at least one of the shows.
With the highest concentration of artist studios in the world, Hackney Wick and Fish Island once again will throw open their doors to welcome the world to a three day celebration of creativity. In its third year, there will be more than 500 artists partic
ipating in the festival with a series of new exhibitions, gigs and art installations in and around the Wick. Open studios and galleries including Space Studios Eastway, Elevator Gallery, Bridget Reilly, Britannia Works, the Peanut Factory, Schwartz Gallery, Mother Studios, Forman’s Smokehouse Gallery and Stour Space.
Friday 30th July – Sunday 1st Aug
HACKNEY WICKED ART FESTIVAL RETURNS THIS JULY! NOW IN ITS THIRD YEAR HACKNEY WICKED 2010 WILL BE BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER. THREE DAYS OF GALLERIES, OPEN STUDIOS, LIVE ART EVENTS, FLEA MARKETS, OPEN AIR FILM SCREENINGS, EXHIBITIONS, 4 LIVE MUSIC STAGES, THE WORLD FAMOUS CORACLE REGATTA AND MORE…
“The most vital art event of the summer” NY Arts Magazine
The London Festival of dragon boat racing 2010 had over 40 dragon boat teams competing and an entertainment programme to keep all onshore viewers entertained throughout the day. There was support from a number of corporate teams from financial sector and commercial retails sector which added to the competition action. Included in the programme were staged live entertainment and full children’s play area, Chinese cultural and curiosity stalls as well as stalls serving food and beverages throughout the day.
Dragon boat races are traditionally held as part of the annual Duanwu Festival observance in China. 19th century European observers of the racing ritual, not understanding the significance of Duan Wu, referred to the spectacle as a “dragon boat festival”. This is the term that has become known in the West.
Dragonboat festival racing, like Duanwu, is observed and celebrated in many areas of east Asia with significant populations of ethnic Chinese living there e.g. Singapore, Malaysia, and Greater China and now also in London as part of the London festival scene.
GRAVITY
OPENING NIGHT SPECTACLE AND FIREWORKS
Presented in association with Greenwich Dance
Thursday 24 June, 10pm (Gates open 9.30pm) FREE
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
This dance extravaganza will have you rubbing your eyes in disbelief as Catalan choreographer Toni Mira creates gravity-defying magic in the grounds of the National Maritime Museum.
For one night only, Greenwich’s iconic Queen’s House will be transformed into a giant play house for 10 local dancers, accompanied by original music from composer Jules Maxwell, exquisite imagery from film maker Roswitha Chesher and fireworks. Previously only seen in Spain, Toni Mira’s innovative concept receives its UK premiere at GDIF, in a brand new production created specially for the Festival’s opening night.
Paradise Gardens Festival is back transforming Victoria Park into a 21st century pleasure garden. A FREE multi-art form festival presenting the best of East London and International talent and packed with activities for all ages.
Tower Hamlets Council presents
PARADISE GARDENS IN VICTORIA PARK E3
SAT 19th & SUN 20th JUNE 2010
Midday – 10:00pm
Paradise Gardens Festival is back transforming Victoria Park into a 21st century pleasure garden. A FREE multi-art form festival presenting the best of East London and International talent and packed with activities for all ages.
TRAVEL
Travel to Victoria Park, Grove Road, E3 – Tube: Mile End (Central Line)
Rail: Cambridge Heath Road & Hackney Wick
Buses: 277, D6, 30
For latest travel info go to www.tfl.gov.uk
Parking:Victoria Park is in a controlled parking zone. We advise you to leave your car at home.
paradise gardens festival
ACCESS
Paradise Gardens is a green field site with sheltered areas (marquees) and non-sheltered areas. Weather and ground conditions may be variable.
In 2009, We were welcomed to the beautiful environs of Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, transformed into a pleasure garden for the 21st Century. Once again the partnership of Remarkable Productions and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets bring you a FREE festival weekend packed full of amazing activities for people of all ages.
We present this showcase of the best cultural offer from Europe and around the world as our flagship Cultural Olympiad event. Please come and join us!
This year we are proud to present the London outdoor premiere of ‘La Cucina dell’Arte’ by the renowned Belgian circus, Circus Ronaldo. Those of you who caught No Fit State’s Tabu last year will know that we specialise in presenting a world class circus each year. There are only 900 tickets – when they’re gone, they’re gone, so book now!
The music programme features a partnership with Barbican’s Cuba50 programme on the Paradise Stage on Sunday which includes the seminal Charanga group Orquesta Aragon. Other musical highlights, programmed by Continental Drifts, include The Dynamics and Soothsayers.
New commissions include The Bar of Ideas, newly developed into a full performance piece from last year’s installation, now featuring street theatre comic magicians Cocoloco – the show is ticketed so make sure you book your place when you arrive on site. The Bar of Ideas is part of our programme of Sideshows, which this year includes one the last remaining Wall of Death shows in the world, as well as Miniscule of Sound, the world’s smallest nightclub, and Bored Brand’s Digital Funfair.
Remarkable Productions has teamed up with The Circus Space, in a new partnership, to co-produce East London hip hop dance pioneers Avant Garde Dance working with Chinese pole artists in a new commission for the Festival “The Silver Tree”.
We are delighted to present the Tea Dance once again, this year housed in a Spiegel Tent “Salon Perdu.” In the evenings we present steam punk innovators White Mischief on Saturday and Variety specialists Toot Sweet on Sunday.
This year’s historic moment will be the very first full outing of The Beautiful Octopus Club, the club led by artists with learning difficulties, at a mainstream festival – check it out on Saturday. On Sunday the same venue is taken over by local festival favorites Solution Sound System. Also new this year is the People’s Palace, a spectacular 5 ring tent, presenting a nu folk line up from Magpie’s Nest on Saturday, and Instigate Debate on Sunday. It just remains for me to thank our supporters – Tower Hamlets Council 2012 Unit and Arts Council England and wish you a fantastic weekend.