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
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
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.
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.
As well as The London Festival Fringe in August, as if that wasn’t alternative enough, there will also be an alternative fringe called wait for it… The London Alternative Fringe.
The London Alternative Fringe Festival is a celebration of Alternative Performance including Cabaret, Circus, Vaudeville, Burlesque, Fetish, Live Art and Experimental Theatre. A showcase of the capitals alternative nightlife
The London Alternative Fringe has been going for one whole year already, formed in 2009, and is an “open access” fringe festival which means there is no curating of events as such, the more the merrier. Any performance which wishes to take part is welcome but the remit is to promote the following types of performance:
London Alternative Fringe comes together with the Camden Fringe and the London Festival Fringe to help create a rich festival experience for London throughout August.
For more details see http://www.alternativefringe.com
London Alternative Fringe Festival
I just found this in my draft posts but I think it’s worth mentioning the Winter Wonderland Festival at London’s Hyde Park for next year.
November 2010 to January 2011, Hyde Park London
http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/information.html
They have a very good FAQ and here are some of the most important questions about the Winter Wonderland in my opinion:
No! Winter Wonderland has no admission fee – you simply turn up and pay to go on what ever takes your fancy.
At Winter Wonderland we class a child as 12 and under. Please note, some rides & attractions have height and weight restrictions. Children aged 2 and under will not need a ticket for the Circus or Wheel if they do not occupy a seat (ie will sit on an adults lap – just like on a plane!). Should your little one prefer a seat – this will need to be purchased at the child price.
You can buy tickets in advance for the Ice Rink, Zippos Christmas Circus and the Palace of Illusion show, to ensure you get the time & date you want – they sell out fast. But please remember tickets are not changeable.
If you buy the Ice Rink, Big Top shows & Giant Wheel tickets together as a Combination Ticket fantastic savings can be made, particularly for family tickets. But book in advance as Combination Tickets aren’t available on the day.
A family at Winter Wonderland constitutes 2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children.
Concessions for the Ice Rink & Circus are available to those with a valid NUS card or who are registered disabled – proof of both must be presented at the event.
Everything at Winter Wonderland is open 10am to 10pm (every day except Christmas Day) right up to 3rd January 2010 – rain or shine! The only exception is Father Christmas who resides in Santa Land from 12 noon to 6pm every day, but on Christmas Eve he leaves Hyde Park at 4pm as he has to deliver presents to children all over the world.
Most of Winter Wonderland is flat and level for buggies, with only gentle inclines – we have even built a level crossing at the Santa Express! There is baby changing at the disabled toilets near the Christmas Roller Coaster and opposite Santa Land.
London Festival Fringe is organising a Valentine Weekend with a short film competition.
48 Hour Short Film Competition based on the theme of ‘Love’
This competition will test the creative and technical skills of everyone taking part. Writers, directors, film crew, actors will all be given a title and a genre to work from. Then it’s a mad race to finish the movie in 48 hours.
Here are some entries from last year’s London 48 hr film competition
The London Festival of Theatre takes place in July each year, so if the London Festival Fringe idea goes ahead for August, then there will have to be some accommodation with the dates I would have thought.
LIFT, the London international Festival of Theatre, is one of Europe’s most adventurous and influential producers of international contemporary theatre, creating extraordinary festivals and programmes of work that transform London into a stage and inspire everyone to participate in the stories of the world.
LIFT’s rich and varied programming of international work in London has had a major influence on the development of British theatre – challenging its conventions, introducing new forms of theatrical expression and bringing fresh perspectives on audience, communities and spaces throughout the city. In anticipating our future we are excited to take LIFT’s legacy forward, connecting the world’s boldest and brightest theatre makers with the people of one of the world’s great capital cities.
Major London Arts Festival coming in 2010
More than 13 West End theatres – some big, some small – are meeting today (Tuesday 24 November) to discuss taking part in London’s first city-wide fringe arts festival. The London Festival Fringe is set to explode onto the capital’s cultural scene from 6 – 30 August 2010.
Representatives from the venues will meet with the organisers to discuss taking part in the Festival, a month-long event that will celebrate fringe performing arts. The Festival will showcase a wide range of fringe arts from all over the world; from music, theatre and film, to comedy, poetry and more. In an exciting addition to London’s summer events programme, the Festival will bring together a host of performances to captivate, entertain and maybe even surprise festival-goers.
London Fringe Club
The London Fringe Club gives artists and performers the opportunity to get involved with the Festival right now. It has been organised to offer a social networking forum where people can meet with one another and discuss ideas to make their show or event happen. It is open to all, free, and no membership is required. All are welcome and details of forthcoming events are available at www.londonfestivalfringe.com
Director Greg Tallent said, “London is the world’s greatest art centre, drawing performers from around the globe. We want to bring together fringe artists to give audiences innovative acts in one place at one time – in every sphere, from comedy and drama to music, film and street theatre.
“In July 2009 we organised the London Bridge Festival, which was a great success. It’s now time to bring together London’s fringe scene and give it the international recognition it deserves.”
The London Festival Fringe is being held in August to offer art and entertainment to Londoners and the large number of tourists who visit the city in the summer. In particular, London Festival Fringe allows artists and promoters living and working in London to put on shows and events to audiences on their doorsteps, at a price they can afford without earnings being eaten up by travel and accommodation costs.