The mayor’s thames festival in London

It takes place every year in September (this year on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14, 2008) on and around the river, on the south bank riverside walkway between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge, and hosts many interesting (and FREE) events.
It is particularly on the Thames that the whole Festival concentrates: in the words of Boris Johnson, mayor of London, the Festival is meant to celebrate the importance of the Thames in the city’s history, being the river the lifeblood of our city and a key factor in London's success from Roman times to now.

The Festival Director Adrian Evans, moreover, claims that the festival is intended to educate and transform people’s ideas about the river, and indeed many events focus on the Thames itself: just to make some examples, the Great River Race (on Saturday, with over 300 boats participating) and an open-air art gallery along 3.5 kilometres of riverside walkway displaying river-themed artworks. Also schools are involved, and kids are asked to present some projects which must have the river as their main subject. In this way the organizers try to make children get a greater understanding of the history of their city’s river and of its role as working waterway.

As a celebration of London, the Festival does not focus only on the Thames, but also on another important aspect of this multicultural metropolis, that is its cultural diversity. During the festival the south bank is pervaded by sounds of music from around the world, and this year in particular it will feature culture and creativity from 37 countries. Just to make some examples, you will have the possibility to choose among over 350 international food and craft stalls at the Riverside Bazaar (open from noon to 10.00 p.m., in particular this year it hosts a celebration of Korean food and culture), or watch an exhibition from Last for One, the multiple award-winning Korean breakdance group.

With three-quarters of a million visitors in the 2007 edition, the Thames Festival is considered one of the largest street festival in Europe, attracting people of all ages with a range of different events going from live music to dance performances, from children workshops to open-air art exhibitions and finishing with a spectacular illuminated Night Carnival (Sunday, on Victoria Embankment, with over 2500 participants each year) and the Fireworks Finale (fired directly from barges, in the middle of the Thames).

Other main events are the exhibition of the adult choir Sing for Water (a fund-raising association meant to support water-aid projects in northern Ghana), and the Feats on the Bridge (Saturday, on Southwark Bridge) a 300 metres banquet created by the artist Clare Patey, which proposes high-quality food and hosts various ceremonies. During a Festival music cannot miss: you will enjoy some live music thanks to the nine stages proposing different music styles, and those who prefer dance will surely appreciate the two open-air ballrooms with dance workshops and professional dancers exhibitions. For more information, and if you want to view all the venues and events calendar, please visit thamesfestival.org.

London is a lively and frantic metropolis chosen every year from millions of visitors for its museums, markets, shops and entertainments, and it offers many accommodation solutions. Keep in mind that it is one of the most expensive city in the world, but it won’t be too difficult to find an affordable accommodation, in particular in September (in Summer or Christmas time there could be more problems) and if you content yourselves with a budget youth hostel.

Article Source: http://www.indexed-articles.com

This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit accommodation in London or for travel insurance visit cheap hostel London.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated