Sweets, Treats and Freaks! It’s Halloween in London

From the gruesome, to the spook-tacular, this year’s Halloween celebrations in London, the city of Jack the Ripper, are set to be the most haunted yet. There’s something for everyone, so get ready for some wickedly wild events.

Frightening Family Favourites 
Let your inner thrill-seeker come out from the dark this All Hallow’s Eve, and hop on board the fastest boat in London. The Thames Rockets will take you on a fifty minute hair-raising blast through the capital, with a spooky skipper guiding you down the River in the dark of the night for their Thames Thriller experience. If you prefer to stay firmly on land, then head down to the boo-tiful Hampton Court Palace, for a gruesome ghost tour of the regal residence. Experience the eerie atmosphere of the palace, as you dare to be led through its grounds in the dark. Visit the Home of Halloween, the London Dungeon for their multi-sensory Witch Hunter show. Discover 1,000 years of London’s dark history in nineteen shows, featuring some of the greatest villains and rogues, two thrilling rides and plenty of startling surprises. Try to get some sleep at the end of the day at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge, which will play host to a spine-chilling sleepover, so pack the sleeping bag and discuss ghoulies and ghosties by torch, before spending the night at the iconic venue.

Eat, Drink, and be Scary: All Hallow’s Eve in Style
Who said that frightening fare doesn’t taste good? Enjoy a bewitching, Halloween-themed afternoon tea in the stylish setting of London’s Hilton on Park Lane, with a wicked selection of freshly prepared sandwiches and delicacies. Hold your nerve at a private viewing of psychological horror film, The Shining at One Aldwych’s luxurious screening room. Replace popcorn with a glass of chilled champagne and enjoy a three-course meal at Indigo restaurant. At the Booking Office Bar and Restaurant, live jazz will entertain guests, as they toast the 150^th anniversary of Madame Clicquot’s death. Dressed in Victorian gothic attire, soak up the surroundings and celebrate champagne’s most emblematic woman. For a formal occasion with a difference, visit the Museum of London Docklands for a sit-down, candle lit dinner and expert talk, before embarking on a haunted ghost tour around the building to walk off your meal.

Paint the Town Dead: Adult Friendly Celebrations
After the trick-or-treating is over for another year, let the celebrations continue and treat yourself to some creepy cocktails at The Roof Gardens. A selection of spine-tingling drinks, live music and a fired-up barbeque make this set to be a glamorously ghoulish affair. Dance the night away at an exclusive boat party aboard The Golden Star. Fashion your scariest Halloween costume, soak up London’s iconic skyline and let the DJ cast a spell on you. The National Gallery will be hosting a special Halloween late, celebrating the darker side of their latest collection. While your face is painted with sinister shades to the background of macabre folk music, visit the pop-up bars around the gallery, and explore how paintings have been inspired by tales of darkness. Let Dirty Martini help you celebrate late into the witching hour as they throw their biggest Halloween party yet. Head down early to enjoy a half-price happy hour, and dance the night away to some scary hits. Lastly, Primo Bar at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge will be given a spooky makeover for its infamous Screamo Halloween party, complete with scary performances, a fancy dress contest, live music and DJ’s on the decks until late.

For more information about what’s coming up in London this Halloween, head to www.visitlondon.com/Halloween

 

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50 Tall Ships Sail into London as Part of ‘Totally Thames’ Month-Long Festival

‘Totally Thames’ is an exciting new, month-long arts and cultural celebration of London’s river, featuring over 100 river-related events along its entire 42 mile course through the capital, taking place for the first time throughout September.

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman will create an extraordinary new sculpture, his first UK commission, which will be situated in the River Thames at Nine Elms on the South Bank for the month of Totally Thames. Details remain a closely guarded secret until Tuesday 2nd September 2014 when the installation will be towed upriver from its build site to its end position at Nine Elms on the South Bank between Battersea and Vauxhall.

On Friday 5th and Saturday 6th September 2014 internationally renowned French artists Carabosse present ‘Fire Garden,’ a spectacular display of fire and light, and one of the last ever public events at Battersea Power Station before it closes for development.

Visitors can immerse themselves in ‘The Thames SENSEation,’ a free family event at Victoria Embankment Gardens on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September 2014 which explores the sights, aromas, tastes, textures and sounds of London’s bygone eras. This multi-sensory festival designed by the award-winning House of Gastrophonic in partnership with The Northbank.

The largest Tall Ship event in London for 25 years comes to Royal Greenwich September 5-9, 2014. Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Regatta, the first major Tall Ships event in the city since London hosted the Tall Ships Race in 1989, will bring up to 50 ships from Falmouth to Royal Greenwich for four days of festivities.

One event stretches the whole length of the Thames, the ‘Source to Sea River Relay’ brings a bottle of Thames water from its source in the Gloucester hills to the sea. The bottle, passed hand-to-hand, arrives in London on 1st September – the first day of Totally Thames – and travels across the capital and out to sea on September 30, the final day of the Totally Thames festival.

And, for those travelling to London for the festival which includes many free events, it’s possible to find a choice of cheap hotels in London a short walk from the river, through LondonTown.com, a leading Internet site for London, as well as information on restaurants, attractions, sightseeing tours, and all the latest London happenings.

With over 18 years of experience assisting visitors to the capital, LondonTown team is proud of their customer service and editorial independence – no banner advertising or paid for content is allowed. The LondonTown.com team assist in finding cheap London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events. Visit www.LondonTown.com.
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LondonTown.com Offers Hotel Recommendations near Buckingham Palace to View ‘Queen’s Coronation 1953’ Exhibit

‘The Queen’s Coronation 1953’ goes on display at Buckingham Palace for the duration of the Summer Opening, from Saturday 27th July until Sunday 29th September 2013 and entrance to the exhibition is included in the price of the Summer Opening ticket.

For visitors in search of a hotel nearby Buckingham Palace with royal connections the best place to stay, according to LondonTown.com, is The Goring hotel, where Kate Middleton spent the last night before her wedding. Recently appointed winner of The 2013 Top London Afternoon Tea Award by the UK Tea Guild, The Goring was praised for its “elegant surrounding and faultless presentation”.

Just four minutes’ walk away from Buckingham Palace, The Rubens at the Palace is a 4 star hotel with 161 rooms and suites. Just as nearby, 41 is a very special place to stay for those who want to experience a unique luxury 5 star boutique hotel. It’s conveniently located directly opposite the Palace’s Royal Mews which houses the royal collection of historic carriages and coaches and which can also be explored as part of a visit to Buckingham Palace.

Also within easy walking distance of the royal Palace, a leisurely eight minutes’ walk away, the 4 star Hilton Green Park Hotel in Green Park, made from fourteen connected townhouses, is an unusual hotel for Hilton. The Grade II-listed Eccleston Square Hotel in Victoria is a small townhouse hotel just 14 minutes’ walk away from the Queen’s royal residence and offers beautiful interior design and state-of-the-art facilities throughout.

For information on the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace and related events and exhibitions in London this summer, visit the website LondonTown.com where full listings on the Queen’s Coronation and other events are given. For visitors coming from outside London, the website gives a wide choice of accommodation to suit budgets and requirements.

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Ice Age, Pompeii Exhibits at British Museum, Propaganda at British Library Draw Crowds to Bloomsbury Area of London This Summer

Renowned for its literary associations, the Bloomsbury area of London boasts three first class cultural institutions – the British Museum, the British Library, and the Wellcome Collection – all of which are putting on a series of exhibitions, talks, tours and events which draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the area this summer.

A highlight of the cultural calendar in London 2013 is the British Museum’s exhibition on Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Items which have never left Italy before are included in this British Museum exhibition which continues until Sunday 29th September 2013, bringing to life the daily routine of the Romans who were caught out by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Related events include ‘Up Late in Pompeii’, a special late-night event on Friday 10th May 2013 which will allow visitors to have a night out in the Bay of Naples complete with Roman food and forum debates.

One of two blockbuster exhibitions currently at the British Museum, equally as intriguing as Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum is Ice Age Art which brings together sculptures, figurines and engravings made in Europe from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, placing ancient masterpieces alongside modern works of art. The exhibition includes fascinating stone, bone and ivory sculptures and continues until Sunday 26th May 2013.

Added to these are smaller, free exhibitions including In Search of Classical Greece, on display at the British Museum’s Print Room until Sunday 28th April 2013, and Bubbles and Bankruptcy Financial Crises in Britain Since 1700 which continues until Sunday 5th May 2013.

To the north of the British Museum, the British Library hosts a major summer exhibition ‘Propaganda: Power and Persuasion’ which begins on Friday 17th May and continues all summer long until Tuesday 17th September 2013. Among more than 200 exhibits on display are propaganda leaflets dropped on occupied territories during WWII, Nazi propaganda, posters, films, cartoons and everyday objects including bank notes and badges.

Related events include a talk by Alastair Campbell on Friday 17th May, a late-night party on Friday 7th June 2013 with music by DJs Alexis, Al and Felix (Hot Chip), a debate on ‘The Art and Business of Persuasion’ between advertising legend Trevor Beattie and PR guru Mark Borkowski on Monday 1st July, and an appearance by former US Presidential candidate Mike Dukakis on Tuesday 6th August.

The British Library’s ongoing ‘Murder in the Library: An A-Z of Crime Fiction’ exhibition, which ends on Sunday 12th May 2013, indulges our addiction to detective stories and includes the original manuscript of the Sherlock Holmes story ‘The Retired Colourman’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

As part of Britten 100, the London-based festival celebrating the centenary of the great composer, The British Library presents Poetry in Sound: The Music of Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) a free exhibition in The Folio Society Gallery, from Friday 31st May to Sunday 15th September 2013 exploring the poetic and literary influences on Britten’s work.

Just seven minutes’ walk from the British Library, The Wellcome Collection remains open to the public throughout the GBP17.5m building project which begins this summer, due to be completed in summer 2014. Improvements include creating 30 per cent more gallery space and doubling the capacity for public events as well as adding a new restaurant.

In the meantime, the Wellcome Collection’s spring/summer exhibition of Japanese Outsider Art, Souzou: Outsider Art from Japan, continues until 30th June 2013, showing more than 300 works in a huge diversity of mediums by 46 Japanese artists.

Insects are celebrated in the Wellcome Collection’s ‘Who’s the Pest’ series of events in April and May including an Insects Au Gratin Installation (Tuesday 23rd April 2013 to Sunday 5th May 2013) and a debate on ‘Who is more of a pest?’, humans or insects?

At the Bloomsbury Theatre comedy is a strong suit and this summer is no exception. Highlights include two nights hosted by Robin Ince, best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox, on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th May, and Stand Up for Women starring Michael McIntyre and hosted by comedian James Mullinger on Monday 13th May.

In May, Olivier award-winning choreographer and director Peter Schaufuss comes to the Bloomsbury Theatre for the first time with his Hamlet inspired dance drama (15th to 24th May). And June brings the inaugural London Student Drama Festival on Wednesday 19th June, drawing on the theatrical talent at four well respected London universities (UCL, King’s, SOAS, LSE).

One of the more quirky events but still very much a part of spending summer in Bloomsbury, The Chap Olympiad is a celebration of buffoonery and sporting ineptitude. While dates and details of this year’s event are yet to be confirmed it typically takes place in the summer in Bedford Square Gardens, Bloomsbury.

Looking beyond summer to autumn, the Bloomsbury Festival takes place from 15th to 20th October 2013 offering an innovative arts, community and cultural programme at venues across Bloomsbury.

If you’re planning to visit London this summer keep track of all the latest events with LondonTown.com where the latest information on all major London museums, theatres, art galleries and festivals is provided.

The LondonTown.com team assist in finding cheap London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events.

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Tickets on Sale for BBC Proms 2013, Two-Month Music Festival in London Featuring Musical Firsts

Tickets are now on sale for the 2013 BBC Proms, a two-month festival in London featuring 92 concerts  and many musical firsts including Daniel Barenboim  first time conducting Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

For those who want to attend the 119th BBC Proms season this summer, opening at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday, July 12. now is the time to book a London hotel.

In a series of firsts, this will be Barenboim’s first time conducting Wagner and it’s the first time the complete Wagner Ring Cycle will have been played at the Proms in one summer, with four concerts performed in the week beginning Monday 22nd July. Barenboim’s concerts are not the only Proms events marking the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner’s birth, and there are also significant anniversaries for bicentenarian Giuseppe Verdi, and the centenary of Benjamin Britten.

The 2013 festival will be the first in Proms history to have the last night conducted by a woman. Marin Alsop, a New Yorker who has spent time in the UK including a stint as chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, is joined by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, violinist Nigel Kennedy and the BBC Symphony Orchestra for the rousing Last Night of the Proms on Saturday, September 7, 2013.

It was also be the first Proms to include an ‘Urban Classic Prom’, to be broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, which will combine music by the German modernist Hans Werner Henze and the Soviet futurist Alexander Mosolov with performances by singers Faser, Laura Mvula and Maverick Sabre. The first BBC Radio 6 Music Prom, on Monday 12th August, will also appeal to a younger audience with Cerys Matthews, Laura Marling and The Stranglers all performing live at the Royal Albert Hall.

The 2013 season brings the first ever free main evening Prom with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and youth choirs from the UK and Ireland performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, also known as the ‘Choral’ Symphony, on Sunday, August 11, 2013.

Many well-loved Proms favourites return to the festival in 2013 including the Doctor Who Proms which makes a third visit to the Proms in the year that the BBC television celebrates 50 years on our screens. Nigel Kennedy returns and not only plays on the Last Night of the Proms for the first time but also plays at the Proms in the Park on the same night as well as playing in a Late Night performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons on Thursday August 8.

Leading concert pianist Stephen Hough performs on the First Night of the Proms, on Friday, July 12, when the festival opens with a 450-strong choir, and the premiere of Julian Anderson’s Harmony performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Every Prom is broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 but with tickets starting from GBP5, and with such a huge variety of music to choose from, the best way to enjoy the events is by going in person to experience the unique atmosphere of the Royal Albert Hall.

Tickets are now on sale and the season opens on Friday July, 12 2013.

To find out the best events in London this summer go to LondonTown.com where a host of useful information is given including the latest listings for opera, classical music, dance and ballet. With over 18 years of experience, the website is the place to go to for informative and unbiased reviews on everything you need to know about the UK’s capital city.

LondonTown.com is the number one Internet site for London. With over 18 years of experience assisting visitors to the capital, they pride themselves on their customer service and editorial independence – no advertising or paid for content is allowed. The LondonTown.com team assist in finding cheap London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events.

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