Attractions

The Cutty Sark reopens Spring 2012
The last and most famous tea-clipper, which broke all records for speed in 1885, closed to the public on 5 November 2006 in order to start work on the planned conservation programme. It is due to reopen with improved displays and access in Spring 2012.

Blue Badge Olympic Marathon Walk Launches 21 April 2012
Book your place on a new walking tour highlighting the route of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Marathon, the perfect tour for those planning to watch the London Marathon the next day. This is not the full 26 miles 385 yards, just a nine kilometre stroll taken during the course of a day and with a break for lunch. You will learn why marathons are always that particular distance, and the clue lies in the London Games of 1908. You’ll hear tales of the competitor who covered part of the course by carriage and of runners who were plied with champagne and brandy during the competition. Your Blue Badge Tourist Guide will help you pick the best spots from which to view this free event.

Camden Crawl 4 to 6th May, 2012 in pubs around Camden
As spring closes in, the annual May Bank Holiday Camden Crawl music marathon nears the completion of its 2012 line up. Litro will be in residence as the curators of the literary stage. The variety of highlights from this year’s event continues to mount up with the welcome return of Micachu & The Shapes to the live arena, a debut Crawl appearance by Turner Prize winning artist Martin Creed and his band, the groundbreaking dance floor highs from Rustie and the return of Veronica Fall’s alt pop brilliance and the sassy street smart grime of East London’s Mz Bratt. These sparkling gems are but a few of the following new additions just announced to appear at the North London festival. In traditional Camden Crawl form, major special guests will be revealed shortly prior to the event.

6th Annual Edition of London Burlesque Festival May 7-13 
Chaz Royal & Secrets in Lace Present, In the spirit of Litro‘s very own Katy Darby’s Whore’s Asylum, comes the WORLD BURLESQUE GAMES 2012. Presenting Sponsor SECRETS IN LACE www.secretsinlace.com. The World Burlesque Games 2012 Appears at various locations: www.worldburlesquegames.com. After the overwhelming sold-out success of London Burlesque Festival ’07-09, and the rebranding to London Burlesque Week in 2010-2011, SECRETS IN LACE (the world’s premier supplier of vintage inspired stockings and lingerie) partners up with veteran producer CHAZ ROYAL to present the greatest showcase and competition of international burlesque and variety talent, World Burlesque Games 2012. The biggest and best International Burlesque Festival, with 100 of the world’s top performers.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 22 – 26 May, Royal Chelsea Hospital
Gardens have been a great love of the world’s biggest writers, including Shakespeare, Goethe and the ancient Ovid. Come and get inspired at the greatest flower show in the world at London’s Royal Hospital Chelsea at Chelsea Flower Show, London. Every year the grounds of the Royal Hospital are transformed into show gardens, inspirational small gardens and vibrant horticultural displays that make up the world’s most famous flower show. The Chelsea Flower Show is attended by 157,000 visitors each year. The number is limited by the capacity of the 11-acre ground so tickets must be purchased in advance.

Exhibitions

Palaces
Science Museum, 2 April – 28 July 2012
Palaces is a participatory artwork made from thousands of milk teeth donated by children around the UK. Standing two metres high, the sculpture resembles a coral castle under water. Designed by artist Gina Czarnecki, the aim of the project is to raise questions about consent and the reuse of human tissues in medical research, as well as to draw attention to sources of stem cells in the body.

The Wild, the Beautiful and the Damned
Hampton Court Palace, 5 April – 30 September 2012
This major new exhibition will shine a light on the decadence of the Baroque court at Hampton Court Palace. Exploring the hedonistic world of the royal court during the reigns of Charles II, James II, William III, Mary III and Anne (1660-1714), the exhibition will introduce visitors to the monarchs, courtiers and courtesans who illuminated Hampton Court in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

World Shakespeare Festival
Various London locations, 23 April – 9 September 2012
The World Shakespeare Festival, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, will run from 23 April to 9 September 2012, celebrating how the world performs, teaches and engages with Shakespeare, and will form part of the London 2012 Festival. In collaboration with many partners, including the Roundhouse, the Barbican, the National Theatre, and the BBC, we will welcome the world and celebrate Shakespeare as the world’s playwright, showcasing the best of UK and international creative talent, exploring Shakespeare’s place in the lives of young people and harnessing the energy and creativity of emerging artists and amateur companies.

Globe to Globe
Shakespeare’s Globe, 23 April – 9 June 2012
For the first time, 37 international companies present all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in 37 different languages in a kaleidoscopic, six week festival starting on Shakespeare’s birthday. An opening weekend of celebrations includes an adaptation of Venus and Adonis by the Isango Ensemble from South Africa, a public open day at the Globe to celebrate Shakespeare and the worlds’ languages, and Ngākau Toa’s Troilus and Cressida beginning the festival with a haka. Globe to Globe is part of the World Shakespeare Festival and the Cultural Olympiad 2012.

The Botanical Afternoon Tea
InterContinental London Park Lane, from 1 April 2012
Celebrating its location overlooking the iconic Royal Parks, The Wellington Lounge at InterContinental London Park Lane is introducing The Botanical Afternoon Tea, which mixes peels, berries and herbaceous botanicals for a sensory experience. The Botanical Tea presents a contemporary twist on tradition and begins with a botanical pear drop that gently bursts in the mouth. Open-face sandwiches follow with nettle marinated asparagus rolled in sirloin of beef; and Scottish lobster and shrimp with caviar and fresh dill. Warm citrus peel scones are served with quince preserve and clotted cream along with a selection of stunning desserts. The tea is paired with a specially created gin-based cocktail from The Arch Bar, or a choice from The Wellington Lounge’s bespoke tea menu.

Russie Blanche at K Spa
K West Hotel, from April 2012
K Spa will launch Russie Blanche as its newest product and treatment range, and will be the first spa in the UK to offer Russie Blanche treatments. Russie Blanche was developed by former Miss USSR and fashion model Julia Lemigova. The new treatments will combine the traditions of a Russian “Banïya” with French refinement and know-how, plus all products are formulated using anti-stress Russian plants and 100% pure, natural essential oils. K Spa’s hot areas and Snow Paradise reflect accurately the ancient therapies and remedies performed in Russia.

Dickens on the Thames: a literary boat trip
Boat tour with the Museum of London, 5 May 2012
Spend an afternoon boating down the Thames, discovering Dickens’ London and the river at its heart. From Festival Pier to Greenwich and back, experts Alex Werner and Tony Williams (co-authors of Dickens’s Victorian London) will uncover the key sights of the author’s life and works – from the blacking factory he worked in as a boy to the Limehouse pub in Our Mutual Friend.

The Garden of Edible and Useful Plants
Chelsea Physic Garden, opening 23 May 2012
London’s oldest botanical garden is creating an inspiring new half-acre garden. The Garden of Edible and Useful Plants will display an extraordinary range of plant species on which humanity depends; from forest fruits and land restoration plants to super foods and plants used for hygiene, science and the arts. The new garden will showcase a diverse collection of productive and functional plants, incorporating both the beautiful and bizarre. Exciting new features include a compact vineyard, a living plant amphitheatre and a stone pier to view Robert Fortune’s tank pond.

Universe of Sound
23 May – 8 July 2012
A virtual Philharmonia Orchestra will take up residence at the Science Museum. An immersive digital installation will employ the latest digital and interactive technologies to reveal the inner workings of each orchestral section and invite the public to interact, create and explore. The project will include a live performance of The Planets, the commission of a new work to allow the audience to develop their own musical journey.

Build the Truce
Imperial War Museum, May – October 2012
At the first Olympic Games in 776BC an ‘Olympic truce’ was created in order to enable athletes from Greece’s warring cities to travel and compete in safety. Reinstated at the 1992 Games, the Olympic Truce continues to exist today. In 2009, IWM launched Build the Truce, a learning initiative which works with organisations and schools to explore the concepts of truce and conflict resolution. The intimate and interactive Build the Truce display at IWM London will bring the themes and discussion explored through this project to life. Visitors will be able to explore the concept of truce, from notions about the inevitability of war, through to truce as a method of conflict resolution.

Expressions of Movement
The Grove, 1 May – 30 September 2012
London’s country estate, The Grove is opening its gardens and grounds this summer to celebrate and champion one of the most exciting and dynamic art forms – sculpture. The curator, Virginia Grub has invited 24 sculptors and artists, to create pieces which are loosely inspired by 2012’s two great events: The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. The result is an engaging and surprising collection of 57 pieces together titled Expressions of Movement. Come and interact with the sculptures whilst enjoying lunch or tea at the Grove. All sculptures and paintings on display will be available for sale.

Bauhaus: Art as Life
Barbican, 3 May – 12 August 2012
Exploring the world’s most famous modern art and design school, Bauhaus: Art as Life is the biggest Bauhaus exhibition in the UK in over 40 years. From its avant-garde arts and crafts beginnings the Bauhaus shifted towards a more radical model of learning uniting art and technology. A driving force behind Modernism, it further sought to change society in the aftermath of World War 1, to find a new way of living. This major new Barbican Art Gallery show presents the pioneering and diverse artistic production that makes up the school’s turbulent fourteen-year history from 1919 to 1933 and delves into the subjects at the heart of the Bauhaus – art, design, people, society and culture. For more information contact Ann Bern

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