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London: 5 Musicals You Can’t Miss Out On
If you want to enjoy London like a local, your next trip has to include a visit to its West End musicals. Let us recommend some.
Notting Hill Carnival 2015
If you´ve ever been to a carnival, you´ll understand the beauty and excitement each and every moment brings. From dawn till dusk you´ll find mystical costumer designs, music that´ll have your hips swaying and mouthwatering food that´ll have you stick around for hours to come! Popularly known as the Notting Hill Carnival, this is the biggest festival Europe has to showcase. With its Caribbean vibe, you would be crazy not to join in with the festivities! First held in 1964 as a part of the Trinidad Festival, the Carnival sticks to its original Caribbean root. Bringing a strong and vibrant spring of diversity to the streets of London. And of course, everyone is invited! With the first ever Carnival bringing forth only a mere 500 spectators; today you will find hundreds of thousands enjoying the cultural festivities, with figures that are continuously growing. It´s no doubt this is both a popular and most desired event! You will find more than 50,000 performers throughout the 3 day weekend, with 38 sound systems located alongside the Notting Hill Carnival Route. Don´t be surprised when you see more than 1million spectators attending this magical explosion of imagination, design and colour! To kickstart the Notting Hill festivities, here is a rundown of the events occurring over the course of the 3 day weekend: Saturday 29th The Notting Hill Carnival 2015 will be welcomed with the free open-air concert Panorama; a steel-band competition. Emslie Horniman Pleasance Park, 6-10pm Sunday 30th Now this is the Family Day portion. What is Carnival without the comedic family moments coming into play? This day will have you on...
Father’s Day in London
It´s that time of year again. That comedic morning when men have to exchange awkward hugs and unwrap the ghastly, perhaps one-time use presents the family presents. That´s right, we´re talking about the ever fast approaching Father´s day. But what is it the Dad´s really want to do this year? Perhaps it´s time to give British sarcasm a rest and give euphoria it´s true definition. Just for a day at least. We do love our cynicism after all. After scouring the net, we have put together a fun list of events you could surprise your old man with. Here are 5 inviting situations to do right here in London. 1# OnlywithFood ´The way to a man´s heart is through his stomach´. This goes for Dad too. Why not give him a breathtaking skyline view, as he sinks his teeth into his perfectly roasted vegetables and prime cut of steak, at the AquaShard London. With subtle Asian elements at play, this restaurant shall present an innovative and contemporary British cuisine that will just leave you just craving for seconds. With a menu consisting of hand-dived scallops from the Coast of the Northwest Highlands, as you overlook the River Thames, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and more. This could not be more of a pleasant Father´s day meal. Or why not reserve a table at London House, a Gordon Ramsey creation! We all know a masterpiece shall be served and good old Dad will be wined and dined with perfection. Did I mention, he also receives a Chocolate Cigar as a gift? 2# OnlywithComfort Remember when Dad´s idea of a night...
Pillow Cinema and Hot Tub Cinema in London
Movie theaters reinvented. Pillow Cinema and Hot Tub Cinema are new movie theater concepts. Imagine a huge room filled with pillows, or an outdoor terrace full of hot tubs in the warmer months of the year. They’re no doubt the perfect plan for lounging around, or soaking in a tub with your love interest or with friends. There’s just no wrong way to enjoy the seventh art.
The Notting Hill Carnival
The Notting Hill Carnival: An opportunity to visit London
Wimbledon
Known as The Championships, the Wimbledon Championships, or simply Wimbledon, it is one of the four Grand Slams of tennis season, alongside the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the U.S. Open. Of the four, there is no doubt that Wimbledon is the most prestigious, not only because it’s the oldest but because it is the most difficult of all. The grass of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club gives the game a speed that cannot be equaled on the clay of Paris or the fast surfaces of Melbourne or New York. By alphababy The first championship was held in 1877, and since then it has enjoyed unparalleled prestige in the world of sport. Everyone who has gone to Wimbledon agrees that the resort’s atmosphere is incomparable, an environment in which the true tradition of tennis thrives. This tradition has been carried to the grass, where both male and female players are required to wear pristine white clothing throughout the tournament. One thing that has changed in recent years is the main court, Centre Court, which due to the unpredictable British summer weather has undergone a metamorphosis with the addition of a retractable roof that can close completely in 8-10 minutes. This allows the game to continue even if it is raining, a problem that the tournament has experienced since its inception. There are three male players in history that have dominated Wimbledon. With 7 titles each, William Renshaw (Britain), Pete Sampras (United States) and Roger Federer (Switzerland) have been the reigned on the grass in their respective decades. Renshaw won six consecutive tournaments between 1861 and 1886,...
Notting Hill Carnival
It was 1966 when the first Notting Hill Carnival took place, a carnival organised by the Caribbean community in London who, almost 50 years later, has turned it into one of the most important street events and celebrations in the whole world. The carnival takes place in the famous London neighbourhood of Notting Hill, in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in the western part of the city. Photo: Cristiano Betta The Caribbean essence For two days at the end of August, over a million people go onto the streets to celebrate the carnival. Today, it´s still the Caribbean community who organises the whole event, so you can especially enjoy the music from that part of the world, with plenty of percussion and rhythm. There are various genres that you can enjoy during these couple of days: the calypso, a genre that goes back to the days of African slaves who were taken to work in plantations in Trinidad and that used this music to make fun of their masters; then comes the soca, a genre that bases itself on freedom of expression and sexual freedom, always through metaphors; finally, the steel pan, a genre in which bamboo sticks are used for percussion with different tones and melodies. All in all, Caribbean music is the essence of the Notting Hill Carnival. Also, on the streets there´ll be plenty of Caribbean food stalls, a great chance to try the exquisite flavours of their cuisine that have been prepared by Caribbean people, since many West Indian families emigrated to London during the 20th century. Don´t miss out on trying the jerk chicken, a chicken...
The Wimbledon Championships 2013
The best tennis players in the world will take part in the most prestigious tournament: Wimbledon. Out of the four grand slams on the men and women´s circuit, the ATP and the WTA, Wimbledon is the one that everyone wants to win, since it´s the oldest and the hardest of them all. The grass of the All England Tennis Club in London is unforgiving and only the best can manage to lift the champion´s trophy. Photo: Spiralz Wimbledon takes place between the end of June and the beginning of July. This year, 2013, the specific dates are from the 24th of June until the 7th of July, with the men´s final taking place on Sunday the 7th and the women´s on Saturday the 6th. This tournament boasts an incredible history, as this year will be its 136th, and it´s considered as one of the greatest and most important sporting tournaments in the world. London thrives with tennis during these two summer weeks and the whole city focuses on Wimbledon, a fantastic experience for all sports fans. Tradition is a very important part of Wimbledon: the tennis players wear all white whilst spectators enjoy the famous strawberries and cream that you can buy around the All England Club. This year, once again, we will see players such as Roger Federer (7-time champion), a recovered Rafa Nadal (twice a winner here) and Novak Djokovic (winner in 2011) delight the crowd with their slick tennis, as will Maria Sharapova (winner in 2004) and Serena Williams (winner 5 times), who are the two favourites for the women´s crown. In any case, the stars...
City of London Festival
London is a city that shines in the summer as you can enjoy the great weather of the season, which is something not usual at all during the rest of the year. The gray clouds, cold breeze and rain are replaced by sun and warm weather, which live up the celebration of festivals in the city, while people take to the streets to enjoy. © Copyright Christine Matthews The City of London Festival is an arts festival held for four weeks between June and July, which host various musical events, film screenings, guided tours and talks. Music takes special prominence; many of the concerts include jazz, blues and opera. In addition, many of the performances are held in the hot spots of the city such as St Paul´s Cathedral; there are almost a hundred different sites to visit. The festival has also been actively involved with schools in London, which contribute cultural and artistic performances that are exposed as part of the event’s agenda. Thus, the City of London Festival aims to build a mentality of community awareness in a city that has so many traditions and diversity. Apart of music, at the festival you’ll also have the chance to enjoy film screenings, talks and even guided tours around the city. The first festival was held in 1962, and has since then grown to become what it is today, while bringing together locals and visitors to celebrate culture and the arts. In addition, many of the restaurants in town also celebrate this festival and offer discounts and special menus for this unique occasion, which are always welcome in a...
