City of London Festival

Every year in June and July the city of London turns into a buzzing multicultural festival ground for three weeks. Though initially geared towards classical music, the City of London Festival now features a veritable kaleidoscope of musical styles ranging from world to jazz, opera to contemporary. Theatre, dance, architecture, literature, walks, film and the visual arts being a big part of the programme are not to be left out here. In the course of the festival there is also an educational programme of primary and secondary schools' cultural projects, which are showcased within the main festival programme. These include exhibitions, a colourful procession through the City streets, student films about city life in both Paris and London and a sing-a-long.

In previous years Festivals have focused on London's links with important international trading centres. 2005 had a Dutch theme, 2006 highlighted Japanese culture and 2007 intends to show the City's connections to France's trading centres. This year's Festival will also explore the 200th Anniversary of the parliamentary Abolition of slave trade in the United Kingdom. 

Events usually take place within local venues including some of London's famous churches, St. Paul's Cathedral and Livery Company Halls. Others are held outdoors in the City streets, squares and gardens, alongside open spaces including the Guildhall Yard, Liverpool Street Station and Finsbury Circus Gardens. The great architecture of London’s Square Mile also provides an impressive background to the Festival.

Many of the daytime performances are free with the aim of accessability to art to a large proportion of the City's population. Other events are to be booked and paid for in advance.

See the programme, find detailed information and book your tickets here:
http://www.colf.org/about.cfm

Information on the City of London:
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk