London Events

Scottish artist John Lowrie Morrison OBE "Jolomo" brings the true colours of Scotland to London in the 11th Jolomo London Exhibition presented by Corrymella Scott Gallery. This exhibition includes striking new pictures depicting the exceptional changing light and colour of the west coast of Scotland where Jolomo continues in the tradition of Scottish artists who were drawn back year after year by the beauty and power of this landscape.

The Chelsea Flower Show attracts horticulturalists, gardeners, admirers and those connected to the industry from around the world. Each May the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea are transformed into living gardens, heady with scent and brilliant with the colours of the finest collections of flowers in the world. The show gardens are quite unique, each one created with a perfectionist's touch by some of the world's leading garden designers. Gardening enthusiasts find a wealth of creative ideas here - and in the smaller courtyard and city garden exhibits. The Great Pavilion is the temporary home to thousands of rare and beautiful blooms. Experts are often on hand to lend advice and there are many goods to purchase and demonstrations to watch.

In celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the event will see a thousand boats gather on the river Thames. The flotilla will be the largest seen in modern times on the river, with rowing boats, working boats and pleasure vessels of all shapes and sizes dressed with streamers and Union Jacks, and carrying up to 30,000 flag-waving passengers. Music barges, boats spouting geysers and pyrotechnic barges spitting smoke and daytime fireworks will add to the spectacle.

The IG London Nocturne returns to London on Saturday 9 June with another year of high speed racing, penny farthings, a longest skid competition and the legendary folding bike race. IG, the financial spread betting and CFD trading company, will be sponsoring the event once again in 2012 as part of their ongoing investment in cycling. The best of British and international cycling will be on display and the event will provide the nation with a chance to see top international riders compete before the Olympics. As well as the headline Elite Criterium race, the pros will also take part in an Elimination race, a new addition to the 2012 programme that will test both their endurance and sprint skills to the limit.

A keynote in the calendar of British pageantry, troops of the Household Division (Foot Guards and Household Cavalry) perform the ceremony of Trooping the Colour each year in honour of the Queen's official birthday. Although the Queen was born in April, Trooping the Colour is held in June, the month of her coronation in 1953. Since the early 18th century, each regiment's colours (two flags or banners) were paraded before its own troops so that soldiers would recognise and rally to them in battle. And this tradition continues, nowadays for the benefit of the Queen who then receives a royal salute. At the close of proceedings the Queen returns to Buckingham Palace in a carriage and appears on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to the crowds and watch a fly-past of RAF and occasionally other planes.

New restaurants and world-class chefs are just some of the reasons why Taste of London is one of the most anticipated summer events in London. Visitors can dine from 40 of the capital's top restaurants, try and buy from 200 food and drink producers, enjoy fine wine tasting and watch some of the world's greatest chefs demonstrate their skills live on stage, including Michel Roux Jr, Gary Rhodes and Jason Atherton.

A colourful spectacle which takes to the streets of London as the capital's gay community celebrates diversity in the heart of the capital.

The Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon are legendary in the tennis world. Almost as famous for the frequent wet weather, the strawberries and cream on the lawn, the attendance by members of the Royal Family and the plummy voices of the umpires as for the tennis itself, Wimbledon stands in a class of its own. The first tournament was held in 1877, watched by a few hundred enthusiasts and won by an Englishman, Spencer Gore. Down the years, few of Gores's fellow countrymen have succeeded in repeating his feat, but the event has grown to major proportions with over 500,000 visitors, and a worldwide TV audience of millions.

As much a part of British summer as Wimbledon or the FA Cup Final, the annual Proms take place in the wonderful setting of London's Royal Albert Hall. Orchestral concerts, operas, choral concerts and world music all make it onto the bill of this packed two-month programme. Although performers come from all over the world, it is a quintessentially British celebration and many spectators are adorned with Union Jack flags and face paint. The season draws to a dramatic close on the famous Last Night of the Proms with a rousing rendition of Land of Hope and Glory during which the entire crowd rises to its feet and joins in the singing. The event is broadcast live on television to an audience of millions around the globe and in recent years Last Night of the Proms now also take place at Belfast, Swansea, Manchester and Glasgow.

Held each August Bank Holiday, London's Notting Hill Carnival is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe. The streets of West London come alive with music, colourful costumes and hundreds of Caribbean food stalls.

A Night Under The Stars presents Crown and Country: an evening of English classical music favourites in aid of homeless charity The Passage. From stirring music capturing the very essence of great state occasions to lyrical evocations of rural England to an unsurpassed elegy for a time gone by, Crown and Country features some of Britain’s best loved music. Includes Handel's Zadok The Priest (1727) and Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending (1920) amongst others.

The Survival of the Fittest event is now back for 2012 - expect more obstacles, the same amazing venues, totally engaging courses and lashings of survival spirit. Packing a challenging route in each host city, with tough and engaging obstacles throughout the course, competitors pit their wits against thousands of fellow "Survival" competitors in a test of stamina, grit, speed and guts. For 2012, there will be two events taking place on 17 November. From 0900 until late afternoon, waves of 350 people will depart every 15 minutes to tackle the main event - the mighty Men's Health Survival of the Fittest course. This is "classic" Survival - around 10km (7 miles) of running with bags of obstacles en route. As darkness decends, the floodlights will be switched on and the start of the second event, Survival by Night begins. This second race features all of the obstacle content of the longer race over a 5km (3-mile) course.

Every February and September, the capital hosts London Fashion Week, one of the world's largest and most famous fashion events. Designers, buyers and fashion aficionados travel to the event to see the very best English designers showcasing their latest collections.

Already firmly established as Britain's biggest and best movie event, the BFI London Film Festival is one of the most popular events of its kind in the UK. Featuring approximately 20 screenings and special events every day, the festival allows visitors to choose from a wide and varied programme of screenings. Other interesting aspects of the festival include galas, talks with famous directors and actors, and movie workshops. With films from all over the world, each year there are close to 180 feature films screened in 13 venues across London, as well as documentaries, restored classics, shorts, animation and artists' film and video installations.

Known simply as the 'Boat Race', this world-famous competition between England's top two universities needs little introduction. The prestigious event dates back to 1829 when two friends, Charles Merivale, a student at Cambridge, and Charles Wordsworth, a student at Harrow and nephew of the poet William Wordsworth who was at Oxford, suggested the challenge. It has taken place every year since, with the loser of the previous year's race challenging the winners to a rematch. The event has become an intrinsic part of Britain's cultural heritage. Each year, around 250,000 spectators line the banks of the River Thames between Putney and Mortlake to witness the spectacle, which is also screened live on British television and watched by an audience of over 7 million viewers.

The London Marathon has been running for over 30 years and is one of the world's greatest road races. Starting in Greenwich, the marathon winds through Charlton and Woolwich before crossing the River Thames at Tower Bridge, looping through the east end of London, past Canary Wharf in Docklands, before heading west again along the Highway and the Embankment to Parliament Square, Birdcage Walk and the final corner in front of Buckingham Palace.

This event is set to be bigger than ever before with over 3,000 horses and ponies taking part in over 170 classes; from firm favourites such as The Land Rover International Driving Grand Prix, to top class show jumping and ever popular displays including The Pony Club Mounted Games, Tent Pegging and The Best Turned Out Trooper. Visitors will also be privy to global stars of the horse world performing for the first time in the UK for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant.