The world really is headed to London this year – and the influx begins months before the July 27 opening ceremonies. Spring and summer are packed with tantalizing preludes to the big moment: the opening ceremonies to the 2012 London Olympics .
Here are a few of the highlights, both sporting and cultural:
April 23 – The London 2012 Festival World Shakespeare Festival opens its doors. This cutting-edge aggregation of the Bard’s best serves up major new productions, groundbreaking collaborations and radical interpretation of the playwright’s work. Productions and events are UK-wide – from Stratford-upon-Avon to London, Newcastle to Scotland. There’s also a significant online component.
May 19 – The Olympic Torch Relay starts at Land’s End. It’s a spectacular launch pad for the flame on British soil, situated as it is on the extreme southwesterly reaches of the English mainland. From there you can mount the cliff tops, revel in the wild surf, and—on a clear day—see the magical Isles of Scilly off in the distance.
June 23-24 – BBC Radio 1 revs up its Big Weekend celebration at Hackney Marshes. Among the headline performers are Jay-Z and Rihanna.
July 25 – Even before the opening ceremonies, the first Olympic Games sports event kicks off – literally. It’s the Women’s Football Preliminary matches at Cardiff, Glasgow and Coventry.
It’s impossible to take all the Olympics in. Best pick and choose, as this reporter and his family did when the games were held in Atlanta back in 1996. If you’ve got an opportunity, go. No matter what it takes, just go.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: ell brown)
