London Diary of Events 2008/2009

2008

Hyde Park Towers hotel is a great place to stay, the location is excellent, especially if you are planning to visit any of these events. Next to the biggest park in London, Hyde park, the Hyde Park Towers hotel is superbly located in central London and is within easy reach of these events.

17th of March

London's Irish community have always celebrated St Patrick's Day in the traditional manner, with church services, music, dancing and plenty of Guinness and whisky.
St Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century, and is often confused with Palladius, a Bishop who was sent by Pop Celestine in 431 to be the first Bishop to the Irish believers in Christ.St Patrick was the Patron Saint and National apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland. Most of what is known about him comes from his two works, the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatmen of Irish Christian.
The main performance stage is at  Trafalgar Square, from 12 – 6pm,
How to get there: take a central line from Queensway underground station and change for Bakerloo line at Oxford Circus, alight at Charing Cross.

12th march – 16th march

Organised by the team behind Country Living magazine, this twice-yearly show is firmly pitched at Londoners who dream of having a country cottage with roses around the door. The closest you'll come is leaving here with a rose-covered cushions or possibly some rose bushes to put in your window box.
Whilst exbition, the Business Design Centre in London will be home to over to over 350 designers and artisans from around the UK, each one hand picked by the Country Living team.
The surrounding area offers superb shopping, antique malls, street markets, some of London's leading theatres, and an abundance of cafes and restaurants to enjoy on your visit to the Fair.

Address: 52 Upper Street, N1 0QH
Phone: 0870 126 1801
Time: Wed to Sat 10:00 - 18:00 | Sat 9:30 - 18:00 | Sun 10:00 - 15:00 | Gala Eve: Wed 18:30 - 21:00
Pricing: Advance: £11 (Standard), £6.50 (Children 5-16) | On the Door: £14.50 (Adults), £11 (Seniors), £8 (Children 5-16) | Free (Under 5s)
Nearest station: Angel tube (central line from the Queensway station, change at Bank for the northern line to Angel.

12th of March  - 22nd of March
This illustrious ballet company hasn't graced the stages of London for over 25 years but the 90 (ish) dancers are making up for lost time by performing four programmes practically bursting at the seams with almost-revered choreography.
New York City Ballet returns as the glittering prize in a five-week spring season of dance at the Coliseum. And a glittering prize it most certainly is.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Venue:   London Coliseum, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BR
Dates:   Wed 12th – Sun 16th March and Tue 18th - Sat 22nd March, 2008
Times:    Wed 12th – Sat 15th and Tue 18th - Sat 22nd March, 7.30pm; Sat 15th, Sun 16th, Thur 20th and Sat 22nd March, 2pm

Programme One: Wed 12th, Fri 14th, Sun 16th (2pm & 7.30pm) March
Programme Two: Thur 13th, Sat 15th (2pm & 7.30pm) March
Programme Three: Tue 18th, Thur 20th (7.30pm), Fri 21st March
Programme Four: Wed 19th, Thur 20th (2pm), Sat 22nd (2pm & 7.30pm) March

Ticket prices: £20 - £95
On sale from: Tuesday 8th May, 2007
Box Office: 0870 145 0200
Press Nights: Programme One, Wed 12th March, 7.30pm

Other press nights to be confirmed

The nearest tube station is Covent garden, central line from Queensway to Holborn, change for Piccadilly line and alight at Covent Garden.

13th-16th of March
The Affordable Art Fair is a well-loved institution in Battersea Park, an event that strips away the pretension of the art world and gives buyers a chance to pick up some really great art at fair prices, ranging from £30 to £3,000.
The fair’s easy-going atmosphere invites first time buyers to browse amongst the thousands of original artworks, whilst seasoned collectors can seek out hot new artists.  Look out for our specially curated section at the front including work by young emerging artists.
Venue: Battersea Park

14th March 2008 - 6th April 2008

Make yourself at home at the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre, celebrating its 100th year this year. The Ideal Home Show is the world's largest of its kind and never fails to surprise and inspire.
Each year, full sized houses and even whole villages, including pubs, town squares and shops are built inside Earls Court. The 100th year celebrations will be no different and visitors will find a full size eco house and a giant dream house to name a few.

Opening times:
Opening day: 10am-8pm
Weekdays: (Mon/Tues/Wed) 10am-7pm
Thursdays: 10am-10pm
Weekends: (Fri/Sat/Sun) 10am-8pm
Last Sunday: 10am-6pm

Venue Details:
Earls Court Exhibition Centre
Warwick Road, London, SW5 9TA
How to get there: from Bayswater underground station take a district line going to Kensington Olympia, alight at Earl’s Court.

22nd March 2008 - 23rd March 2008

Spring is the time when Mother Nature wakes up, dusts off the hangover of winter and new life starts to grow. To get a close-up view of nature's re-birth in action take your youngsters along to the Easter Weekend at the Wetland Centre in Barnes. On Saturday and Sunday come and meet Mr. Heron and find out how he lives and what he eats as part of a London wide celebration of this species. Our popular pantomime character Sir Rabbit will also be hopping around with some tasty Easter gifts. Daily Egg Watches will take place throughout the whole Easter weekend 21 - 24 March at 1pm.
The London Wetland Centre is situated about 25 minutes from central London, on the banks of the River Thames in Barnes,
How to get there: take a circle line from Bayswater tube station to Paddington and change for Hammersmith and City line, alight at Hammersmith tube station.

25th of March to 30th of March

This production of ‘Romeo and Juliet; based on the Shakespeare play, played a pivotal role in the history of the Stuttgart Ballet. Romeo and Juliet's entourages have grown considerably since Shakespeare's day with all 70 dancers of the Stuttgart Ballet taking to the stage in John Cranko's acclaimed ballet adaptation of this most famous of love stories.
 Not seen in the UK for 27 years, Olivier Award winner Stuttgart Ballet returns with John Cranko’s spectacular Romeo and Juliet as part of the Spring Dance at the London Coliseum Season, set to the Prokofiev score, from Tuesday 25th – Sunday 30th March, 2008.

Venue: the Coliseum,
How to get there: The nearest tube station is Covent garden, central line from Queensway to Holborn, change for Piccadilly line and alight at Covent Garden.

Friday, 28th of march

The record – breaking pop quartet from Sligo, Ireland play a number of surely sell – out London gigs at the Wembley arena. The westlife concert will showcase tracks from their new album, ‘Back Home’ (released on November 5th), Westlife will also perform their biggest hits and favourite album tracks from their vast catalogue.

Tube: central line from the Queensway station, change at Bond street station for Jubilee line , alight at North Greenwich, For any enquiries call 0870 460 8009