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Wednesday TIME: US | UK WEATHER: US | UK HOME THE NEIGHBORHOOD "Life in the UK" American Groups Essential Contacts Money Education Driving WHAT'S ON US Group Events Diary Dates Music Live FEATURES Politics blog SPORTS Features Sideline blog NFL Draft THE AMERICAN MAGAZINE ONLINE |
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN THE UK 2007/2008 for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, unless otherwise noted.
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WHAT'S ON DIARY DATES Britain has an incredible number of interesting and diverse things to do. Here are some of the best, selected for you by The American. Behind the scenes at Wembley Stadium Wembley National Stadium, Wembley, London HA9 0WS You can now take an extensive tour of the new Wembley Stadium in north–west London, including a visit to the changing rooms, treatment rooms and managers' dugouts. Walk on to the pitch from the players' tunnel and climb the steps to the royal box to lift a replica football trophy. www.wembleystadium.com/tours +44 (0)844 800 2755 (booking line) March 01, 2008 onwards Adventure Golf in Blackpool Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY4 1EZ The Pleasure Beach funfair at Blackpool, which welcomes nearly six million visitors a year, has a new attraction for 2008, a 12–hole Adventure Golf course, with water hazards and a spectacular figure–of–eight on hole, the first of its kind in the UK. www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com +44 (0)870 444 5566 March 12, 2008 onwards Amazing Rare Things: The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace An extraordinary exhibition selected from the Royal Collection in collaboration with distinguished naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. It brings together the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Cassiano dal Pozzo, Alexander Marshal, Maria Sibylla Merian and Mark Catesby – diverse figures who shared a passion for enquiry and a fascination with the beautiful and bizarre in nature. All lived at a time when new species were being discovered around the world in ever increasing numbers. Mark Catesby, a naturalist from Suffolk, visited his sister in Williamsburg, Virginia in the C18th where he began to draw animals and plants. Between 1729 and 1747 he published his studies as The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Island, the first in a series of books on the natural history of North America. www.royalcollection.org.uk March 14, 2008 to September 28, 2008 Ancient trucks and buses Crich Tramway Village, Crich, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 5DP One of the most important historic transport attractions in the UK. This year has a special event to celebrate the history of Leyland Motors, once the world's fifth largest producer of trucks and buses on July 13. Crich Tramway Village is a restored period village that is the home of the National Tramway Museum and its archives. www.tramway.co.uk +44 (0)1773 854321 March 21, 2008 to November 02, 2008 The composer and the opera singers Handel House Museum, 25 Brook Street, London W1K 4HB The composer Handel spent many years in England. From 1723 until his death in 1759 he lived at this house, just off Bond Street, now the Handel House Museum. This year the museum holds an exhibition that reveals the public and private lives of the first great women opera singers — the superstar celebrities of the day. Handel and the Divas will look at the careers, rivalries, successes, failures and stories of scandalous behind–the–scenes behavior that made the first divas the talk of 18th–century London. www.handelhouse.org +44 (0)20 7495 1685 April 30, 2008 to November 16, 2008 Well–dressed wells Peak District and Derbyshire Villages and towns in the area revive the ancient ceremony and craft of well dressing. Well dressings are mosaic pictures made from natural materials such as flower petals, leaves and berries displayed on the site of a well. The art of well dressing may have originated in Pagan times as a ritual to give thanks for the supply of fresh water, or have been introduced into Britain by the Romans, or be connected with the plague. Now most well dressings have a Christian religious theme, although recently more secular pictures have appeared. www.visitpeakdistrict.com May 01, 2008 to September 30, 2008 Impressionist Interiors National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square West, Dublin 2, Ireland Features new acqusition Renoir's Young Woman in White Reading and many well–known paintings by Manet, Monet, Degas & Gauguin, the exhibition explores how these artists created a strikingly modern vision of the world around them. Catalogue includes contributions by S. Hollis Clayson, Professor of Art History, Northwestern University, Illinois, and Suzanne Singletary, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, University of Philadelphia. Series of free talks in May, and a special study morning on June 7. www.nationalgallery.ie +353 1 663 3513 May 10, 2008 to August 10, 2008 Beyond the work of one Bodleian Library, Oxford University Rarely displayed manuscripts, books, documents and artefacts from around the world, from 27 College collections, a Private Hall, the Oxford Union and the Bodleian, brought together for the first time. www.ouls.ox.ac.uk May 24, 2008 to November 01, 2008 Outdoor Theatre in a London Park Open Air Theatre, Inner Circle, Regent's Park, London NW1 The only permanent professional outdoor theatre in Britain. Picnic on the lawns of the park, or visit the theatre's bar and café set among trees lit by fairy lights. The 2008 season has Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream re–imagined for young audiences and a new production of Lerner and Loewe's classic musical Gigi starring Golden Globe winner and Fiddler on the Roof Oscar nominee Topol. www.openairtheatre.org +44 (0)844 826 4242 June 02, 2008 to September 13, 2008 York's new Quilt Museum Quilt Museum and Gallery, St Anthony's Hall, Peaseholme Green, York YO1 7PR Europe's first museum dedicated to quilting and textile arts opens June 7 in this medieval hall. The Quilt Museum and Gallery will be the national headquarters of the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles and its Heritage Collection. 600 quilts include a signed and dated 1718 patchwork coverlet, miniature pieces, quilted clothing, tools and equipment. EXHIBITIONS: Quilts in Time: Journey from Bed to Wall, June 7 – September 28, 2008. Quilting Across the Globe: quilts from the International Quilt Study Centre in Nebraska — the first time the IQSC has sent an exhibition outside the USA – October 1 — December 31, 2008 www.quiltmuseum.org.uk +44 1904 613242 June 07, 2008 to December 31, 2008 Cy Twombly: Cycles and Seasons Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG Coinciding with Cy Twombly's 80th year, this will be the first major retrospective in the UK for twenty years of the work of this artist. Born in 1928 in Lexington Virginia, Twombly studied in Boston, New York and Black Mountain College, Carolina. In the mid 1950s, following travels in Europe and Africa, he emerged as a prominent figure among a generation of artists working in New York that included Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. www.tate.org.uk +44 (0) 20 7887 8888 June 19, 2008 to September 14, 2008 Courtauld's Cézannes The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN The Courtauld Gallery's summer exhibition presents the most important collection in Britain of works by Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), together for the first time. Major paintings such as the iconic Montagne Sainte–Victoire and Card Players will be shown alongside rarely–seen drawings and watercolors, plus a previously unexhibited group of nine autograph letters. The climax of the 75th anniversary program of the Courtauld Institute. www.courtauld.ac.uk +44 (0)20 7848 2526 June 26, 2008 to October 05, 2008 Painting Family: The De Brays, Master Painters of C17th Holland Dulwich Picture Gallery, London SE21 Jan de Bray is almost unknown now, but he was the most important painter in Haarlem, Holland in the second half of the C17th, a mantle he inherited from his father Salomon, who trained him. Jan's brothers Dirck and Joseph were also artists and this beautiful show features masterpieces by all four De Brays. www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk 020 8693 5254 July 09, 2008 to October 05, 2008 Afrika! Afrika! The Trafford Centre, Manchester After a run in London to the end of May, this spectacular and exuberant show is going to the North of England. More than just a show, it is an experience, from beautiful Moorish tents and Moroccan style cafes to authentic African arts and crafts and African food, the audience is given a glimpse of the heart of Africa from the moment they step through the door. An important part of AFRIKA! AFRIKA! is its support of cultural projects in Africa and through ticket sales in London alone the show has so far raised over £70,000 for UNESCO. www.afrika–afrika.com 0844 847 247, 0844847 1554 from July 23, 2008 September 06, 2008 Tour the Palace of Westminster Houses of Parliament, London The UK Parliament, the Palace of Westminster, was the main residence of the kings of England from the C11th until a fire in 1512. During Summer Recess the Palace offers guided tours, taking in the House of Lords, the House of Commons and State Rooms. There are nearly 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases and well over 2 miles of passages. www.parliament.uk July 28, 2008 to September 27, 2008 Aluminum Show Pleasance Courtyard Grand (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) then selected regional dates Ingenious visual theatre combining dance, puppetry and illusion devised by a former member of the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, about aluminum in all its forms! Inanimate objects are brought to life by athletic dancers and an imaginative production, cold metal tubes are turned into living creatures. Since first performed in Jerusalem in 2003, it has toured Israel, Argentina, Russia and mainland Europe. Critics have compared it to the Blue Man Group and Stomp. July 30th–Aug 25th Edinburgh; Aug 28th–30th Nottingham Concert Hall; Sep 2nd–6th Bradford Alhambra; 8th–10th Preston Charter Theatre; 11th–13th Cardiff New Theatre; 15th–17th Aberdeen His Majesty's Theatre. www.aluminum–show.com July 30, 2008 to September 17, 2008 Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace, London While the Queen visits Scotland each summer, it is possible to buy a ticket to see the State Rooms at her London residence. www.royal.gov.uk July 31, 2008 to September 29, 2008 150@150: 150th Anniversary Exhibition Royal West of England Academy, Bristol For its 150th anniversary the RWA has an exhibition with a difference combining a historical element with a contemporary twist, free of charge to all visitors.Works by RWA Academicians are available at a remarkable price of £150. www.rwa.org.uk August 10, 2008 to September 14, 2008 Prophecy New End Theatre Hampstead World premiere of the play Prophecy, by the American playwright Karen Malpede. A fierce yet funny American anti–war play; the Abraham–Sarah– Hagar myth echoes through the marriage of Sarah and Alan Golden, as do the politics of Eros and Thanatos from Vietnam to Iraq. Sarah Golden is an acting teacher who tries to avert the tragedy of a talented young man who went to war for tuition money but returns with a terrible secret seared into his consciousness. www.offwestendtheatres.co.uk September 03, 2008 to October 05, 2008 Now Or Later Royal Court Theatre, Sloan Square, London SW1 Election night in the U.S., and things are looking rosy for the Democratic Party. Holed up in a hotel, watching the results flood in, are the likely President–elect, his wife, advisors and 20 year old son John Jnr. Every speech, interview and photocall has been carefully controlled and meticulously orchestrated, all leading up to this big night. At the same time controversial photos of John Jnr are gathering momentum on the internet. Whilst his father's advisors work against the clock on damage limitation, it's up to father and son to try and reach an agreement. Examines religion, freedom of expression and personal responsibility. Written by Christopher Shinn and directed by Dominic Cooke. www.royalcourttheatre.com info@royalcourttheatre.com 020 7565 5000 September 03, 2008 to October 16, 2008 Design Cities Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 The story of contemporary design through the focus of seven key cities, and the part that they have played in the evolution of design and architecture over the last century – London at the time of the Great Exhibition of 1851, Vienna 1908, Dessau 1928, Paris in 1936, Los Angeles 1949, Milan 1957, Tokyo 1987 back to London 2008. www.designmuseum.org 020 7940 8783 September 05, 2008 to January 04, 2009 What Are You Like? – Self–revealing artworks by forty people in the public eye Dulwich Picture Gallery, London SE21 The idea comes from a Victorian game of describing yourself with images of your favourite things. Contributors include Quentin Blake, Raymond Briggs, Posy Simmonds, Brian Eno, David Gentleman, Eric Clapton, Philip Pullman, Ralph Steadman, Paul Smith and other illustrators, artists, actors and musicians who illustrate their favourite animal, book, clothes, comfort, food, pastime, place, possession, music, shoes, weather and their pet aversion. www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk 020 8693 5254 September 09, 2008 to December 14, 2008 ICA 60th Anniversary Auction Sotheby's, London To mark its 60th anniversary, the ICA, in collaboration with Sotheby's, is holding an auction of artworks by leading international artists who have played a part in shaping the ICA's history. DATES: Exhibition at ICA Sep 11th – Oct 5th; Preview exhibition at Sotheby's Oct 12th – 17th; Auction: Oct 17th & 20th. Participating artists: Peter Blake, John Bock, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Martin Creed, John Currin, Tacita Dean, Peter Doig, Cerith Wyn Evans, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Liam Gillick, Damien Hirst, Nan Goldin, Antony Gormley, Dan Graham, Peter Halley, Richard Hamilton, Howard Hodgkin, Jenny Holzer, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Anish Kapoor, Alex Katz, Karen Kilimnik, Barbara Kruger, Robert Mapplethorpe, Mike Nelson, Chris Ofili, Yoko Ono, Julian Opie, Eduardo Paolozzi, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Lari Pittman, Charles Ray, Thomas Scheibitz, Thomas Struth, Rosemarie Trockel, Luc Tuymans, Mark Wallinger, Andy Warhol (and others to be confirmed). www.ica.org.uk 020 7930 3647 September 11, 2008 to October 05, 2008 Southampton Boat Show Mayflower Park/Town Quay, Southampton SO15 Discover exciting new features, explore the thousand plus boats on display, see over 500 exhibitors, 'Try A Boat', see (or enter) the Miss PSP Southampton Boat Show competition and enjoy everything about boating in one giant show! www.southamptonboatshow.com September 12, 2008 to September 21, 2008 Ahoy There! Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 Children's Creative Activity – To celebrate the Thames Festival, kids can design and make their own flotilla of catamarans, boats and barges inspired by the Design Museum's riverfront location. www.designmuseum.org 020 7940 8783 September 13, 2008 then Sep 14th, 21st and September 28, 2008 Autumn Italian Car Day Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire An outstanding display of Lamborghinis and Lancias as well as Fiats, Alfa Romeos, Ferraris, Maseratis and other exotic Italian marques. Plenty of other activities too... Visit the Heritage Trust Collection, try the demanding off–road course, enjoy family karting fun, even the chance to drive on Aston Martin's Test Track. www.heritage–motor–centre.co.uk September 14, 2008 LaLaLyric Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith A unique event teaming exciting musical acts with fast–rising fashion designers, raising funds for LYC (Lyric Young Company). Simon Amstell comperes a line–up that includes Sophie Ellis–Bextor, Emmy the Great, Melodica, Melody and Me, FrYars and graduates from London's most prestigious fashion and design courses: the perfect kick–off to London Fashion Week! www.lyric.co.uk 0871 22 117 22 September 14, 2008 Black Pudding Throwing Championships Royal Oak, Bridge Street, Ramsbottom, Lancashire Bury in Lancashire is famous for the production of Black Pudding, a type of sausage made from congealed pigs' blood with spices and fat, wrapped in a length of intestine. The aim of the Championships is to throw a black pudding at a collection of Yorkshire puddings on a plinth 20 feet up on the side of the pub wall. 0161 253 5897 September 14, 2008 Def Comedy Jam short UK tour Legendary Hip–Hop pioneer and entrepreneur Russell Simmons brings his ground breaking and hugely popular Def Comedy Jam to the UK for the first time. Stand Up Comedy from some of today's hottest urban comics from the US inc. Patrice O'Neal, Capone, Tony Roberts and Dominique, music from DJ Kid Capri. Sep 16th Manchester Apollo; 17th Birmingham Alexandra Theatre; 20th London Brixton Academy. www.livenation.co.uk September 16, 2008 to September 20, 2008 Something That I'll Never Really See The Herbert, Coventry A fantastic collection of contemporary photographs from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, by a host of internationally named artists as well as emerging talents. www.theherbert.org September 16, 2008 to January 11, 2009 John Singleton Copley: Painter of American Revolutionaries and the English Aristocracy English–Speaking Union, 37 Charles Street, London W1 A lecture in aid of The ESU American Arts Scholarship to Attingham, given by Emily Ballew Neff, Curator, American Painting and Sculpture from 1997 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. esu.org/ gillian_parker@esu.org, 020 7529 1550 September 16, 2008 Goodwood Revival Goodwood, West Sussex The world's most authentic historic motor race meeting, staged in the romantic time capsule of the Fifties and Sixties. Fantastic cars and bikes from the era are not just on show, star drivers from the past and present take the racing seriously. The circuit is as it was in its heyday and many visitors dress in period costume to join in the fun. www.goodwood.co.uk September 19, 2008 to September 21, 2008 Ceramics in the City Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, London E2 In the Geffrye's contemporary gallery, a selling fair showcasing 40 ceramicists – meet the makers on the opening day. (Part of the London Design Festival, staged across the capital from Sep. 13–23). www.geffrye–museum.org.uk 020 7739 9893 September 19, 2008 to September 21, 2008 Shelby Lynne Royal Festival Hall, London American country singer–songwriter Shelby Lynne comes to Southbank Centre to perform songs from her new critically acclaimed album Just a Little Lovin', a tribute to Dusty Springfield www.southbankcentre.co.uk September 19, 2008 Big Sky International Kite Festival Margate Main Sands, Kent Kite flyers from the UK, Holland, Belgium, Spain, France, New Zealand, Thailand and Malaysia will be flying magnificent large inflatables, soft kites and single line kites in a daily line–up that includes aerial ballet displays, stunts, competitions and club displays. Workshops, stalls and other attractions including a local wind garden and a Dutch wind and music garden – alongside the spectacular scheduled arena activities. www.visitthanet.co.uk 0870 264 6111 September 20, 2008 to September 21, 2008 Egremont Crab Fair and World Gurning Champioinships Orgill, Egremont, Cumbria A day of quirky events celebrating crab apple time, topped off with the World Gurning Championships: contestants put their heads through a horse collar and contort their faces in the scariest, most grotesque, silliest expression possible. Dates back to 1267 to celebrate the time when the local Lord of the Manor wheeled a cart of crab apples through the village of Egremont as a goodwill gesture to the poor. www.cumbria.uk.com September 20, 2008 Moorcroft Pottery Auction Bonhams, New Bond Street, London The biggest single–owner collection of Moorcroft Pottery to appear on the market is being sold. The collection, estimated at approximately £150,000, was started in the 1920's by Mr and Mrs Bracewell, who greatly admired the designs of William Moorcroft, at their home in the Lake District. Many desirable patterns and shapes including Claremont, Moonlit Blue, Wisteria and Waratah and flambé ware. www.bonhams.com September 24, 2008 Mark Rothko Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG Tate Modern presents an exhibition by one of the world's most famous and best–loved artists, Mark Rothko. This is the first significant exhibition of his work to be held in the UK for over 20 years. www.tate.org.uk September 26, 2008 to February 01, 2009 Paul Curreri Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London American musician and songwriter Paul Curreri. Renowned for his inspired songs, bright voice and talented finger–style, he performs with Lucy Sale on percussion and Jo Carvell on double bass. www.southbankcentre.co.uk September 26, 2008 Wimbledon Bookfest Various venues, Wimbledon, London Lord Levy on A Question of Honour; Toby Young on How to Lose Friends and Alienate People; a James Bond Dinner; Literary Pub Quiz and a Children's Literature Festival – just some of the highlights of this literary extraveganza. wimbledonbookfest.org October 04, 2008 to October 12, 2008 Opera North: Of Thee I Sing Tour Coinciding with the US presidential elections, Of Thee I Sing reflects the fickle nature of politics. When Wintergreen's election campaign flags it is given a boost by staging a beauty contest and focusing on everyone's passion for 'love'. The winner will become the First Lady! Light hearted and sprinkled with big songs, this is an enjoyable night out. Grand Theatre, Leeds, The Lowry, Salford Quays, Theatre Royal, Newcastle, Theatre Royal, Nottingham (see website for dates). www.operanorth.co.uk October 04, 2008 to November 20, 2008 Black History Month National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London Highlighting and celebrating the achievements of the black community, Artist and storyteller Diana Olutunmogun leads two storytelling events for visitors of all ages. Join us in front of a different picture each session to explore the hidden voices of characters in the paintings, encouraging imaginative responses and discussion. The first session takes place on October 4 from 1–1.35pm in Room 14, in front of Gossaert's Adoration of the Kings. The second session takes place in Room 46 on October 28 infront of Dega's Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando from 1–1.45pm. October 04, 2008 Pop Goes Design Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 Children's Creative Activity – Inspired by the whirling psychedelic world of 'graphic entertainer' Alan Aldridge, budding illustrators and graphic designers can create their own book covers, CD covers and posters. www.ticketweb.co.uk 020 7940 8783 October 05, 2008 then each Sunday to October 26, 2008 Pearly Kings and Queens Harvest Festival St Martin–in–the–Fields, Trafalgar Square, London The Cockney Pearly Kings and Queens gather for harvest thanksgiving dressed in their traditional costumes of suits, dresses and hats which can have as many as 30,000 buttons sewn onto them and weigh as much as 70 lbs. www.pearlysociety.co.uk October 05, 2008 Origin: The London Craft Fair Somerset House, London A celebration of contemporary craft and an opportunity to buy something unique and hand–made from some of the finest contemporary craft makers from the U.S., Japan, China, Thailand, Sweden, housed in an elegant and modern pavilion designed by Ben Kelly within the beautiful courtyard at Somerset House. Ceramics, textiles, furniture and jewellery. Late–night shopping opportunities and an on–site programme with craft makers leading practical workshops and giving talks on their work. www.craftscouncil.org.uk October 07, 2008 to October 19, 2008 (closed 13th) Bizarre Ball SeOne Club, London SE1 Alternative culture magazine Bizarre presents its inaugural Ball, featuring Lucha Britannia, Ministry of Burlesque, Circus of Horrors, rock acts, burlesque dancers, freaks, exotic girls, masked Mexican wrestlers and illusionists. The organisers say; 'Think fancy dress, fetish, rock'n'roll, mods, dandies, fops, wenches, leather, pirates, uniforms, militaria, medical, latex, furry, clowns, bikinis, weird, dark, colourful…but most importantly, FUN! wegottickets.com October 10, 2008 World Conker Championships Village Green, Ashton, near Oundle, Peterborough Players take a conker (sweet chestnut) attached to a piece of string and take turns trying to break their opponent's nut. Since 1965, the championships have raised over £300,000 to help various charities for the blind. www.worldconkerchampionships.com October 12, 2008 World Porridge Making Championships Carrbridge, Inverness–shire, Scottish Highlands Competition to find the best cook of Scotland's favorite breakfast, with pipe band, parade of competitors, official Toast to the Porridge, Farmers Market, cookery demonstrations, product tastings, street entertainment and live music. www.goldenspurtle.com October 12, 2008 Renaissance Faces: Van Eyck to Titian National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London This landmark exhibition, organised by the National Gallery, London, and the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, explores the dramatic rise of portraiture in the Renaissance and features works by the great masters of Northern and Southern Europe, including Raphael, Titian, Botticelli, Van Eyck, Holbein, Dürer, Lotto, Pontormo and Bellini. Over 70 paintings, important sculptures, drawings and medals. www.nationalgallery.org.uk 020 7747 2885 October 15, 2008 to January 18, 2009 Falmouth Oyster Festival Falmouth, Cornwall Oyster catching, cooking and celebrating with live music, sea shanties and Cornish crafts. www.falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk October 16, 2008 to October 19, 2008 Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990—2005 St Martin's Place, London WC2H 0HE Many of Leibovitz's best–known portraits, including Jamie Foxx, Nicole Kidman, and Brad Pitt; athletes preparing for the 1996 Olympic Games; George W. Bush with members of his Cabinet at the White House; and her famous 1991 image of then–pregnant actress Demi Moore. www.npg.org.uk October 16, 2008 to February 01, 2009 Diwali in the Square National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London Joining in with celebrations on Trafalgar Square, dancers from Annapurna Dance Company bring the colour and drama of Diwali into the Gallery to make their own response to a painting (1pm). Short music and storytelling sessions (12—2.30pm) draw connections between National Gallery pictures and the legends of Diwali. Free and open to all. Ask at Information Desks on the day for locations. Look out for a new gallery trail, 'Festival of Light' to be launched on 19 October. To mark Diwali 2008, the trail explores the symbolism of light found in different traditions. www.nationalgallery.org.uk October 19, 2008 Festival New Orleans The O2, Greenwich, London The unmistakable sounds, sights, tastes and styles of New Orleans are set to descend on London later this year when, for two days in October, The O2 will become home to Festival New Orleans. Coinciding with the New Orleans Saints' official NFL game against the San Diego Chargers at Wembley, London is preparing for one of the largest ever celebrations of New Orleans music and culture outside of Louisiana and the USA. As well as performances from over 20 bands and musicians direct from New Orleans free undercover two day event will feature Louisiana food demonstrations, the Mardis Gras Indians and a host of authentic New Orleans attractions, including a recreation of the French Quarter's famous Bourbon Street. www.theo2.co.uk October 24, 2008 to October 25, 2008 Paths to Fame: Turner's Watercolours in The Courtauld Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, d London WC2 Eight magnificent watercolours, recently bequeathed by the late Dorothy Scharf, are among a collection of thirty outstanding works by Turner held at The Courtauld Gallery which will be displayed together for the first time. The works range from early studies to magnificent late compositions and give an account of the artist's rise to fame. www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery October 30, 2008 to January 25, 2009 Paths to Fame: Turner's Watercolours in The Courtauld Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, London WC2 Eight magnificent watercolours, recently bequeathed by the late Dorothy Scharf, are among a collection of thirty outstanding works by Turner held at The Courtauld Gallery which will be displayed together for the first time. The works range from early studies to magnificent late compositions and give an account of the artist's rise to fame. www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery October 30, 2008 to January 25, 2009 Carrying the tar barrels Ottery St Mary, Devon Dating back to 1688, men carry flaming barrels of tar, some weighing over 50 pounds, on their shoulders until the weight or heat becomes too much for them and another takes over. This carries on until the barrels break up and burn out. www.otterytourism.org.uk November 05, 2008 Junior League of London's Boutique de Noel Kensington Town Hall, London From 6pm to 10 pm on 11 November, listen to strolling carollers and enjoy complimentary wine and canapes. Experience the VIP room and bid in the silent auction and raffle to win exciting prizes such as designer jewellery and handbags, cooking lessons in Michelin–starred restaurants with celebrity chefs, stays in elegant hotels and vacation homes, return business class tickets to the US, sumptuous food and wines, and hard to get tickets to sporting events. On 12 November from 10am to 4pm the League invites you to browse through over 130 exclusive vendors providing jewellery, children's clothing and gifts, home decor, stationery, men's accessories, cashmere, artwork and much more! Tickets are available at the door or in advance by contacting the Junior League of London on: www.jll.org.uk jrleague@jll.org.uk 020 7499 8159 November 11, 2008 to November 12, 2008 Classic Motor Show NEC, Birmingham 1,000 classic, vintage, veteran and retro cars spread over five halls, trade displays and around 170 car clubs. this year it's all about anniversaries including the Ford Model A which turns 80, and Porsche is 60. www.necclassicmotorshow.com 0870 060 3776 November 14, 2008 to November 16, 2008 Herbie Hancock Royal Festival Hall, London Since the 1960s Hancock has blazed the trail for ground–breaking music – transcending jazz genres. All Hancock concerts carry a sense of anticipation and occasion that signals an artist who invariably produces music at the very highest level, as highlighted by his recent Grammy Award for Album of the Year. www.southbankcentre.co.uk November 15, 2008
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London SE21 Steinberg (1914 – 1999), the American artist whose magic lit up The New Yorker for six decades, is the subject of Dulwich Picture Gallery's latest illustrators exhibition, featuring more than a hundred drawings, collages and sculptural assemblages and the first full scale review of his career. Steinberg is regarded as not only a comic genius but among the greatest draftsmen of the modern era. The exhibition covers the whole range of his work from high art to low comedy, murals to magazines, caricature to cartography. www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk 020 8693 5254 November 26, 2008 to February 15, 2009 Christmas Spectacular Concerts The Musical Museum, 399 High Street, Brentford TW8 Two Christmas Concerts on December 7th at 2.30pm and 13th at 7.30pm, featuring Donald MacKenzie at the Wurlitzer; the Barbershop Quartet 'Swanning Around'; the amazing sounds of the Theremin; and the fantastic capabilities of the Pianola. www.musicalmuseum.co.uk 020 8560 8108 December 07, 2008 and December 13, 2008 Tom Bawcock's Eve Mousehole, Cornwall A festival held in celebration of the efforts of one Tom Bawcock to lift a famine from the village. During this festival Star Gazy pie (a mixed fish, egg and potato pie with protruding fish heads) is eaten. Prbably dervied from a pre–Christian midwinter festival. December 23, 2008 London Philharmonic Orchestra, feat. American pianist Jonathan Biss Royal Festival Hall, London Jonathan Biss peforms Mozart's Piano Concerto 22. Also Strauss Till Eulenspiegel, Ravel Daphnis et Chloé Suite 2 and Stravinsky The Firebird Suite. www.lpo.co.uk January 16, 2009 Riverdance Farewell Tour UK Tour The last chance for UK audiences to see the show rightly described by the Irish Times as 'The Original...The Best'. www.livenation.co.uk. January 26, 2009 to April 25, 2009 Paolo Veronese : The Petrobelli Altarpiece Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD Reconstructing a Renaissance Masterpiece. In the late 18th century this huge altarpiece, one of the largest in Renaissance Italy, was butchered for the art market. Three large sections have survived, at Dulwich, at the National Gallery of Scotland, and the National Gallery of Canada. This display brings these fragments together again for the first time – and includes a newly discovered fourth fragment. www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk 020 8693 5254 February 10, 2009 to May 03, 2009 London Philharmonic Orchestra, feat. Californian pianist Leon Fleisher Royal Festival Hall, London Fleisher performs Rachmaninov The Isle of the Dead, Mozart Piano Concerto 23 K.488 and Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra www.lpo.co.uk February 20, 2009 The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock Nottingham, Djanogly Art Gallery 150 outstanding prints by 74 leading modern American artists, including George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois and Jackson Pollock. www.britishmuseum.org +44 (0)20 7323 8000 February 28, 2009 to April 19, 2009 London Philharmonic Orchestra, feat. American pianist Nicholas Angelich Royal Festival Hall, London Angelich plays Brahms Piano Concerto 2 and Tchaikovsky Symphony 5 www.lpo.co.uk April 01, 2009 The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock Brighton Museum and Art Gallery 150 outstanding prints by 74 leading modern American artists, including George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois and Jackson Pollock. www.britishmuseum.org +44 (0)20 7323 8000 May 02, 2009 to August 31, 2009 Master Drawings from the Art Gallery of Ontario: Boucher, Gainsborough, Matisse, Picasso, Tiepolo, Rembrandt, Van Gogh... Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD Over the last couple of decades, the Art Gallery of Ontario has put together arguably the greatest collection of master drawings in Canada. This glorious group of around 100 of the best works ranges from Renaissance Italy to 18th century France, from English watercolours to masterpieces by Picasso and Matisse, from German Expressionism to Canada's own Group of Seven and David Milne. This lavish feast of drawing features some of the greatest draftsmen who ever lived, including Carracci, Boucher, Gainsborough, Ingres, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Turner, Léger, De Kooning, and Canada's remarkable Emily Carr and David Brown Milne. www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk 020 8693 5254 June 17, 2009 to September 20, 2009 The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock Manchester, Whitworth Art Gallery 150 outstanding prints by 74 leading modern American artists, including George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois and Jackson Pollock. www.britishmuseum.org +44 (0)20 7323 8000 September 19, 2009 to December 13, 2009 Richard Dadd Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD Dadd was the Victorian fairy painter who spent most of his adult life in psychiatric hospitals, having murdered his father in a bout of insanity. He was a master draftsman whose vision was uniquely detailed and quite unlike anyone else's. This exhibition shows that he produced more than just the fairy paintings that made him famous. www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk 020 8693 5254 October 14, 2009 to January 17, 2010 Horrible Histories: The Terrible Tudors & The Vile Victorians UK Tour Terry Deary's entertaining and best–selling books Horrible Histories educate young people about 'history with the horrible bits left in'. Now Birmingham Stage Company has recreated them for live audiences, with actors and 'amazing Bogglevision 3D special effects'. Two separate shows, usually both run on the same days. The UK tour runs until December including a 2 week London season in the fall. www.birminghamstage.net to December 01, 2008 Thanks to the U.S. Embassy, London, for their help in compiling elements of this list. |
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