Welcome Back The Former Olympic Park With Open East Festival

By Sponsor Last edited 128 months ago
Welcome Back The Former Olympic Park With Open East Festival

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

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Ida Barr will lead an interr-generational sing-along
Ida Barr will lead an interr-generational sing-along
Real Food Festival. Photo: Oliver King
Real Food Festival. Photo: Oliver King
The Waterboys will be performing. Photo: Paul MacManus
The Waterboys will be performing. Photo: Paul MacManus
Photo: Justin Setterfield
Photo: Justin Setterfield
House of Fairy Tales. Photo: Richard Hubert-Smith.
House of Fairy Tales. Photo: Richard Hubert-Smith.

London 2012, the summer of sport! We supported, we cheered, we surprised ourselves with Olympic spirit.

One year on, Open East Festival celebrates the 2012 Olympics’ anniversary and marks the start of the phased opening of the former Olympic Park to the public. Inspired by the highs of that unforgettable summer, a jam-packed weekend of family-friendly arts, entertainment, fun and food will bring the northern area of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park back into use on 27 and 28 July.

Curated by Barbican and Create London, leading east London artists and organisations such as Theatre Royal Stratford East and LSO Discovery are taking part, as are lots of local bands, performers and community groups.

There will be two live music stages with international acts, including The Waterboys and Malian superstars Amadou and Mariam, plus pop-up performances for you to encounter as you wander the park. A programme of events will encourage discovery of the riverbanks and parklands, there will be new architectural commissions to explore and plenty more surprises, like a colossal iron puppet, taller than a double decker bus. A spectacular finale will close each day - the details of which are being kept under wraps.

The festival also nods to its Olympic ancestry with a number of Games-related performances. The Pandemonium Drummers and BMX rider from the Olympics Opening Ceremony will be back, as will Opening Ceremony choreographer Kenrick ‘H2o’ Sandy and members of the award-winning hip-hop dance company, Boy Blue Entertainment.

Refreshments come courtesy of The Real Food Festival which is bringing 70 stalls of London’s best street food sellers and producers to the Festival. Will you join a communal feast on the bridge over the River Lea or opt for a quiet picnic in the park?

Open East Festival, takes place 27-28 July at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Programmed by the Barbican and Create London, there really is an incredible amount taking place so please see the website for full listings. Tickets cost £9.50 for adults or £6 for children (under 5s go free), plus a £2 booking fee, and can be BOOKED ONLINE.

Last Updated 04 July 2013