The Olympic Park Reopens This Weekend

Ruth Hargreaves
By Ruth Hargreaves Last edited 119 months ago
The Olympic Park Reopens This Weekend

Londonist is proud to be media partner to the reopening of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

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It was home to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Now, nearly two years on, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park finally reopens fully for the public to enjoy.

Certain parts of the northern section of the park have been open since last summer, but this weekend sees the opening of the more iconic areas that have been off limits since the London Games came to a close. Here are just some of the new activities open to you from Saturday 5 April:

  • The world-class sporting venues that had us glued to our screens are open, including the Aquatics Centre and the Lee Valley VeloPark (we strongly recommend booking your space in advance as things will undoubtedly be very busy during the first weeks of opening).
  • Relax in 560 acres of newly landscaped parkland, with meadows, formal gardens, play lawns, fountains and waterways dotted throughout (nerd fact #1: there are 6.5km of waterways in total).
  • Families are well catered for with plenty of activities such as outdoor climbing walls, sand pits, play areas, giant musical instruments, water jet fountains, carousels and a theatre space.
  • Four new interactive walking trails, covering the London 2012 Games, nature and biodiversity, education (geared towards families and school trips) and a tour of the 25 public art installations.
  • The ArcelorMittal Orbit (nerd fact #2: it’s the UK’s tallest sculpture at 114.5 metres) opens its viewing platform, which offers the best views of the park. Interactive technology allows visitors to make the most of the views that stretch 20 miles across London.
  • Food and drink offerings at the Podium or from a number of kiosks situated along the park’s new promenade, lined with 100 new trees (nerd fact #3: over 4,000 new trees have been planted across the park in total). Picnics also welcome!

The park will continue to develop with guided tours, the opening of Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, and the transformation of the Olympic Stadium still to look forward to. But in the meantime, there’s plenty to take advantage of at London’s newest open space.

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park opens fully from 10am on Saturday 5 April 2014. It is free to visit with no additional charges to enjoy any of the open outdoor areas. Follow the links to find out more about visiting the ArcelorMittal Orbit, Aquatics Centre or Lee Valley VeloPark.

For more information about the park and what it has to offer, visit the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park website. If you liked this, you might be interested in our recent podcast episode, recorded from the top of the ArcelorMittal Orbit. Watch this space for photographs and video from inside the park.

Last Updated 02 April 2014