The United Kingdom seems to have perfected the concept of the summer arts festival, and its epicenter, London, presents a smashing opportunity to reap the benefits. The City of London Festival offers a wide-ranging amount of free music, exhibits, theatre and other events positioned smack-dab in front of the city’s most revered monuments—an ideal combo for first-time sightseers.
Celebrated each year since 1962, the festival exalts not only the rich heritage of London itself but also welcomes a diverse collection of international exhibits. This year, there are more free outdoor events than ever before. If the Tour de France always seems to bore you, be sure to scope out the infamous Bicycle Ballet in Paternoster Square, where the French high-wire troupe Les Colporteurs perform feats of extreme bike madness—think of it as a more artsy X-Games.
If your tastes err more toward musical entertainment, there’s plenty for your aural pleasure. One mainstay has been the Street Pianos Project, in which 15 old London pianos are positioned throughout the city to give an open floor to untrained novices and virtuosos alike. If you prefer your music with a pedigree of some kind, there’s nightly Jazz in the Garden, as well as a handful of other planned orchestral concerts.
Keep up to date on all the madness at the festival’s well-kept Web site, www.colf.org.
