Government Business | Volume 17.11
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CONFERENCES & EVENTS
St Pancras Station
With more than 1,000 truly unique events venues, an £11billion investment in city-wide projects in the lead up to 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, London offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences that can’t be found anywhere else make for a fantastic addition to any group itinerary on a conference. For example, only in London can you sample dishes from more than 40 top restaurants in one sitting, whilst soaking up the sun in Regent’s Park at the annual Taste of London food festival. And only in London can you sit under the stars to watch a movie in Somerset House’s beautiful outdoor courtyard in the summer and then return in the winter to ice-skate in the shadow of a giant Christmas tree. Somerset House is just one of many temporary ice-rinks that appear across the capital between November and January. Others can be found at the Natural History Museum, The O2 and Canary Wharf. For the ultimate Christmas festival, head to Hyde Park for the annual Winter Wonderland event, complete with ice-rink, fun-fair rides, a German food market and of course, Santa’s grotto.
PARKS AND FASHION During the summer months, London’s Royal Parks are a hive of event activity. Hyde Park is the location for a series of concerts, which kick-off with Hard Rock Calling and include all the latest rock and pop bands performing to 80,000 people spread out across the park. For classical music fans, the series of BBC Proms are an integral part of British culture and take place from July until September at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. London Fashion Week takes place in September, with catwalk shows and parties occurring across the capital to celebrate London’s style. A new addition to the festival calendar is the London Restaurant Festival, which debuted in 2009 and now has more than 250 restaurants offering festival menus, as well as a host of foodrelated bespoke events such as gourmet
Tower of London
Natural History Museum
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