With just 12 weeks until 2012, London & Partners, the official promotional company for London has suggested 12 great things to do in the capital before this momentous year begins. With many experiences only available until the end of the year – there has never been a better time to visit London.
For more ideas about what’s on in London over the next few months, go towww.visitlondon.com/limited-edition-london
Week 1
Discover your inner child and delve into the captivating world of witches, wizards, fairies, elves, dragons, magicians and illusionists at the V&A Museum of Childhood’s new exhibition Magic Worlds.
Week 2
Watch Roald Dahl’s much-loved classic Matilda come alive in this brand new musical from 18 October at the Cambridge Theatre.
Week 3
Keep the kids out of trouble during half term and join storyteller-in-residence Seema Anand for an alternative tour of the National Maritime Museum. She will take you and your family diving beneath the surface of the gallery and get you talking about the unexpected things you might find there on 24, 26 & 28 October.
Week 4
Visit The British Museum from the 6 October – 8 January and see Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman with an eclectic selection of objects from right across world cultures, from Polynesian fetishes to Buddhist votive offerings as well as Perry’s own artwork especially for the exhibition.
Week 5
Take in the largest collection of works by the great master Leonardo Da Vinci, at one of the most exciting exhibitions this year. Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is at the National Gallery from 9 November.
Week 6
On 12 November, enjoy vibrant samba dancing, military marching bands and a host of entertainment as the legendary Lord Mayor’s Show winds its way through the heart of London. The finale will be a spectacular fireworks display on the Thames between Blackfriars Bridge and Waterloo Bridge.
Week 7
From 16 November, head along the river to the Design Museum to see Terence Conran: The Way We Live Now. Coinciding with Sir Terence Conran’s 80th birthday, this major exhibition celebrates his contribution to, and influence on, the world of design.
Week 8
Indulge in a Thanksgiving Feast at JW Steakhouse on 24 November. Guests can choose from a delicious 3 course menu including clam chowder, lump crab cakes, traditional turkey with all the trimmings, Loch Duart salmon, sweet potato mash and JW creamed spinach. Desserts include triple chocolate cake, pumpkin pie or Bettie’s bread pudding. Yum!
Week 9
‘Have a Bubble’ at the Museum of London Docklands on 24 November with some of the brightest new comics this side of the Bow Bells with Mock the Week’s Miles Jupp, Paul Sweeney, Jim Campbell and Suzi Ruffell.
Week 10
Get into the festive spirit with a mulled wine and mince pie experience on the EDF Energy London Eye. Individual Mulled Wine Experiences are also on offer, as well as the Mulled Wine and Mince Pies Private Capsule and Champagne tasting.
Week 11
On 10 & 11 December the world’s largest traffic-free shopping event returns to London’s West End for a Christmas celebration and shopping extravaganza. Oxford Street and Regent Street will be closed to traffic across the weekend to celebrate the American Express Shop West End VIP (Very Important Pedestrians) Weekend.
Week 12
Find your inner scrooge … at the Museum of London from 9 December 2011. This fascinating exhibit named, A Tale of One Man and his City is largest exhibition marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. It will reveal that Dickens was the first great novelist of the modern city and the age of mass culture. Original and rarely seen manuscripts of his most famous novels, including Bleak House and David Copperfield, will be on show.
