As the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad, in which 18 million people participated in cultural projects in the lead up to 2012, the London 2012 Festival ran from 21 June – 9 September and offered an opportunity for people across the UK to participate in events programmed to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This UK-wide celebration brought together more than 25,000 artists from across the world and the very best of the UK to deliver an unforgettable summer of culture as part of the Olympic and Paralympic experience. From landmark countdown events to the 12 full weeks of the Festival, millions of people from all over the UK enjoyed over 12,000 events and performances from Shetland to Cornwall, from theatres to outdoor pop concerts to pop up comedy on rooftops, bringing the spirit of the Games closer to everyone.
The explosion of arts and creativity during the Games drew more than 19.5 million attendances at Festival events, with 16.5 million participating in free events, including 2.9 million who joined in with Martin Creed’s All the Bells on the opening day of the Olympic Games, and 3 million attendances at paid events. Highlights of the programme includes performances and exhibitions as part of the World Shakespeare Festival, collections of works by Lucian Freud, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and David Hockney, pop-up events such as Surprises: Streb and Piccadilly Circus Circus, which turned central London into a circus for a day, and Unlimited – the largest ever commission of art by disabled and deaf artists during the Paralympic Games.
By passing the cultural baton to Derry-Londonderry, the UK city of Culture 2013, Glasgow 2014 and Rio 2016, the spirit of the London 2012 Festival cultural programme will continue well into 2013 and beyond.
