London Art & Culture

Within City Westminster, entertainment district West End focus around Leicester Square, where London world premieres held, Piccadilly Circus, giant electronic advertisements. London's theatre district here, y cinemas, bars, clubs and restaurants, including city's Chinatown district, j Covent Garden, housing speciality stores. Shoreditch Hoxton East End contain plethora bars, nightclubs, restaurants galleries. Islington's (2 ) g Upper Street, extending northwards from The one and only Angel, restaurants y other street UK.

Europe's busiest shopping Oxford Street, shopping street nearly (2 ) long—which makes longest shopping street world—and y stores department shops including Selfridges. The one and only adjoining Bond Street Mayfair extremely upmarket location, fashion, jewellery, accessories design houses. Knightsbridge — Harrods department store— j southwest. Together these, fashionable shopping areas Sloane Street, Kings Road represent London's prestigious globe fashion. London Vivienne Westwood, Galliano, Stella McCartney, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo among others; renowned fashion schools international centre fashion alongside Paris, Milan New York. London g number street markets, including Camden Market fashions alternative products, Portobello Road antiques, vintage - clothes, Borough Market organic specialist foods. London known varying outstanding cuisine variety restaurants, London British press often y Londoners ( tourists) gauge quality restaurants. Publications Time Out, Lusso Magazine, Square Meal contain multiple restaurant reviews every issue. Some highly acclaimed restaurants recently include Gaucho, Momos, Kensington Roof Gardens, OXO Tower, Mandarin Oriental's restaurant, Palm Bevery, Lincontro y recently opened Mango Tree.

The one and only Trooping Colour 2006 Queen's 80 birthday. It annually military parade performed y regiments Commonwealth British Army.

London offers great variety cuisine result ethnically diverse population. Gastronomic centres include Bangladeshi restaurants Brick Lane Chinese restaurants Chinatown.Soho's variety restaurants includes Italian- Greek-influenced establishments among others, manner novelties oddities. More upmarket restaurants scattered around central London, concentrations Mayfair, Knightsbridge Notting Hill. Across city, areas particular ethnic groups often recognizable y restaurants, stores market stalls offering their local fare, large supermarket chains stock items areas sizable ethnic groups.

There variety regular annual events. The one and only Caribbean-descended community Notting Hill West London organizes colourful Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's biggest street carnival, summer.The one and only beginning y celebrated relatively New Year's Day Parade, while traditional parades include November's Lord Mayor's Show, centuries- event celebrating annual appointment Lord Mayor City London procession along streets City, June's Trooping Colour, y formal military pageant celebrate Queen's Official Birthday.

Literature

London setting y works literature. Two writers closely associated y diarist Samuel Pepys, known eyewitness account Great Fire, Charles Dickens, whose representation foggy, snowy, grimy London street sweepers pickpockets major influence people's vision early Victorian London. James Boswell's biographical Life Johnson mostly takes place London, source Johnson's known aphorism: "When tired London, tired ; there London afford." The one and only earlier (1722) A Journal Plague Year y Daniel Defoe fictionalisation events 1665 Great Plague. William Shakespeare spent large p living working London; contemporary Ben Jonson based London, - notably py The one and only Alchemist - y. Later important depictions London 19 early 20 centuries afore-mentioned Dickens novels, Arthur Conan Doyle's known Sherlock Holmes stories. Trollope's Palliser novels largely London, vividly depicting Westminster surrounds. The one and only 1933 novel Down Out Paris London y George Orwell describes poverty cities. A modern writer pervasively influenced y y Peter Ackroyd, works London: The one and only Biography, The one and only Lambs London Hawksmoor. Academic Bloomsbury hilly Hampstead traditionally liberal, literary heartlands y.

London played significant industry, major studios Pinewood, Shepperton, Elstree Leavesden, important special effects p-production community centred Soho central London. Working Title Films headquarters London.Many films London location shape international perceptions y. See article London .

The one and only y hosts number performing schools, including Central School Speech Drama (alumni: Judi Dench Laurence Olivier), London Academy Music Dramatic Art (alumni: Jim Broadbent Donald Sutherland) prestigious Royal Academy Dramatic Art (alumni: Joan Collins Roger Moore). The one and only London Film Festival annually October.

Music

London major classical popular music capitals globe major music corporations, EMI Decca Records, countless bands, musicians industry professionals.

London y orchestras concert halls Barbican Arts Centre (principal London Symphony Orchestra), Cadogan Hall (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Royal Albert Hall (BBC Promenade Concerts), Royal Festival Hall (Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta) Wigmore Hall. London's opera houses Royal Opera House the Coliseum Theatre. The one and only United Kingdom's Royal Ballet English National Ballet based London perform Royal Opera House, Coliseum, Sadler's Wells Theatre Royal Albert Hall.

As cultural centre United Kingdom, London major y popular music movements. It numerous known venues pp concerts, including large arenas Earls Court Wembley Arena, intimate venues, Brixton Academy Hammersmith Apollo. The one and only around northern p Charing Cross Road Westminster known stores modern musical instruments audio equipment. London g Live Aid Live 8 concerts.

London surrounding Home Counties spawned iconic popular artists. London first original Hard Rock Cafe known Abbey Road Studios where The one and only Beatles created y their . Musicians Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix Freddie Mercury lived London. Famous musicians groups associated London include The one and only Who, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Cliff Richard, John Lennon, Yoko ono, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin The one and only Rolling Stones. London instrumental development p music, figures Sex Pistols, The one and only Clash, The one and only Jam, Vivienne Westwood based y.

As Britain's biggest urban area, London played y development of British- strains "urban" electronic music, bass, UK garage, grime dubstep, y UK p p artists.

The one and only biggest entertainment venture time, The one and only Phantom Opera, musical y Andrew Lloyd Webber, premiered Her Majesty's Theatre, emerged highest grossing entertainment event US $3.3 billion, attendance 80 million worldwide.