London Art & Culture

Within Cy Westminster, entertainment district W E focus around Leicester Square, where London world premieres held, Piccadilly Circus, giant electronic advertisements. London's theatre district here, y cinemas, bars, clubs restaurants, including city's Chinatown district, j Covent Garden, housing speciality shops. Shoreditch Hoxton E E contain plethora bars, nightclubs, restaurants galleries. Islington's (2 ) g Upper Street, extending northwards T 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 shops department stores including Selfridges. T adjoining B Street Mayfair extremely upmarket location, fashion, jewellery, accessories design houses. Knightsbridge — Harrods department store— j southwest. Together these, fashionable shopping areas Sloane Street, Kings R represent London's prestigious world fashion. London Vivienne Westwood, Galliano, Stella McCartney, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy C among others; renowned fashion schools international centre fashion alongside Paris, Milan N Y. London g number street markets, including Camden Market fashions alternative products, Portobello R 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 T O, Lusso Magazine, Square M contain multiple restaurant reviews issue. S highly acclaimed restaurants recently include Gaucho, Momos, Kensington R Gardens, OXO Tower, Mandarin Oriental's restaurant, P Beach, Lincontro y recently opened Mango T.

T Trooping Colour 2006 Queen's 80 birthday. I every y military parade performed y regiments Commonwealth British Ay.

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

There variety regular annual events. T Caribbean-descended community Notting H W London organizes colourful Notting H Carnival, Europe's biggest street carnival, every summer.T beginning y celebrated relatively N Year's Dy Parade, while traditional parades include November's L Mayor's Show, centuries- event celebrating annual appointment L Mayor Cy London procession along streets City, June's Trooping Colour, y formal military pageant celebrate Queen's Official Birthday.

Literature

London setting y works literature. T writers closely associated y diarist Samuel Pepys, famous 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 L Johnson mostly takes place London, source Johnson's famous aphorism: "When tired London, tired ; there London afford." T earlier (1722) A Journal Plague Y y Daniel Defoe fictionalisation events 1665 Great Plague. William Shakespeare spent large p living working London; contemporary B Jonson based London, - notably py T Alchemist - y. Later important depictions London 19 early 20 centuries afore-mentioned Dickens novels, Arthur Conan Doyle's famous Sherlock Holmes stories. Trollope's Palliser ls largely London, vividly depicting Westminster surrounds. T 1933 novel D O Paris London y George Orwell describes poverty cities. A modern writer pervasively influenced y y Peter Ackroyd, works London: T Biography, T 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 S central London. Working Title Films headquarters London.My films London location shape international perceptions y. S article London .

T y hosts number performing schools, including Central School Speech Drama (alumni: J Dench Laurence Olivier), London Academy Music Dramatic A (alumni: J Broadbent Donald Sutherland) prestigious Royal Academy Dramatic A (alumni: J Collins Roger Moore). T London F Festival y October.

Music

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

London y orchestras concert halls Barbican A Centre (principal London Symphony Orchestra), Cadogan H (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Royal Albert H (BBC Promenade Concerts), Royal Festival H (Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta) Wigmore H. London's opera houses Royal Opera House Coliseum Theatre. T United Kingdom's Royal Ballet English National Ballet based London perform Royal Opera House, Coliseum, Sadler's Wells Theatre Royal Albert H.

A cultural centre United Kingdom, London major y popular music movements. I numerous famous venues pp concerts, including large arenas Earls Court Wembley Arena, intimate venues, Brixton Academy Hammersmith Apollo. T around northern p Charing Cross R Westminster famous shops modern musical instruments audio equipment. London g L A L 8 concerts.

London surrounding H Counties spawned iconic popular artists. London first original H R C famous Abbey R Studios where T Beatles created y their . Musicians B Marley, J Hendrix Freddie Mercury lived London. Famous musicians groups associated London include T W, Fleetwood M, I Maiden, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Cliff Richard, J Lennon, Y O, P McCartney, P Floyd, L Zeppelin T Rolling Stones. London instrumental development p music, figures Sx Pistols, T Clash, T J, Vivienne Westwood based y.

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

T largest entertainment venture time, T Phantom Opera, musical y Andrew Lloyd Webber, premiered H Majesty's Theatre, emerged highest grossing entertainment event US $3.3 billion, attendance 80 million worldwide.