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There’s nothing quite like London’s West End. It’s iconic, it’s exciting and there’s always something happening. It is particularly well-known for its excellent shopping, buzzing night-life and fascinating museums and galleries, but the most famous feature about this part of the city is the theatre scene. In ‘Theatreland’ there are around 40 stages ready to entertain audiences with musicals, comedies, plays and dance performances and this year has to be one of the most dynamic years yet! With the huge range of shows ready to raise the roof every day and night, there’s something for everyone and you are guaranteed a memorable experience. So let’s get to it, what are this year’s hottest tickets you need to get?

“The eighth story. Nineteen years later.” Yes, we’re going to kick this off with simply THE most anticipated theatre performance of the year and a must for all the Hogwarts-heads out there. Your favourite characters from the wizarding world are back for another adventure as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is ready to take you on a magical journey, years on from the last epic story Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Currently at the Palace Theatre, the show is being previewed before it officially opens on the eve of The Boy Who Lived’s birthday and we just can’t wait to hear more about the show, as it’s all being kept very secret until the big day! The new story follows Harry Potter and his son, Albus, as they both struggle to live a normal wizard life with such a significant family history, after Harry battled and defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort when he was just a teenager. The official synopsis of the play leaves us guessing, as we expect Harry’s dark past to return to haunt his family. The performance will be shown in two parts either to be seen one after the other or on two consecutive nights, so prepare yourself for a hefty dose of magic madness that you will never forget! The cast has been announced and news about the previews is starting to emerge, leaving us gasping to know more but if you cannot wait, tickets are available via the official site. If you followed Harry through his exciting and daring adventure right from the beginning, you won’t want to miss this.

Another fabulous new entry everyone’s talking about is a Disney classic that we all remember and love from the 90s for its lovable characters and colourful story. At the Prince Edward Theatre, be transported into ‘A Whole New World’ with the award-nominated production, Aladdin. The popular tale of lovebirds Aladdin and Princess Jasmine takes a form you’ve never seen before and is set to be an absolute delight; with all of your sing-along songs performed with fantastic costume, setting design and special effects. Aladdin lives a difficult life on the streets scavenging around for scraps of food and Princess Jasmine is desperate to break away from the suffocating high walls of the palace. When the two meet and Aladdin saves Jasmine’s life, they instantly fall in love and of course, there are dangerous consequences ahead of the couple. Also featuring the famous shape-shifting Genie, it could be time to ask him for your three wishes… one of course being tickets to arrive at your doorstep on a magic carpet.

Now it’s time to add a bit of ‘sass’ to this blog and give mention to one of the quirkiest, heart-warming and feel-good shows in the West End. Described as dazzling, uplifting and glamorous, Kinky Boots is yet another new production that’s bringing endless glitter to the stage with bright costumes, excellent choreography and a good laugh. Set in Northampton, the story follows Charlie who takes on the family ‘Price & Son’ shoe factory business that’s unfortunately on the verge of bankruptcy and with a dis-heartened workforce. Charlie meets Lola, a drag queen who helps him to convince his employees that there is a strong need for high-heeled boots worn by drag performers. With the ultimate goal of a fashion show in Milan, Kinky Boots goes on to entertain you as the all-new shoe factory faces up to its dreams and is saved from ruin. The musical is not only bursting with energy, comedy and fun, it also demonstrates the importance of acceptance, solidarity and friendship, offering an all-round feel-good experience and leaving you wanting a pair of high-heeled red boots!

Lastly, we cannot forget the long-time-running performances that are still bringing us joy to this day. Across the West End you’ll see Mamma Mia, Wicked, The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera plus so many more that are guaranteed not to disappoint you and should certainly not be missed! 2016 really is the year of theatre and we cannot wait to see what else is waiting in the wings.

This year we have said probably the happiest ‘Happy Birthday’ we could ever give to our dear Queen Elizabeth who has certainly been celebrating turning 90 in style! A very special event was held in Windsor during May where over 1,500 participants and 900 horses created a delightful 90 minute extravaganza for our lady. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s even more fun to be had this month too. On June 10th, there’s going to be a Service of Thanksgiving held at St. Paul’s Cathedral and June 11th will be the date of the annual official celebration of the Queen’s birthday, Trooping the Colour. We can only ever dream of having a birthday party as long as the Queen’s, but it’s safe to say she most definitely deserves it! Serving the United Kingdom for a record-breaking 63 years, we look back at the astonishing history of Her Majesty in celebration of her story.

Queen Elizabeth was born in London to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in April 1926. She was privately educated at home with her sister Princess Margaret, taking lessons in history, literature, music and language; even learning French from native speakers. Elizabeth in her younger years developed a love for dogs and horses, alongside a particular flair in attitude for responsibility and authority, which was interestingly observed by Winston Churchill. She was a characterful and jolly, but also a very well-behaved and sensible infant. Elizabeth’s birth and childhood drew much public interest at the time, but as her uncle the Prince of Wales was still young in reign after being crowned in the 1930s and with her father next in line, it seemed unlikely that she would ever become Queen. How wrong they were!

In 1939, Britain entered World War II and at a young age, Elizabeth began to take responsibility of public duties, serving the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. She trained here as a driver, mechanic and was later promoted up to honorary junior commander in 1945. It looks like she definitely wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty! In 1946, it was suggested by Welsh politicians that Elizabeth was made Princess of Wales for her 18th birthday, but this was rejected by the King, saying that such a title belonged to the wife of the Prince of Wales (Charles). This wasn’t important for our Lizzie because not too long after the end of the war in 1947 at age 21, she married the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip and had four children: Anne, Andrew, Charles and Edward. Did you know that Elizabeth and Philip are third cousins through Queen Victoria and the pair met when Elizabeth was only 13 years old? There were some controversies when the engagement was announced, but the wedding at Westminster Abbey was a much-celebrated event with the couple receiving 2500 gifts from around the world!

After the decline in health and death of her father George VI in 1952, Elizabeth became immediate accession to the throne and was crowned on June 2nd 1953. The Queen has incredibly celebrated all of the coronation milestones including her Silver Jubilee in 1977, Golden Jubilee in 2002 and Diamond Jubilee in 2012, alongside all of the births and marriages of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. However, Her Majesty has also endured much sadness at times such as the death of her father, mother and sister, the assassination of Prince Philip’s uncle and the loss of her son’s wife Princess Diana in 1997. Nonetheless, her support for the Monarchy remains strong and recently in 2015, she became the longest reigning British Monarch after surpassing her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria. Now at 90, the Queen carries out much fewer public engagements than before, with the responsibility now on the heir to the throne, Prince Charles and her other relatives. She’s a very private lady who has never given a press interview, but what we do know is that she enjoys living a family life, wearing bright colours with a matching hat and absolutely loves her Pembroke Welsh Corgis! Happy Birthday once again to Her Royal Highness and we hope she’ll finally get to put her feet up soon after all these parties.

Unbelievable isn’t it, that we’re almost half way through the year! Everyone’s favourite season is fast approaching and after our little taster of warm weather last weekend, we’re all gasping for some more sunshine. Whilst we wait, now’s the time to plan how you’re going to make the most of Spring in London (not to mention also the bank holidays and half term) and explore the great outdoors. So, what’s the capital got to offer this month?

We’re going to start off with the event that we’re huge fans of and here’s a clue: it’s going to be 50 shades of green! The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is back for another showstopping year from the 24th-25th May when the Royal Chelsea Hospital will be bursting with flower-power. Show times start from 8am, so what better way to brighten up your Spring morning than inhaling the fresh scent of exotic flowers as you weave in between all of the fascinating exhibits. Step through the iconic poppies tribute at the entrance of the show, before gazing upon some of the most cutting-edge garden designs and beautiful plant displays, including the fabulous floral arch created in celebration of our dear Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday. You might even be drawn into the new acoustic garden that will play delicate musical notes as you wander through, or even The British Eccentrics Garden where unusual garden gadgets come to life! It’s guaranteed to be an exciting year for the famously floral show, so make sure you have your place booked and let the flowers do the rest.

May is full of fun fetes, theatre shows and food festivals for you to choose from, many of them are totally free to attend which is a great added bonus. We all like to go out for dinner, it’s almost like a hobby for many of us. It’s safe to say finding a place to eat in the city with guaranteed good food and a different experience is pretty easy. But, this month Dalston Yard will soon be ready to host another year of Street Feast; the vibrant and mouthwatering scene to be if you’re a keen gastronomist (or just love the street stall vibe). Number 1 highlight on Time Out’s events this month, the night market is bringing back some of the favourites from previous events, such as Hawaiian sushi, tasty beef from Stakehaus and fiery Jerk chicken alongside lively pop-up bars to wash down the delicious cuisine. It’s a food market with a buzzing atmosphere, so why not add a twist to your weekend with some friends or chill out after work on a warm evening.

You may or may not know that May 23rd-29th is National Wine Week, which is probably the most genius excuse for a post-long-day drink of vino, so we’d first like to say thank you to the founder of this national celebration, we’ll have a glass for you. From the London Wine website, you’re able to purchase a wristband for £10 that will get you some fantastic drinks deals and discounts across 100 venues in town. Of course it’s impossible to reach all of these participating venues unless you bravely embark on a seven day barcrawl, which is about 17 bars a day…not a great idea. So some good recommendations include the atmospheric Mermaid Bar in South Kensington, the classic Pennethorne’s Wine and Cocktail Bar in covent Garden and the contemporary Iberica in Marylebone. See the site for all 100!

The very British Urban Village Fete in Greenwich and the cycling festival, Spin, at Brick Lane are amongst the hottest events this May, but there’s one last thing we can’t go without mentioning. Scattered around London are summer-dedicated pop-ups that are definitely worth the rain and this month, three very special open-air theatre productions are taking place at some surprisingly famous venues. At Shakespeare’s Globe in Southbank, a recreation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is going to be raising its outdoor curtain on May 15th, so Shakespeare fans be sure to bring your blankets and watch the comedic story unfold in the cool refrehsing air. The same venue will also be staging another one of Shakespeare’s creations, The Taming of the Shrew. Over in Regent’s Park, an adaption of the elephant adventure ‘Running Wild’ written by Michael Morpurgo is set to inspire its audience from the 13th May with the beautful family story about a boy and his elephant. With bank holiday and half term coming up, spend some quality time with your loved ones and enjoy the capital, there’s simply no excuse to be on the sofa!

[Read more…] about London in bloom | Events and activities this Spring