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Darling Diary – summer arts and culture
HAMPTON COURT PALACE FESTIVAL 13 - 24 August
For the 25th year running this year’s Hampton Court Festival will have an unmissable lineup of legendary names including Van Morrison, Bastille Reorchestrated, Keane, Tom Jones and Björn Again. Traditionally held in June, this year’s festival has been rescheduled following the government’s roadmap announcements. The concerts are held in Base Court, one of the magnifi cent Tudor courtyards within the palace. This is not your regular festival. You can leave your wellies at home and instead picnic in the Palace gardens ahead of the concerts. There is no need to pack your own either as there are plenty of Pimm’s tents, bars and delicious food stands to cater for everyone’s taste. The festival will open on Friday 13 August with Van Morrison, whole hits include Brown Eyed Girl to Moondance. hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com
WIMBLEDON BOOKFEST “SUNRISE” FESTIVAL 9 - 13 June
The “Sunrise’ is the fi rst of this year’s two 5-day festivals on Wimbledon Common. It will be followed by “Sunset” from 15 to 19 September. Wimbledon BookFest is London’s leading communitybased literary festival and one of the fi rst to return to live in-person events. The festivals will be hosted in BookFest’s reduced-capacity, roof-only marquee with socially distanced allocated seating. Additional safety procedures will also be in place, such as an advance booking-only policy to enable track and trace.
What to expect at this summer’s “Sunrise”
Forty talks, readings, discussions and workshops spanning fi ction, poetry, politics, nature, art, fashion, music, lifestyle and spirituality, including events for young people and schools. The diverse programme features a range of writers, artists and thinkers. There will be plenty of well-known names and also some important new voices and also local talent: Caitlin Moran, Alastair Campbell, James O’Brien, Ray Mears, Anya Hindmarch, Robert Webb, Harriet Hastings and The Breakup Monologues with Rose Wilby and Shappi Khorsandi, are just some of the celebrity favourites to look out for. wimbledonbookfest.org
Read Arran Denning’s exclusive interview with fashion activist Orsola De Castro online at darlingmagazine.co.uk activist Orsola De Castro online at darlingmagazine.co.uk
THE ART OF BANKSY IN COVENT GARDEN 21 May - 21 November
50 Earlham St, London is exhibiting one of the world’s largest collection of privately-owned Banksy art. The exhibition has been seen before in Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Canada and Sweden and has arrived for a West End exhibition. It’s housed in the cavernous, 12,000 square foot warehouse, formerly the iconic Belgian restaurant Belgo in the heart of Covent Garden. This is a brilliant opportunity to get up close to the iconic work of this subversive, mysterious and brilliant artist who’s identity is still a mystery. Banksy is considered as one of the world’s most political artists and makes it to the world’s 100 most infl uential people list. This may be your only chance to see all these original Banksy artworks in one location as most pieces will return to private collections afterwards. You will
see world famous works of art including ‘Girl with Balloon’, ‘Flower Thrower’ and ‘Rude Copper’. Works showcased have been authenticated, with much work dating from the period 1997-2008, Banksy’s ‘golden age’. Banksy is infamous for his outdoor art, but this amazing exhibition also offers the chance to see his indoor pieces too. artofbanksy.co.uk
WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS 2021 28 June - 11 July
The Championships will return this summer and exact ticket capacity is expected to be announced mid-June when all tickets will be made available via online sales.
wimbledon.com
NEW WIMBLEDON THEATRE Reopens 1 August
ROSE THEATRE IN KINGSTON Reopens 27 June
Rose Theatre have a great summer ahead with a programme including the latest Live at the Rose comedy night, Copenhagen Winner of the Tony Award for Best New Play. This Michael Frayn’s multiaward winning masterwork is a dazzling exploration of two brilliant minds and their motives in Nazi occupied Copenhagen in 1941. The War of the Worlds. originally an Orson Welles radio drama, now brilliantly adapted for 2021 and the era of the Internet. Zog the classic children’s musical based on Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffl er’s book. And Educating Rita, a hilarious and heart-warming comedy that won the Olivier Award when it was produced in London’s West End by the RSC and was adapted into the award- winning fi lm starring Julie Walters and Michael Caine. All shows are being sold on a socially distanced capacity, but updates on Step 4 of the Government’s roadmap will hopefully allow a full capacity again. Artistic Director Christopher Haydon’s fi rst season will be announced soon for autumn 2021. Hotel Paradiso on 9 to 11 July is part of International Youth Arts Festival 2021. Spectacular circus skills blend seamlessly with physical comedy and theatrical storytelling in this colourful, loud and hilarious show from renowned international company Lost in Translation. rosetheatre.org
AS YOU LIKE IT WITH GUILDFORD SHAKESPEARE COMPANY 19 - 31 July
The 15th open air season in this former chalk quarry in the middle of Guildford continues this July. As you Like It is Shakespeare’s gloriously sunny comedy: a celebration of human nature’s desire to forgive and forget, to love and to laugh. Perfect for this summer.
guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/as-you-like-it/
VAN GOGH ALIVE AT KENSINGTON GARDENS 4 June - 26 September
This highly successful exhibition has travelled to 65 cities across the globe already and has fi nally made it to London. You can dive into Van Gogh’s legendary world and view his work like never before. Combining incredibly detailed projections of his most remarkable paintings with digital surround sound and smells, the exhibition takes you straight to Provence in the south of France. Over 3,000 images projected in the 25,000 sq ft (2,323 sq m) purpose-built venue, you can expect a breathtaking multi-sensory experience. Top tip: make sure to have your pic taken at the Sunfl ower Selfi e Room, a 360°, mirrored space fi lled with hundreds of sunfl owers.
