Arts festival comes to East Ham

Kay Atwal, Chief Reporter Thursday, August 2, 2012
4:25 PM

Newham residents are in for a treat this weekend when a free London-wide arts festival comes to town.

SHOWTIME is billed as London’s biggest ever celebration of arts and culture which will take place this summer as part of the Mayor of London Presents… A Summer Like No Other and the London 2012 Festival.

It has been organised to help celebrate the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic games, will reach everyone in London, with Newham playing a key role. The festival will be in the capital for seven weeks until September 9 to showcase the very best that national and international artists have to offer.

It will be coming to Central Park, High Street South, East Ham on August 5.

The highlights, from 12-6pm, will include:

*Kazzum presents Brown Paper Packages – Mysterious packages arrive, children are invited to unravel them and create the stories and pop-up visual landscapes for each parcel

*Culture Mix Arts present Raspo-Steel Pan - Hot from WOMAD, Glastonbury and Brazil’s Olinda Carnival this warming blend of calypso, pop and reggae will delight all.

*Baroque Production presents Paul-Henri- Bring the family along to help a magician create amazing origami wizard hats from an ever-unfurling 7km roll of paper.

*Osadia presents Whose Hair Dares - Let art go to your head and get a makeover to remember, thanks to magical hair sculptures. Audience participation a must!

*Bureau of Silly Ideas present The Hole Job - Blood is thicker than tarmac, with high jinks and flying cones from acrobatic road workers in this family show

SHOWTIME is presented by the Mayor, part of the London 2012 Festival and supported by Arts Council England. It will bring the magic of hosting the Games to every corner of the capital, and will feature a mixture of the best street arts, including circus, carnival, theatre, dance, music and opera all presented by a feast of artists from the UK and abroad.

You can see everything from a man that spurts water choreographed to Ravel’s Bolero, or gladiators wrestling four million vaults of electricity, to a hip hop bungee dance show about love.

Over 500 artists applied for the opportunity to be part of this remarkable outdoor festival and this has been narrowed down to 30 of the most fantastic acts. Parks and town centres will become playgrounds for these artists who will present an array of incredible free and accessible outdoor performances for the whole family.

For more details on SHOWTIME, and a full list of what is on offer this summer go to www.molpresents.com or to download the free London Official City Guide go to http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/london-official-city-guide/id536603270?ls=1&mt=8