Three days of Guy Fawkes celebrations across London kicked off on Thursday night with dozens of fireworks displays in London parks to commemorate the infamous failed gunpowder plot to destroy the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I in 1605.
The events in London promise the best pyrotechnics and are expected to draw in large crowds particularly as many of them are free. Last night thousands flocked to south London venues where many of the top displays were taking place.
There were fireworks and bonfires at Brockwell Park, Clapham Common, Streatham Common, Wimbledon Park, Crystal Palace Park and Southwark Park. There was also displays at Roundwood Park, Brent and Syon Park, Brentford — where the Gunpowder Plot was re-enacted.
Firework displays will also be held on Friday and on Saturday when crowds will gather at some of the country’s biggest fireworks shows. Fireworks at Alexandra Palace will be coupled with England’s largest German beer festival and a funfair, and this year’s display at Battersea Park will be set to music with the theme of love.
Not sure where to begin with your Christmas shopping? Well put a date in your diary! On Thursday, 19th November there will be a Christmas Extravaganza on Old Bond Street and New Bond Street in London’s West End from 5pm to 8pm.
In the Mayfair based Snowy Winter Wonderland, not only will all the high-end shops be open – but there will be celebrities switching on the Bond Street Christmas lights, reindeer, Father Christmas, carol singers and much more besides.
The nearest tube stations to Bond Street (both new and old) are Green Park, Oxford Circus and Bond Street.
A new £5m diagonal crossing for pedestrians has been opened at Oxford Circus, Central London – one of the busiest parts of London – in a bid to improve the world famous West End shopping area for the estimated 43,000 shoppers who negotiate the area each hour during peak times.
Based on x-crossings in Tokyo, the new design stops cars, taxis and buses in all directions, allowing shoppers to cross the junction diagonally. The junction – between Oxford Street and Regent Street – will now be able to handle double the number of pedestrians and ease overcrowding at the busy intersection, easing access to Oxford Circus tube station for the estimated 230,000 passengers who use the station each day when visiting the West End to enjoy the capital’s shops and nightlife.
London Mayor Boris Johnson unveiled the crossing by striking a two-metre high cymbal in homage to its Far Eastern inspiration, as Japanese musicians played taiko drums.
A giant X, in the form of 60m (196ft) of red ribbon was also unfurled by devotees of cult Japanese Manga characters dressed in colourful costumes on the day of the unveiling on Monday.
Peter Andre let his hair down on Tuesday night enjoying the famous London nightlife when he went for dinner at a London restaurant, with pals Chantelle Houghton and pregnant Nicola McLean, before visiting the Funky Buddha Club in Mayfair.
Former Celebrity Big Brother winner, model and Paris Hilton lookalike Chantelle particularly seemed to be enjoying herself and was captured by a London photographer laughing loudly at recently single Peter Andre’s jokes – what a mysterious girl?!
Coleen Rooney, wife of Premiership and England footballer Wayne Rooney, gave birth to a baby boy who was named Kai Wayne Rooney at 2:30pm on Wednesday.
The part-time television presenter and WAG’s son was born in Liverpool – the English city where she grew up – at an NHS hospital.
A spokesperson for the celebrity gossipmagazine headline grabbing couple said: “Mother and baby are both absolutely fine. Wayne and Coleen are thrilled with the wonderful addition to their family life.”
It has been widely reported in the London papers that Wayne Rooney plans to have his son Kai’s name tattooed on him – a trend amongst celebrities.
Bookies have already offered odds on whether Kai will follow in his father’s footsteps and make the Championship League but so far the best offer is 66-1. No doubt odds would be shorter if it was a question of playing the London club scene like Calum Best the son of a fellow Manchester United legend!
Last night, Regent Street and Oxford Street were shut off to traffic and thronged with people for the annual Christmas lights switching on ceremony.
This year, the two popular London shopping streets have decorations inspired by the new Disney film version of ‘A Christmas Carol’.
The Regent Street lights went on first, lit by actor Colin Firth from the main stage at the junction of New Burlington Street and Regent Street and accompanied by a pyrotechnic display. Meanwhile, Jim Carrey did the honours for the Oxford Street illuminations. Bob Hoskins also got in on the act by lighting the the City of London Christmas lights.
Claudia Schiffer Appears in Works Featured at an Art Exhibition in Mayfair
The photos were taken for luxury lifestyle magazine Harpers Bazarre. Artists with pieces featured at the event in London include the Chapman Brothers, Gillian Wearing and Marc Quinn.
To celebrate Youth Music’s 10th Birthday this November, an exhibition named ‘Destroy Rankin’ will feature 70 of the world’s greatest musicians and visual artists, as part of a groundbreaking body of collaborative artwork based on Rankin’s iconic portraits of musicians.
As part of National Youth Music Week 2009, Youth Music will take over Phillips De Pury London – based near Victoria – for a festival of art and live music featuring performances from Destroy artists.
Original works by celebrities Damien Hirst, Douglas Gordon, Debbie Harry, Michael Stipe, U2, Mat Collishaw, Marianne Faithfull and many others will be auctioned to support the UK’s biggest music charity for young people.
The Exhibition will be open from Monday 9th to Saturday 21st November 2009 at Phillips de Pury, 9 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1BB
Celebrity gossips have whispered that Chelsea and England footballer Frank Lampard is smitten with 2008’s Strictly Come Dancing contestant and TV Presenter Christine Bleakley after flirting with her in at Amika nightclub in Kensington, London, last Saturday.
Frank and Christine arrived with a group of people from Strictly Come Dancing including Zoe Lucker and Joe Calzaghe and the dancers Aliona Vilani and Nicole Cutler. They all sat together at a table in the VIP area with Frank next to Christine.
Frank reportedly bought at least three bottles of fine Champagne – possibly Cristal or Dom Perignon – from the bar for the group even though he hardly drank himself.
The couple stayed for a lock-in until 4.30am, but it’s not known if they left in a limousine, London taxi or Mr Lampard’s motor together or if the England midfielder scored. Bleakley, 29, was reportedly first wooed by the Premiership footballer in September at the Pride Of Britain awards.
A Playboy fraudster who spent a night splurging £140,000 on Champagne at top London night clubAmika in Kensington has been jailed for scamming credit card companies out of £1.6m in the pursuit of a luxury lifestyle.
Eamon Zada ran a credit card cloning factory from his Notting Hill flat, obtaining the kind of money required for a life like a millionaire celebrity. When police carried out a search they found a highly sophisticated device which intercepts credit card details from phones.
