London Fun with Covent Garden Punch and Judy Festival

Punch and Judy have been a bit of a mystery to me, but I have to admit that there is something about silly voices and puppets hitting each other that is appealing. So Kiddos and grown-ups alike may enjoy heading down to the Covent Garden Punch and Judy Festival, which is celebrating a special anniversary this year.

Taking place on October 3rd, this free event is marking the 30th anniversary of the Punch and Judy Fellowship, which is the largest and oldest organisation solely focused on keeping those two famous children’s characters alive.

There are plenty of members of this peculiar institution, which counts as its patron legendary comedian Ken Dodd OBE.

If this sounds like your kind of comedy then travel down to Covent Garden Piazza after 11:00 BST on the day to see a variety of performances of the tale until 16:30.

Guests at London hotels may not be aware of the history of Punch and Judy, a topic which they can no doubt investigate at the festival.

It is widely thought that Punch and Judy originates from 15th-century street theatre, but the first mention of it came in a diary entry by Samuel Pepys from 1662, when he noted that it was being performed in Covent Garden - making the show’s location all the more poignant.

Since then, Punch and Judy has become one of the most stereotypical seaside entertainment shows in the UK and has made millions of youngsters laugh.

Once commonplace at every seaside resort throughout the country, Punch & Judy shows have been entertaining audiences for many generations.

For more information on this London event visit the Website of Punch and Judy or contact the venue on +44 (0)20 7395 3765.

London Fashion Week

This... 'stuff'? Oh... ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.-The Devil Wears Prada

Fashion has always been a spectator's sport. From the outside it all seems silly and over the top and no one would ever really do that would they? And then in no time at all everyone is doing it. Well, everyone that care anyway. My own fashion sense leans more toward Hawaiian Shirts and khaki pants with a lot of pockets. But that doesn't mean I don't like looking are people dressed in really interesting clothes.

London Fashion Week was in the news because they were thinking of banning size zero models. They did ban models under sixteen years of age. But those were just the usual side issues, the brave new world of fashion, as always, was center stage.

My favorite bit is Fashion Forward, that spot where clothing meets science fiction and the future is on view for all to see. Christopher Kane, Erdem and Marios Schwab are all being awarded Fashion Forward sponsorship for the first-time. Roksanda Ilincic is a recipient for the second time.

In 2006, Christopher Kane launched his own label with his sister Tammy (collaborator and
business partner) and has gone on to build his label into a major player in the high-fashion
world. The label is a key contributor to trends, demonstrating a contemporary and progressive
vision.

On receiving the sponsorship, Christopher said "I am thrilled to have been awarded Fashion
Forward sponsorship by the British Fashion Council, this is my fifth catwalk show at London
Fashion Week and I am grateful to have their continued support."

The London Fashion Week website has all kinds of interesting info and lots of great images.

London Festival of Architecture 2008

London Festival of Architecture-there is a lot of great architecture in London-so they are spending a full month talking about some of London's greatest buildings. I like all kinds of Festivals and you have to love one that wants everything to be Fresh. Like fresh food, events will include a continuous picnic through Bloomsbury, growing projects across London and demonstrations and exhibitions about urban agriculture at Cheapside Market.

The London Festival of Architecture invites people to Take a Fresh Look at London. The central theme of 'fresh' is reflected in series of events that cover all five Festival Hubs. The LFA Fresh Flower pavilion designed by Tonkin Liu Architects will serve as a mobile platform for Fresh Thinking talks; the National Architecture Student Festival showcases Fresh Talent from a dozen universities; a series of expert design workshops will take a Fresh Approach to some of London's lost quarters; our guided walks and cycle rides encourage people to explore the city in the Fresh Air; and talks about Fresh Food and urban agriculture accompany a series of urban allotment installations and a public picnic.

During the Festival month, the buzz of activity will move across five key areas or 'Hubs' of central London, with large-scale public events taking place in a different Hub each weekend. Each of the Hubs covers an area with a very different character - historic, present and future – and full of different institutions and activities.

All in all it looks like a lot of cool stuff going on. But then it is in London, so it has to be cool, right? The London Festival of Architecture things of interest:

Wallpaper magazine is hosting Hauswork, a series of talks on the 21st-century townhouse.

The French art collective Exyzt is transforming Southwark Lido into conceptual Roman baths.

Scott King, former art director at i-D magazine, is creating an installation on hoardings in SE1.

David Chipperfield is lecturing on the King's Cross masterplan.

Screening the City is a series of films celebrating architecture.