What’s on during the London 2012 Olympic Games

Monday, 2 July 2012 1:28 PM

The cycling road race is a free Olympic event

July is finally here and the London 2012 Olympic Games is now a mere three weeks away. But, if you’ve missed out on tickets to the sporting events, fear not as there are plenty of fun events and activities happening around the capital this month, ensuring that you won’t miss out on any of the action!

London 2012 Festival fun
This ‘once in a lifetime’ cultural festival, which coincides with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, features more than 25,000 artists from all 204 competing Olympic nations. Everyone will be able to join in the celebration with over 10 million free tickets and opportunities to take part in 12,000 events and performances at 900 venues all over the UK, including 130 world premieres and 85 UK premieres.

Whether you’re a dance, music, theatre of fashion fan, there’ll be an event for you. Highlights include: the 2012 Big Dance in Trafalgar Square; the London Shakespeare Festival; concerts along the River Thames as part of the River of Music Festival and the the Yoko Ono exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery, to name but a few!

For more details visit www.london2012.com/festival.

(photo: Cadbury House)

Chocolate-themed fun at Cadbury House
British chocolate giant Cadbury will be holding a special, interactive event throughout the 17 days of the London 2012 Olympic Games in Hyde Park. Ideal for families, Cadbury House will be inviting visitors to feast on Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate in a dedicated tasting zone, before continuing into the Chocolatrium to take part in five Cadbury experiences for Twirl, Crème Egg, Wispa, Freddo and Cadbury Dairy Milk. You can even go head to head with swimmer Rebecca Adlington in a virtual race and win yourself a chocolate medal!

Cadbury House will be open from July 27th to August 12th. Entry is free.

Cheer on Team GB at the free sporting events
Didn’t get a ticket to any of the sporting events? Fear not! You can still witness history being made at one of the free events, such as Road Cycling, the Men and Women’s Triathlon and the Olympic Marathon.

With Mark Cavendish in the Road Cycling, July 28th promises to be an exciting day for those without tickets. See how he gets on from 4.15pm!

The Olympic Marathon on Sunday August 5th will also be a ‘must-see’ for those without tickets. Starting and finishing on The Mall, the 26-mile Olympic Marathon course will be accessible to the general public and will follow the route annual Virgin London Marathon, taking in the broad, spectator-friendly boulevards of the Embankment.

Head to Hyde Park on Saturday August 4th for the women’s Triathlon as well as Tuesday August 7th to see Team GB’s Alistair Brownlee in action in the men’s Triathlon – both being one of London 2012 Olympics’ most high-profile events.

For more information visit the London 2012 Olympic Games website.

The Olympic Village in CGI (photo: London 2012)

Join an Olympic walking tour
Daily Olympic walking tours are taking place throughout the Games to enable people to soak up the atmosphere of the world’s greatest sporting event. Blue Badge Tourist Guides will be educating visitors on the background to the bid, Stratford’s regeneration and the build-up to the Games. During the walk, participants will be treated to sweeping views of the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre, the Orbit and the Olympic and Paralympic Village.

The daily Olympic Walk leaves from Bromley-By-Bow tube station at 11am and 2pm. Tickets are £9. Booking is essential.

Take to the ice at London’s biggest Russian Festival
See Russia’s ice skating champions in action at Russia.Sochi.Park festival, held at Kensington Gardens – a bid to showcase the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Split into two areas, Russia.Park will be a summer festival-style fun park with live Russian music and open-air galleries, while Sochi.Park will be a winter wonderland with an ice arena and a range of interactive digital experiences to enjoy.

Russia.Park will operate from 10am – 7.30pm from July 27th – August 12th. Sochi.Park will operate from 10am – 9.30pm from July 26th – August 12th. Tickets available via Ticketmaster.

Watch the Games live on big screens
One of the best ways to soak up the atmosphere is to witness unforgettable moments from the London 2012 Olympic Games on big screens at the London 2012 Live Sites in 22 towns and cities across the UK. You’ll find London 2012 Live Sites in the capital at Hyde Park, Potters Fields, Victoria Park, Waltham Forest and Woolwich.