- Workshop on tender opportunities for London 2012, Melton Mowbray
16 March 2010 - London 2012 Business event for Bedford, Bedfordshire
17 March 2010 - Podium Skills London
17 March 2010 - 18 March 2010 - Countdown to the 2012 Games
17 March 2010
UK lined up for exciting London 2012 Open Weekend
23 Jun 2009
More than 350 arts, culture and sports events have already signed up to open their doors to the public in new ways for London 2012 Open Weekend, 24-26 July.
Open Weekend will take place 24-26 July 2009
The weekend will feature a range of innovative and creative events for people to take part in, from learning circus skills to exploring hidden archives.
Some of the many highlights include a Singing Bus in Belfast; Hip Hop Shakespeare at the Southbank Centre in London; a literature festival in Leicester; and a weekend of festival and vaudeville arts in Wales.
Leisure and arts venues across the UK will offer free taster sessions and lessons - from dance to sport.
The first Open Weekend took place last year to launch the Cultural Olympiad. It was a huge success, featuring 650 events and attracting more than 700,000 people around the UK to join in over the course of three days.
The launch today at the National Portrait Gallery in London coincided with International Olympic Day.
London 2012 Open Weekend is supported by BP, Premier Partner of the Cultural Olympiad. It will run every July between now and 2012, marking the countdown to the Opening Ceremony of the Games.
Organisations are still registering to join in this year and figures are expected to match, if not exceed, 2008.
London 2012 Chair Sebastian Coe said: 'We’ve always been clear that London 2012 is about more than just sport, we want to create a Games for the UK and Games that are accessible to everyone.
'We created Open Weekend as part of the Cultural Olympiad, to enable people to share in the countdown celebrations towards London 2012 but also be inspired by the Games to discover new interests and develop their talents.
'Open Weekend is part of our vision for the Games to inspire lasting change. The fantastic range of Open Weekend events provide opportunities for everyone to access excellence across sport, art and culture and try something new. The Games are thriving across the UK and we are grateful to the organisations that have partnered with us to make Open Weekend happen.'
Search the London 2012 Open Weekend listings
Read the full media release - including more highlights for the weekend
