19 August 2008
The City of London raises the flag to mark the Olympic Games
handover on Sunday
‘Out of the Blocks’
A City celebration of the Olympic Games handover to London
Sunday 24 August, 1pm – 6pm
St Paul’s Cathedral steps & Paternoster Square
The City of London Festival brings together the LSO, Barbican
and Guildhall School of Music & Drama for a grand open-air
celebration of music, dance, circus and street art at St Paul’s
Cathedral and Paternoster Square for the City celebration of the
handover of the Olympic Games on 24 August 2008.
The photo opportunity for this event is as follows:
- 2.25pm Address made by Deputy Joyce Nash on behalf of the City
of London in Paternoster Square
- 2.30pm Two of the best City of London athletes to compete in
the London Youth Games, Dominic McLoughlin and Steve Jones, raise
the Olympic flag high, framed by the dome of St Paul’s
Cathedral
The London Youth Games is the largest youth sporting event in
Europe. Every year over 20,000 of the best young sports people aged
11-19 years from the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London,
compete in over 30 different sports competitions that comprise the
Games. The London Youth Games is a multi sports event known as the
'mini Olympics'.
Dominic McLoughlin is 3 times gold medal winner in swimming and
fought off strong opposition in the Indoor Rowing to obtain an
individual and team gold, beating all other 32 London Boroughs.
Steve Jones recorded the quickest ever individual time in the Lord
Mayor's City Dip at the age of 14 years old, a 5km swim in aid of
the Lord Mayors appeal.
Photo call runs on until approx 2.50pm
Other Out of the Blocks highlights include:
- An Olympic-size swimming pool art installation across
Paternoster Square, led by Merseyside collective Urban Canvas,
measuring 50m X 2.5m – the official size of one swimming pool
lane.
- 2Step, a site-specific dance performance against the
backdrop of St Paul’s Cathedral, featuring specially selected dance
degree students of the Central School of Ballet, Laban and The
Place, choreographed by Shobana Jeyasingh and commissioned by the
Festival.
- New theatrical juggling and circus performance RhythmAsia,
presented by the London Youth Circus and commissioned by the
Festival.
- London Symphony Orchestra Brass on the steps of St
Paul’s.
- Strings, Jazz and Leadership departments of the Guildhall
School of Music & Drama presenting orchestras and bands
throughout the day in Paternoster Square.
- Schools from the Barbican Centre's Adopt-the-Barbican scheme
involved in the AfroReggae UK Partnership, will close the day with
a big junk percussion finale.
Since its inauguration in 1962, the City of London Festival has
provided a regular summer feast of music and the arts within not
only the Square Mile's unique and remarkable collection of
buildings - both ancient and modern - but also its squares, gardens
and other open spaces. The 2008 Festival runs from 20 June to 10
July and offers a wide-ranging and eclectic indoor programme: music
of various kinds, literature, art exhibitions, film screenings,
architecture walks and talks. There will be an even greater variety
of Free Summer Events from 20 June until 24 August, enhancing the
City's outdoors with jazz, world music, street theatre, circus,
dance and art. The conclusion of the Festival’s Free Summer Events
programme will be the handover of the Olympic Games.
The City of London Corporation is one of the most significant
sponsors of the arts in the UK, along with the Government and the
BBC, providing the Barbican Centre and Guildhall School of Music
& Drama, with significant support to the London Symphony
Orchestra and the City Arts Trust, which runs the City of London
Festival.
For further information and the full Festival programme please
visit www.colf.org
Loretta Lui
Press Officer
Public Relations Office
City of London PO Box 270, Guildhall
London EC2P 2EJ
Tel: 020 7332 1528/ 0777 080 3589
Fax:020 7332 1987