Boris Johnson hails 2012 "once in a lifetime year" for London

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has highlighted the success of its cultural programme staged to celebrate the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Piccadilly Circus 'circus' hosted in London last year
The Piccadilly Circus 'circus' hosted in London last year

The Mayor’s Office invested more than £4.6m in the four-year Cultural Olympiad, and levered a further £5m in partnerships, beginning in 2008 and culminating in a 12-week London 2012 Festival.

Johnson said: "2012 was a once in a lifetime year. With the eyes of the world on our city, we had to put on an exceptional cultural festival which cemented London's place as a capital of culture. The scale and ambition of events across the capital was unprecedented, bringing major UK and international artists to an audience of around six million people."

He added that an increasing number of people experienced outdoor art shows for the first time, rising by 50%, taking place on high streets, parks and waterways, as well as landmark buildings and sites.

The capital’s 32 boroughs and the city of London joined forces to create Showtime, hailed as the biggest and most inclusive festival staged in London, which included 400 artists and almost 1,000 shows.

The Mayor also support or co-commissioned a number of other free events across the capital, with the majority available to the public. This included Elizabeth Streb's high jeopardy performances off the top and sides of London landmarks with a finale on the London Eye.

Other events included Jeremy Deller's inflatable version of Stonehenge, managed by Sacrilege, and the installation of a real-life circus in Piccadilly Circus.

Comment below to let us know what you think.

For more in-depth and print-only features, showcases and interviews with world-leading brands, don't miss the next issue of Event magazine by

Topics

You have

[DAYS_LEFT] Days left

of your free trial

Subscribe now

Get a team licence 

 Give your teams unrestricted access to in-depth editorial analysis, breaking news and premium reports with a bespoke subscription to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10.

Find out more

Market Reports

Get unprecedented new-business intelligence with access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s new Market Reports.

Find out more

Looking for a new job?

Get the latest creative jobs in advertising, media, marketing and digital delivered directly to your inbox each day.

Create an Alert Now