Homes and Property

Celebrate our city

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) starts on Friday and runs for a month, with more than 600 events around the capital, writes Philippa Stockley
LFA is the biggest event of its kind worldwide and divides the city into five hubs or focuses of activities — from Kensington in the west to Canary Wharf in the east.

The hubs will have localised events at weekends to encourage families to get out and about. There are talks from world-famous architects, 90 architectural walks and lots of ways to learn about your city. Meanwhile, Thames Clippers will offer specially priced services to make getting around more fun.

Highlights include the Bloomsbury Living walk on 5 July, which looks at the fascinating mix of housing in this historic area. Famous institutions such as RADA and the British Library also open their doors on some walks.

The Blueprint Big Breakfasts are a great way to listen to speakers such as Sir John Tusa, Janet Street Porter, Jon Snow and Siobhan Davies (the Mayor’s new director of culture) while having a fabulous breakfast.

The festival launches with the courtyard of Somerset House being turned into a giant sitting room. For the full list of events and to book, visit www.lfa2008.org.

!myhotelarchfestival



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