London also anticipates the 'Partying Olympics' in 2012

August 6, 2010

As well as welcoming an onslaught of athletes in 2012, London is gearing up for a host of parties, concerts, events and spectacles across the city, which could include light shows at London landmarks and performances on the Thames.

The venues will range from the large scale – 60,000 will be able to fit into Hyde Park's specially constructed stage – to the intimate and unconventional. Some of the biggest stars in the world are expected to be performing during the Olympic extravaganza, including Mick Jagger and Robbie Williams, with rumours also circulating that Led Zepplin will also reform just for the occasion.

Inspiration is being drawn from the partying successes at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. There are plans for “experiential”, interactive entertainment, similar to the Canadian city's environmental pavilion which drew 2,000 visitors an hour and included a Wii game where punters played a polar bear looking for an ice floe.

London Mayor, Boris Johnson, is also working with local authorities to relax restrictions on street parties. If successful he will supply cash to “animate” each London borough, meaning anything from lamp-post banners to an opening ceremony party in Bromley Park, according to the Mayor's director of marketing, Dan Ritterband.