London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Hosts Arts Festival and Upcoming Sporting Events

This weekend, which marks the first anniversary of the 2012 Olympic Games, the sporting venues—now renamed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park—will host the Open East arts festival. Visitors can expect plenty of music, art, theatre and food inspired by East London. Highlights include:

  • Sacrilege, the life-sized inflatable bouncy castle replica of Stonehenge by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller
  • Performances and workshops from Theatre Royal Stratford East, Boy Blue Entertainment and Ida Barr
  • A Real Food Festival
  • A mini travelling art circus from the House of Fairy Tales, featuring theatre, magic, music and games
  • An Art Car Boot Fair where East London artists will be signing their work
  • Caught By The River, who will be sharing their passion for literature, angling, music and beer as they host celebrated authors and musicians
  • An Eco Design Fair showcasing the best up-cycled, vintage and contemporary design in London
  • Family storytelling, art and craft workshops from the Discover Children's Story Centre
  • Picnics along the riverbank

Can't make it to this weekend's festivities? No worries. Other upcoming events (courtesy of VisitLondon) include the Prudential RideLondon, a cycling festival with family-friendly bike ride around central London; the Badminton's London Grand Prix; and other cultural and sports-focused events. Next spring, the ArcelorMittal Orbit by Anish Kapoor will be unveiled as Britain's tallest piece of public art, and will give visitors top views across the city (offering some competition to the Shard and the Eye, of course).

Good to know: The south section of the Park will open in spring 2014. The park is predicted to have 9.3 million visitors a year by 2016, hosting hundreds of events each year including sport and entertainment.