50 ways to join in London 2012

Activities

Published on Sunday, 15 July 2012 12:08

Last Updated on 15 July 2012

Monica Costa

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We can all be part of this exciting summer 2012 (except for the weather!) and here are 50 suggestions to make the most of it (without emptying your pockets).

1. Line the streets and dress up your area to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay. london2012.com/linethestreets

2. Garden for the Games: Run window boxes down your street in red, white and blue. Plant golden marigolds or get the neighbours talking and plant the Olympic Rings. london2012.com/gardenforthegames

3. Hold a sports quiz with your friends and family to find the brains of the Games. You can download everything you need to get started, including quizzes and answer sheets, when you sign up as a Local Leader. london2012.com/thebiggamesquiz

4. Gather friends and family to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony on 27 July. Sign up to be a Local Leader for everything you need to get you started – including party invites, recipes and Opening Night In party games. london2012.com/opennightin

5. Host a Super Saturday party on 4 August, when 25 gold medals will be won. A perfect day to host an Olympic BBQ. Sign up to be a Local Leader for everything you need to get you started including invites, recipes and party games. london2012.com/supersaturday

6. See the World in London at Victoria Park: 204 specially-commissioned photographic portraits of Londoners from all walks of life, each originating from one of the nations competing at the Games. london2012.com/festival

7. Get your photo taken with the Olympic Countdown Clock in Trafalgar Square.

8. Visit one of the many National Olympic Committee Houses around London that are open to the public and learn about how countries are celebrating their athletes. london2012.com/join-in

9. Get tickets to see Damon Albarn performing in his own opera Dr Dee at the English National Opera. london2012.com/festival

10. See the unique collaborative projects from Britain Creates on display in a free exhibition at the V&A from 6–29 July: the UK’s most prestigious and renowned fashioned designers collaborate with leading visual artists on specially commissioned one-off works of art, featuring a who’s who of leading British names in art and fashion. london2012.com/festival

11. Secure your free ticket for River of Music, with performances by musicians representing all the Olympic and Paralympic nations taking place along the Thames. london2012.com/festival

12. Experience Tino Sehgal’s exciting new free commission brought to life in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, created especially for the London 2012 Festival. london2012.com/festival

13. See Stephen Fry and friends in Playing the Games at The Criterion Theatre: a unique celebration of cultural and sporting talent featuring comedians, musicians, playwrights and Olympians. london2012.com/festival

14. Get a cultural feel for the Games at the exhibition of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Medals at the British Museum; The Olympic Journey: The Story of the Games at the Royal Opera House; and the Official London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Poster Display at Tate Britain – all for FREE! london2012.com/festival

15. Visit the Southbank Centre to see a programme of 29 major commissions celebrating arts and culture by disabled and deaf artists on an unprecedented scale for the London 2012 Festival. The commissions as part of Unlimited include new works by Claire Cunningham, Candoco Dance Company and Graeae Theatre Company. They span choreography, live arts, visual arts, music and theatre in an exciting programme of free and ticketed events. Find outdoor performances and exhibitions, as well as participatory activities and platforms for discussion and debate. london2012.com/festival

16. Celebrate the athletes and cultures of the world on London 2012 World Sport Day london2012.com/worldsportsday

17. Learn the official London 2012 mascot dance london2012.com/worldsportsday

18. Make Flame hats and shakers in your school or at home to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay london2012.com/linethestreets

19. Get your school to enter the ‘Get Set for Team GB and ParalympicsGB’ schools competition, pledging their support to our greatest team as they prepare for the Games london2012.com/getset

20. Attend one of the Paralympic Games ‘Light a Lantern’ events. london2012.com/join-in

21. Plan Paralympic Games activities for the start of the new school year in September. london2012.com/getset

22. Download the final mascot film from the Get Set website and host a special school assembly to see how their journey ends. london2012.com/getset

23. Bake a Mount Olympus Pudding for your Olympic celebrations, a dessert of Olympic ambitions created by the Baker Brothers. Download the recipe at www.london2012.com/localleaders

24. Watch all the sport and enjoy other entertainment at Live Sites with giant screens around London. london2012.com/livesites

25. Visit the giant Olympic Rings at St Pancras International station.

26. Try a new Olympic sport. Learn all about the sports on the London 2012 programme at london2012.com/sports

27. Sign up to receive free advice about attending one of the nine free road sporting events, including the Marathon and Cycling Road Race. london2012.com/signup

28. Get a ticket to watch the Olympic Football Tournament at Wembley Stadium. Tickets from £20 for adults, with special prices for young people and seniors. www.tickets.london2012.com

29. Learn more about the nations and cultures of the athletes who will be based at a Pre-Games Training Camp near you.

30. Find out how to train to become a referee, official or coach in a sport that interests you http://www.sportengland.org/

31. Take part in the London 2012 Festival – over 10 million free opportunities for a huge range of arts and culture events. london2012.com/festival

32. Enjoy The Big Concert – Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, on 21 June, broadcast live from Stirling on BBC Four and at 22 London 2012 Live Sites across London. london2012.com/festival

33. Join the 100,000 people on Hackney Marshes by listening to the BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and on BBC Three. london2012.com/festival

34. Grab a bell and ring it on the morning of the opening day of the London 2012 Olympic Games for ‘Work No.1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes’ by Turner Prize-winning artist and musician Martin Creed. The UK is invited to ring thousands of bells at the same time, whether schools bells, church bells, town hall bells, bicycle bells or door bells. london2012.com/festival

35. Tune into the world famous BBC Proms – a London 2012 Festival highlight. From Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to specially-filmed new Wallace and Gromit animations and the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ celebrations. If you can’t make it to the Royal Albert Hall you can enjoy the performances for free on BBC Radio 3, and many will also be screened on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four. london2012.com/festival

36. Visit some of the Olympic Host Cities and towns given their moment to shine during the Torch Relay. Get 20.12% discount off top attractions along with other fantastic offers. www.great2012offers.com

37. Make your own mascot and play games with Wenlock and Mandeville at london2012.com/mascots

38. Read the Olympic pages in the London Mums magazine (FREE) at https://londonmumsmagazine.com/magazine with articles including sports that inspire kits, Olympic facts and FREE events during the summer.

39. Buy the official merchandising for the Games such as the mascots, flags and banners, Team GB replica kit from the London 2012 Online Shop shop.london2012.com/ lshop.london2012.com/ and in the official London 2012 Shop at John Lewis.

40. Buy the Ultimate Guide to the Olympics

41. Buy your Team GB scarf to support our greatest team. ourgreatestteam.com

42. Tune into BBC coverage of the Olympic Games.

43. Follow @London2012 on Twitter and Like the London 2012 Facebook page for all the latest info, photos, competitions and more.

44. Join Our Greatest Team – send a message of support to Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. ourgreatestteam.com

45. Download the Official London 2012 Join In App – a mobile guide to help you plan, enjoy and share your Games experience. london2012.com/mobileapps as well as the parking aid app by Park-up.com to help you find parking spots across the Capital (even in the Olympic boroughs).

46. Download the official results app to keep up with the action, coming soon at london2012.com/mobileapps

47. Watch new videos uploaded daily at www.youtube.com/london2012

48. Join in the free Big Dance across London. Events will take place in locations from shops to parks and feature all dance styles. There are classes, workshops, courses, performances, world record attempts. Open to absolutely everyone. london2012.com/festival

49. Buy Paralympic Games tickets and witness sport like never before. Tickets from £10 for adults, £5 for young people and seniors. www.tickets.london2012.com

50. Sign up to ‘Join in’ emails giving you news, videos and exclusive competitions from now right through the Games. london2012.com/signup

Images’ credits: Photos of fencers, fireworks and Olympic pistol by Action Images.