Developing and staging a Cultural Olympiad Programme is an important part of Greenwich's plans as one of London's five host boroughs.
We want to make sure that local people have opportunities to engage in high quality cultural activities all the way to 2012 and beyond. To make this happen, the Council is working closely with schools and local arts groups.
Lasting legacy
Through the Cultural Olympiad Programme we plan to:
- showcase the creativity of our community
- celebrate the cultural diversity of the borough.
To ensure that Greenwich's Cultural Olympiad provides a lasting legacy for residents, we are working with:
- arts organisations
- educational institutions
- creative businesses.
These organisations will play an active role in delivering Greenwich's Cultural Olympiad Programme.
Inspired by London 2012
Does your not-for-profit organisation have an idea for a cultural event or project that is inspired by London 2012? It could be part of the 'Inspire' programme.
Find out how you can apply to be part of the Inspire programme (London 2012 website)
Notable events
So far, we've seen cultural events such as:
- the finale of the London 2012 Torch Relay on its route to Beijing - staged in Greenwich and broadcas live by the BBC
- Greenwich's community engagement events, the 'Great Get Toigethers', featuring wide-ranging cultural programmes during the summer period
- the launch of the Cultural Olympiad in Greenwich
- celebrations on 24 August 2008 of the handover event when London officially became the Summer Olympic Host City.
More about the legacy for the borough
Breeding new talent
The borough is proving attractive to the cultural sector.
Some of the country's top arts training establishments are building links with the borough. These include:
- Millennium Dance 2000, which opened a new training centre at Woolwich Arsenal in 2008
- Manning Camerata, which trains top classical and opera performers.
Coming up
As we approach Games time, we could see:
- the Live Site in Woolwich and temporary Live Site in Eltham becoming available for broadcasts of events and highlights
- entertainment programmes aimed at family audiences at the Live Sites.
- concerts at the temporary O2 Arena.
- Olympic-themed exhibitions
- and possibly nightly fireworks displays on the river as we approach Games time.
Related links