Music Festivals – Summer in London 2009

London Summer Music Festivals will be taking place throughout London this year, presenting all manner of live music performances for Londoners to enjoy in the open air.

June

Regents Park Open Air Theatre (25 May – 12 Sep)

Enjoy the plays of Shakespeare and exciting new shows at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre whilst making the most of the weather.

Hampton Court Palace Festival (2-13 Jun)

Music fans can enjoy live performances in historic surroundings at the Hampton Court Palace Festival. The 2009 line up includes Jose Carreras, Jools Holland, Lemar and many more, promising something special for audiences in London.

BP Opera and Ballet Screens (3 & 30 Jun, 15 July)

A series of live relays from the main stage of the Royal Opera House to big screens around London and the UK. These extremely popular open air affairs are completely free (due to sponsorship from BP) and non-bookable; just turn up in the right place at the right time and enjoy the BP opera and ballet for free! Trafalgar Square and Canada Square Canary Wharf are the London locations for the events this year and the programmes are Ondine (3 Jun @ 19:30), La Traviata (30 Jun @ 19:30) and the Barber of Seville (15 Jul @ 19:30).

Hard Rock Calling (formerly Hyde Park Calling) (26-28 Jun)

Rock out in Hyde Park at the Hyde Park Calling Festival, where pop and rock legends will be out in force to knock out a few classics for the crowds. Bruce Springsteen, The Killers and Neil Young will headline, joined by The Pretenders, Seasick Steve, Fleet Foxes and more. The festival will also include other areas to chill out if you don’t feel like rocking out in the crowd.

Kenwood House Concerts (27 Jun – 22 Aug)

A festival for the laid back type, if you’re not a fan of hardcore dance music you’ll like this one. Have an outdoor evening picnic and let the sounds of Motown, soul and classical music drift beautifully into your ears.

July

iTunes Live London Festival (1-31 July)

Lucky ticket holders can see some of the biggest bands of the day for free at the iTunes Live festival at the Roundhouse in July. Oasis, The Saturdays, Kasabian and Flo Rida are just some of the acts already confirmed.

O2 Wireless Festival (4 & 5 July)

Rock out in Hyde Park at the O2 Wireless Festival in 2009 to the sounds of The Streets, Dizzee Rascal, Basement Jaxx and plenty more to keep you moving.

BBC Proms 2009 (17 July – 12 Sep)

The BBC Proms is the world’s largest classical music festival, and this is the 115th year of the Proms. It takes place at Royal Albet Hall and Hyde Park with 100 concerts and a host of extra events including talks, workshops, films and free performances.

Lovebox Festival (18 & 19 Jul)

Groove Armada’s Lovebox Weekender festival in Victoria Park is back again for 2009, and the lineup is even better than ever. Special guests include the Duran Duran, NERD, Friendly Fires and of course Groove Armada themselves, so get ready to party the weekend away.

August

Field Day Festival (1 Aug)

The huge festival in Victoria Park returns once again, bringing the same friendly vibe and great acts to East London. With Erol Alkan, DJ Skream and many more gracing the stage, this looks set to be one of the best festivals of 2009.

South West Four (29 Aug)

A who’s who of legendary DJ will be at the decks for a day of outdoor clubbing mayhem, storming on to Clapham Common in August. Sasha, John Digweed, Sven Vath, Tiefschwarz and Francois K are among the names who will be turning it up at South West Four, one of the biggest dance music events of the year.

Get Loaded in the Park (30 Aug)

You can expect some serious rocking out on Clapham Common at Get Loaded in the Park 2009, one of the year’s most anticipated live music festivals. Hip hop, indie, grime, electronica, dance and more will feature at the festival, promising exciting live music for fans of all genres. Highlights include the Orbital, The Hacker, Laurent Garnier and Rob Da Bank, plus loads more.

September

Tower Music Festival (11-20 Sep)

Fancy a festival in one of the oldest locations in London? 2009 sees concerts from Lesley Garrett, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, The Bays and dance from Sadler’s Wells, so no matter what style of music you’re into, you should check out this festival in 2009.

Link: more things to do in the summer in London

Summer in London 1 – Parks

Summer in London 2 – Cultural Festivals