This Bright Land, The Somerset House takeover
This summer, Somerset House is celebrating community and togetherness, as its luxurious outdoor courtyard is engulfed by This Bright Land with various installations. For the month of August (1st – 29th ) a whole range of activities and events are available to instil hope and optimism among guests.
With family-friendly activities for all ages, open-air Vogue Balls, Friday Night Parties & a 35-metre-tall observation wheel on the courtyard. This Bright Land really is bringing a summer of fun to Somerset House. The schedule will also include live performances, pop-up experiences & immersive instillations, you’ll be able to indulge your senses walking along the floral pathways, presented by Jo Malone in the glorious, scented Wonder Garden or feast your eyes on the futuristic clubhouse from M·A·C Cosmetics. If that wasn’t enough, there will be Sunday Street Parties for you to attend with more performances, games, live art shows, workshops and much more.
Night-time festivities
Friday nights will welcome leading art collectives and creative initiatives alike curating the evenings as well as hitting the stages for the performances themselves. Highlighting London’s diverse cultures and communities through curated nights of performance pieces, sound instillations and all out fun are some things to expect from This Bright Land. Evenings will range from Nine Nights celebration of Black creative talent and performance, to ESEA Sisters performance line-up of women, trans, non-binary, and genderqueer people of East and Southeast Asian heritage, and more.
The weekend parties continue on Saturday nights as Somerset House sees weekly instalments of open-air Vogue Balls from Vogue Rites. Each week themed nights will host some of the most thrilling names in the international ballroom scene to Somerset House as they compete for trophies and one-of-a-kind prizes. The celebrations of dance, fashion, and music will culminate in the Finale Ball – set to be largest open-air Vogue Ball in UK history.
What’s the deal with food?
Black Eats LDN are ready for action and will be highlighting the best food from Black-owned businesses across London, looking for a tasty beverage to pair with your lovely meal? Black Eats LDN have partnered up with Bombay Sapphire who will be on site to provide a plethora of bright and zesty cocktails to get you in the party mood, with a masterclass available for those who want to learn how to make the perfect gin cocktail.
The purpose of this month-long event is to “encourage empathy between different communities and in doing so make a new space for creativity, conversation and collaboration”, This Bright Land engages with underrepresented communities to promote relationship-building. Everything about the event coheres to promote the work of established and grassroots communities of creatives.
A wonderland of community, togetherness and care for one another, This Bright Land is all set up to be a bright and immersive delight for all attendees. Every day during the week, entry is free for daytime visitors. Due to what is expected to be extremely popular demand, it is recommended that tickets are booked beforehand in advance to avoid disappointment. However, anyone is more than welcome to just show up.
Due to the nature of the event, pay-what-you-can events in the evenings will ensure that everyone is able to enjoy the programme of events and workshops. As can be expected, the larger scale events have a range of ticket prices to make sure This Bright Land remains as accessible as possible, to all.
If you’re heading to London and need somewhere to stay look no further than, Hotel Indigo London Paddington. With a wide selection of rooms and customisable amenities, we’re the perfect choice for your accommodation as we are less than 25 minutes away from Somerset House. For tickets to the event, head to Somerset House website as well as more information about the events.
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