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250,000 welcome back Festival Hall
By Sophie Borland, Evening Standard 11.06.07
Sparkling: the venue has reopened after a £111 million facelift
Getting down: 3,000 people dance in silence on the South Bank's Riverside Terrace
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More than a quarter of a million people flocked to the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall at the weekend.
Crowds poured onto the South Bank for a series of free events to celebrate the completion of the venue's £111 million refurbishment.
The programme, called Overture, started on Friday with 800 choral singers sailing up the Thames on candlelit barges, performing a work composed for the occasion by Orlando Gough.
On Saturday night, more than 3,000 people danced in silence on the Riverside Terrace - as they watched a film of people dancing in the same place in 1951, when the hall opened for the Festival Of Britain.
A spectacular light show projected onto the outside of the festival hall recounted the history of concerts and performances at the venue.
Among the 130 events were a mass busking session with Billy Bragg, and a performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the Ballroom. Former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker was DJ in the main auditorium.
Jude Kelly, the venue's artistic director said: "We have been overwhelmed by the extraordinary response to the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall.
"Every performance this weekend blazed with quality, revealing the untapped creative power of people in this country." About 24,000 tickets had been given away for the event.
Celebrations continue tonight with the grand opening gala concert, featuring music by Beethoven, Stravinksy and Ravel.
The hall has been modernised, with better acoustics, more legroom in the auditorium and under-seat air conditioning.
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Reader views (4)
I want to attend the event, if this possible you sould send me the detail about it by email. thaks
- John, Pakistan
I was there Friday, Saturday and Sunday and whilst it was a fabulous weekend I was surprised to see that areas were still not ready and closed to the public. That apart, it was fun to be there. On Sunday the featured performances were by young dancers ranging in age from about 7 to 17. It brought back memories of Ballroom Blitz which the Festival Hall used to host and maybe one day could do so again - please!
- John, Strood, Kent
The weekend of music festivities was fantastic. The final dance on Sunday evening was loved and enjoyed by so many. The warm temperature provided the perfect backdrop to a marvellous evening. I very much hope and encourage the organisers to turn these celebrations into an annual event at the South Bank to celebrate the long warm summer days for visitors and people of London alike. It was brillant to see so many smiles and happy faces. Congratulations and well done.
- Albert, London
An excellent weekend both watching and taking part. A great atmosphere and I don't think I've talked to so many strangers before ...
- Justin Eeles, London, UK
