This summer the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich roars back to life with outdoor offerings for everyone. We’re especially excited about the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF) and a new smartphone treasure trail for families!
We always love heading to GDIF and were really sad that it couldn’t go on as usual in June. Thankfully, the 2020 festival has been re-imagined, meaning there will still be plenty of exciting outdoor arts in Greenwich and East London, from 28th August to 12th September. This year’s festival will celebrate the strength of community spirit, the NHS and the environment, encouraging audiences to relax after a season of isolation.
From 28th – 31st August, a monumental art installation, Chorus, will be at the Old Royal Naval College as part of GDIF. Towering sound and light sculptures create a captivating and immersive experience. As giant rotating arms with red LED lights generate whirling orbits of colour, a chorus of speakers spin around to deliver an uplifting and transfixing sonic spectacle.
The Old Royal Naval College is also launching new smartphone tours for visitors to enjoy. The first of these, available for free on any smartphone using the Smartify app, will be a family tour recommended for those visiting with children aged 5 – 12 years. The exciting Building Detectives tour takes families on a treasure trail around the beautiful outdoor spaces of the Old Royal Naval College, allowing children to enjoy some time learning about their local history outside. Following clues dotted around the site, the mission is to find out who the grand buildings were created for. We love a good treasure hunt and can’t wait to head to head down beautiful Maritime Greenwich to check this out!
The grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, with incredible views of the river and London’s skyline, will also welcome The Luna Cinema’s popular open-air event from 4th – 6th August. Audiences will be able to sing and dance along to blockbuster hits Rocketman, Judy and Dirty Dancing all with the picturesque architecture of the Old Royal Naval College as the backdrop.
There’s not just festivals and films to look forward to, but food as well. An ice cream cart and food van will be available in the grounds for visitors to the Old Royal Naval College, offering hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and snacks all day – perfect for a summer picnic. Amber Markets is returning this summer with around the world culinary extravaganza. Every weekend until October, visitors can enjoy mouth-watering cuisine, from French crepes to Spanish churros, Singaporean noodles to Mexican burritos. We’re getting hungry just thinking about it!
Find out more at www.ornc.org