BT River of Music 2012

Saturday 21st to Sunday 22nd July 2012
six locations across London, England
FREE (booking fee)

Daily capacity: 250,000

Last updated: Thu 12th Jul 2012

Six stages will be set up at historic sites along the River Thames in London on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd July, the weekend before the 2012 Games begin. Up to 500,000 music fans are expected to take advantage of the free shows over two days.

The BT River of Music extravaganza is intended to offer music from around the world to tie in with the global Games. Musicians from Europe including emerging British acts will be performing at stages in Trafalgar Square and at Somerset House.

Line-up

Artists confirmed so far include Scissor Sisters, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Naturally 7, Baaba Maal, Angelique Kidjo, Zakir Hussain and Andy Sheppard, with more acts expected to be announced in May.

Musicians from the world's major continents will be represented across six stages: Battersea Park (Asia stage); Jubilee Gardens (Africa stage); Trafalgar Square (Europe stage); Somerset House (Europe stage); Tower of London (Americas stage) and Greenwich Old Royal Naval College (Oceania stage).

Saturday

Africa Stage (London Pleasure Gardens): Angelique Kidjo, Baaba Maal, Justin Adams, King Sunny Ade, Seckou Keita, The Invisible Republic of JuJu, Wizboyy.
Americas Stage (Tower of London): Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis, Naturally 7, Roberto Fonseca, Scissor Sisters, Soul Caribbean.
Asia Stage (Battersea Park): Asif Ali Khan, Bamboo Pearl Orchestra, Bardic Divas, Gong Linna, Homayun Sakhi, Kronos Quartet, Sanchita Farruque.
Europe Stage (Trafalgar Square): Amira, Ben l'Oncle Soul, Big Gay Sing, The Brazz Brothers & Sisters, Youth Music Voices.
Oceanic Stage (Old Royal Naval College): 9Bach, Frank Yamma, Mamiaith Mother Tongue, Wantok Musik Sing Sing.

Sunday

Africa Stage (London Pleasure Gardens): Krar Collective: Horn of Hope, Muntu Valdo, Staff Benda Bilili + Zao, Noisettes.
Americas Stage (Tower of London): Aurelio Martinez, Carlinhos Brown, Ondatrópica.
Asia Stage (Battersea Park): Alif Ensemble, Arun Ghosh, In Transit, Kronos Quartet, Transglobal Underground, Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ, Youth Music Voices, Zakir Hussain.
Europe Stage (Trafalgar Square): Arthur Jeffes aka Sundog, Budapest Bar, Kathryn Tickell - JigHop, Ludovico Einaudi, Matthew Herbert's Russian Big Band.
Oceanic Stage (Old Royal Naval College): Coastal Voices, Green Fire Islands, The Barons of Tang, The Black Arm Band Company, Wantok Musik Sing Sing.

Tickets

Some of the sites will require tickets for entry, but they will all be free. To buy tickets (and pay a booking fee), click here.

Accommodation

This event does not have camping but there are a number of hotels, hostels and guest houses in the area.

BT, the Olympic Lottery, Arts Council England and the British Council are backing the event.

American fare will be on offer at the Tower of London, with Asian sounds in Battersea Park, African music in Jubilee Gardens and Oceania represented at Greenwich Old Royal Naval College.