London is getting ready for the excitement of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, which will begin in style at tomorrow’s Opening Ceremony.

Many venues across the capital will be screening the Ceremony, which will feature a circus act, a tribute to Professor Stephen Hawking and a flypast by disabled pilots. The ceremony is called ”Enlightenment” and will also reference Shakespeare’s The Tempest, continuing the theme from the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games.

A selection of screenings is below, but let us know about any other Opening Ceremony events in the comments below:

BT Live in Trafalgar Square: 
BT London Live, which proved so popular during the Olympic Games, brings its blend of music, activities and sporting coverage to Trafalgar Square. Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis and no tickets are required.

BBC Big Sceens:  
Find BBC Big Screens at General Gordon Square in Woolwich and Walthamstow Town Square, where you can watch Paralympic coverage for free.

Broadgate: 
There will be big screens showing the Ceremony in each of the three pedestrianised piazzas around Broadgate in the City.

Jimmy’s Supperclub at Annex East:
The popular pop-up in Stratford is hosting an Opening Ceremony party. For £42 you can enjoy a sparkling wine reception, live music, and all the action live on the big screen whilst you tuck in to 5 delicious courses.

The Sporting Page:
This popular Chelsea pub will be screening daily Paralympic coverage, including the Opening Ceremony.

The Doodle Bar:
The arty Battersea bar will be screening the Opening Ceremony. Bring a pencil and doodle while you watch the spectacle!

The Rose Theatre:
The café of this Kingston theatre contains a large plasma screen where you can watch the Opening Ceremony.

More about the London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony

Sheep, a huge bell, a miniature Stonehenge, David Beckham and some NHS nurses. This much we know will be in the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday evening. A global audience of four billion people are expected to tune into the show which is called Isles of Wonder, inspired by a line in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Artistic director Danny Boyle has kept most details under wraps, but we can say with certainty that it starts at 9pm, and that you’d be mad not to watch it.

London Live
Friday is the opening night for the Olympic London Live sites at Hyde Park and Victoria Park. In Hyde Park, the ceremony will be shown on screens alongside a celebration concert with acts representing each part of the UK – Snow Patrol from Northern Ireland, Stereophonics for Wales, Duran Duran representing England and Paolo Nutini waving the flag for Scotland. Tickets are £60 and are still available. If you just want to watch the ceremony in a crowd, you can head to the Victoria Park site which is free entry.

Tower of London
If you’re feeling flush, you could pay for an exciting Opening Ceremony dinner at the Tower of London House of Nations for just £139. Hosted by four-time record breaking swimmer and Strictly Come Dancing star, Mark Foster, you’ll enjoy a champagne and Pimm’s reception in the Tower of London’s moat, an exclusive private tour of the Crown Jewels, a delicious three-course meal with all inclusive drinks, footage of the Opening Ceremony and live entertainment.

Greenwich
You can also catch all the Opening Ceremony action at Greenwich Summer Festival’s Gala Weekend. As well as the big screens, there’ll be live entertainment, starting with music on the bandstand at 6pm. Greenwich’s very own Hangar Arts Trust will then perform a cabaret of aerial circus in a high-impact, thrilling show full of beautiful and apparently impossible human feats, before the Opening Ceremony kicks off at 9pm.

General Gordon Square, Woolwich
General Gordon Square in Woolwich is hosting one of two big screens set up by the BBC in London for outdoor summer screenings. It will show the ceremony outside for free in the newly landscaped square, which offers bench seating and food stalls and street performers to get you in the party mood.

Walthamstow Town Square
Another BBC big screen will be beaming the ceremony to Walthamstow Town Square in North London. Seating will be set up so crowds can watch in comfort.

Broadgate
The Broadgate development in the Square Mile is home to some of the world’s biggest companies, and this summer it is also the base for three big screens which will all show the Opening Ceremony. Take your pick from Exchange Square, Broadgate Circle and Finsbury Avenue.

Novikov’s Beach Party at Waterside House
Top Mayfair restaurant Novikov is heading east this Friday to set up an all-day Opening Ceremony beach party – complete with sand and beach loungers – at Waterside House in Royal Victoria Dock. You can watch the show while sipping cocktails and listening to DJ sets. Tickets are £25.

In The Pub
Hundreds of top London pubs will be showing the all action on big screens, so have a look at the watering holes near you. We suggest The Hanbury Arms in Islington, The Lauriston in Hackney, the Water Poet in Spitalfields and the Clapham Grand in Clapham Junction, all of which will be putting on amazing parties.

Where will you be watching? Let us know below.

January is a tough month. The fun and feasting is over, we’re all back at work and the detox dullness has begun to bite. Meanwhile, while The Big Freeze means most are heartily sick of cold things, this morning I actively sought the ice, attending a lesson at Somerset House Skate School.

The school is held on the Somerset House Ice Rink on weekdays from 8.30-9.30am for adults, and there’s also Penguin Club, which teaches kids how to skate.

The skate school class consisted of about 15 (adult) pupils, who were split into two groups – absolute beginners and slightly more advanced. After booting up (skate hire is included), we stepped out onto the rink.

I was nervous – I’ve skated before but not often and it’s been a while. I started with the beginners, clutching the barrier, but soon got the hang of it enough to glide across, triumphant, to join the advanced group. Here we practiced the basics of skating forward and backwards, as well as stopping, crouching down, skating on one leg, sharp turns and even a little jump!

My instructor, Lucy, was friendly, helpful and calm. Skating backwards is something I thought I’d never even attempt, but I managed it, albeit with a helping hand from Lucy. My poor balance meant the one-legged glide, while less scary, was a lot more difficult and, oddly, the hardest bit is stopping.

The thing is, though, once you get going, you don’t want to stop because skating is such fun. Throw in the gorgeous backdrop of London’s Somerset House and a small group of friendly people that ensures you’ve got room to move and it’s a lovely start to a frosty morning. I’d recommend this for anyone who’s a bit nervous on the ice or who wants to learn new moves and brush up their technique. I’m sure, like me, you won’t be able to stop either!

Somerset House Ice Rink is open until late January and there are still a few places available at Skate School. Tickets are also available for the afternoon and evening sessions, including late skates accompanied by a DJ.

Other London ice rinks open now include Canary Wharf, Broadgate and the Natural History Museum. Plus there’s permanent ice rinks at the Lee Valley Ice Centre, Alexandra Palace and Queensway Ice & Bowl.

If you hadn’t guessed, we love this time of year! This morning, there’s a real chill in the air, but the lovely winter sunshine is making us wish we were outside enjoying the city at Christmas.

One of our favourite things to do when the weather turns crisp-cold is to head out and play on one of London’s fantastic ice rinks. We’re not the greatest skaters in the world, but practice makes perfect!

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If you’re inspired to get your skates on sometime soon, don’t forget to book your place on your chosen ice rink online with Visit London.