Last Friday, London was treated to a tantalising glimpse of the exotic at the third annual Malaysia Night in Trafalgar Square. The event, which attracted thousands of people despite the rain, demonstrated the huge variety of Malaysia’s culture and provided a spectacular start to London’s 2012 Malaysia Week.

The event was officially opened by a group of Malaysian luminaries, including Dr Wong Lai Sum, Dr Syed Kamal and renowned shoe designer Jimmy Choo. Speaking at the event, member of the London Assembly James Cleverly pointed out that ‘Malaysia has a huge affinity with London’, explaining that the city’s diversity is an important factor in the close links between the two locations.

After the dignitaries cut the huge ribbon on stage, London was treated to spectacular entertainment that included colourfully-attired dancers, a spellbinding fashion show and haunting melodies from musicians using traditional Malaysian instruments. Around the square, stalls representing London’s best Malaysian restaurants sizzled with freshly cooked delights that ranged from traditional curries to sumptuously plump Malaysian pancakes.

Fortunately for those now hooked on Malaysia’s many delights, the South Bank is hosting Malaysia Week from now until 10 October. Here you’ll  find cultural exhibitions, traditional board games and, of course, the country’s delicious cuisine. As those who attended Malaysia Night will attest, the wealth of what’s on offer will even make you forget it’s raining!

London is enjoying superb weather for this weekend’s annual Mayor’s Thames Festival as you can see from this photo. It was taken yesterday in The Scoop and you can see Tower Bridge in the background. And it’s not over! I’ll be heading down to the river later to enjoy today’s festivities and the spectacular parade and fireworks this evening. The event coincides with the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony.

Have you ever been to the Mayor’s Thames Festival? What was your highlight?

Next in our World in London blog challenge is Palestine. The 2012 London Palestine Film Festival runs from 20 April 20 to 3 May. Sheyma Buali celebrates the rise of this unique event on London’s cultural calendar. 

For 15 years, the London Palestine Film Festival (LPFF) has been engaging growing London audiences with quality film made in and about Palestine.

Amongst the first festivals of its kind in the world, today the LPFF and its curatorial umbrella, the Palestine Film Foundation, is the leading authority on Palestinian cinema, consistently bringing rare and hard-to-find films to London screens. The Festival showcases both the newest in Palestinian production, and exposes audiences to classics and rediscoveries from across the breadth of cinema history. 

As a relatively diverse and progressive city, London makes an inviting space for cross-cultural and political debate; it is this open characteristic that explains the growth of Festival audiences.

The LPFF has built strong partnerships with a wide variety of London-based arts initiatives; it has also secured precious statutory funding for its unique contribution to the city’s rich cultural calendar. The Festival exists today as a Palestine-focused project that is emphatically at home in the British capital. 

First held in 1998 with a VHS recorder in a classroom at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), today the LPFF takes place over a fortnight at four major venues across the city. The bulk of the programme is hosted at the Barbican Centre. But in keeping with its origins and the Foundation’s belief in the educational role of film-led debate, the LPFF maintains a number of screenings at University of London venues, offered on a “pay-what-you-can” basis, ensuring no-one is priced out of the Festival. 

The LPFF’s strengths lie in both the richness of the films on offer, and in the calibre of its guest speakers. Indeed, for the Palestinian and broader Arab communities in London, the LPFF’s value derives from establishing new spaces for cultural and intellectual exchanges, bringing London communities together with students, actors, academics, and cineastes alike. In recent years, the Festival has attracted leading directors Michel Khleifi, Elia Suleiman, Kamal Aljafari, and Eyal Sivan and renowned scholars and writers Ella Shohat, Ahdaf Soueif, and Ilan Pappe. With scores more preeminent speakers engaging with Festival audiences annually, the LPFF has emerged as a prized space for London audiences to discuss myriad questions related to Palestine in thought-provoking and fresh ways.

As the Festival has continued to expand beyond cinema screenings, an annual visual arts exhibition has been added to its highlights. Remarkably, this remains free to the public, hosted at the Barbican Centre. The 2012 exhibition provides a rare showcase of work by 15 video artists from Palestine (6-27 April).

With its annual fortnight packed with panel discussions, UK Premieres, art exhibitions, director talks, and even a new youth outreach programme, the LPFF is firmly on its way to becoming the leading cultural event related to Palestine in Europe. What’s more, this year promises an additional bonus in the form of three special “Pre-Festival Events” from late March – stay tuned online for details, tickets, and updates: http://www.palestinefilm.org/

Can you suggest any other places to get a taste of Palestinian culture in London? Let us know in the comments below

Wow. Robotville at the Science Museum this weekend looks fantastic!

Their Robotville Festival is being attended by more than 20 robots from across Europe and the UK. We hope they’re all nice and friendly towards each other! The festival celebrates European robotics culture and advances in robotics design and technology.

Robotville is a free event, open until Sunday 4 December. Visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/robotville to find out more.

Artist Sarah Bridgland sent us this report from The Apple Cart Festival.

A couple of Sundays ago, I led a workshop at The Apple Cart, a new festival in leafy Victoria Park.

Blending music and comedy with interactive art, cabaret and magic, The Apple Cart had the feel of a family-friendly village fete.

The workshop was part of The Candlelit Matinee, an interactive arts event ran by community arts charity The House of Fairytales. Festival goers were invited to take part in a range of art projects, workshops and performances, all presented under the canvas of an atmospheric grand circus-style marquee.

There was much creative fun to be had, for kids and adults alike. Highlights included shadow puppetry with The Little Theatre of Dolls, printing and drawing with kids’ arts and science magazine Okido and my very own workshop, make a matchbox sculpture. You could even star in a silent movie with BFI Education.

The event proved to be hugely popular for young people of all ages and their families.

You can keep an eye out for more fun and innovative House of Fairytale events here.

Do you have any memories you’d like to share from a London festival this summer? Let us know in the comments below, or add your photos to the Visit London flickrpool

Colombiage is a London festival that celebrates contemporary Colombian art. 2011 will be its 5th year, and there are plans to make it bigger and better than ever. We spoke to Landa Acevedo-Scott, Founder & Artistic Director of Colombiage about the project.

“The first Colombiage was a one-day festival. It was on a Saturday – I remember it very clearly! It was a real experiment. We did it to see how people would respond. Three strands: music, literature and cinema. There were four events; it started at 2pm, with a literary event with Juan Gabriel Vasques, the writer. We held all the events at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, keeping it all under one roof.

“It was packed! There were a lot of Colombian people, of course, but also British people, which was great, because that is what we were hoping to attract. To introduce a different side of Colombian culture to lots of people has always been the hope of Colombiage.

“My favourite moment was working with Manu Chao last year. We had a big benefit concert last October at The Coronet. It was fantastic to work with such a high-profile figure, and one that was so lovely! He brought a lot of people together.

“For 2011, Colombiage will no longer be a one-day festival. We’re quite an established brand now; we want to do things throughout the year, so people can have a chance to come throughout the year.

“This year we will still focus on cinema, literature, music, and we’re branching out into theatre and the visual arts. We’ll use different venues too. There’ll still be things at the Riverside, but also at Rich Mix and at Southbank, and Sabor in Islington (for the literary evenings).

“The team behind Colombiage are mostly Colombians who’ve been working and living here for a long time. But it’s not exclusive! There are Americans, French and English on the team. That way we have interests included from all over the world. They’re people who have extensive experience in their specialised areas.” Landa mentions that Colombiage is currently recruiting, and asks anyone who’s interested in helping out to get in touch via the website.

Landa believes that there are two things that make Colombiage stand out. “Firstly, it’s never been done before. Lots of the Colombian events that come to the UK are sporadic and traditional. This is more about the contemporary: the latest things, the latest releases. For example, we ran the first showcase of experimental Colombian cinema last year.

“Second, there’s the education strand. With any country, people jump to conclusions, and develop perceptions. Our education programme aims to look at the problems in context; looking at Colombia’s many contradictions through its culture.” 

Here’s a video trailer for Colombiage 2009, which gives a great taste of what to expect from Colombiage. Visit www.colombiage.com for more information, including more videos.

Where else can you find Colombian art, music and food in London? Let us know in the comments below.

This week’s photo by CdL Creative (www.cdlcreative.me) shows Voala performing at the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival.

Seen any spectacular performances lately? Add your photo to the Visit London Flickr pool and we could be featuring your picture next!