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?

This week’s photo features Les Grooms, a fabulous French musical performance group putting on an impromptu performance beside the Thames at Richmond as part of the 2012 Festival.

The closing ceremony of the London 2012 games is tomorrow but the fun in London continues all summer long and there are plenty more entertaining treats still to pop up in London.

Don’t forget to share your pictures of all the amazing things you’re seeing in London this summer with the Visit London Flickr group.

Some of Team GB’s greatest athletes have been giving us their tips on what to see in London. Here are the results:

Afternoon Tea
Silver medal winning rower, Zac Purchase loves a traditional afternoon tea: “One of my favourite things to do is to have afternoon tea. It’s such a fantastic British tradition. Choose a good hotel or restaurant and dress up. Make an occasion of it, and you won’t need any more food for days!”

The O2 (North Greenwich Arena)
Bronze medal winner in the team Gymnastics, Louis Smith is a big fan of watching gigs at The O2. With big names like Cheryl Cole, Jessie J, Justin Bieber and J Lo all performing at the venue in the coming months, this Olympic venue has got a lot to look forward to.

Oxford Street
When she’s not perfecting her heptathlete events, gold medal winner Jess Ennis is a big fan of shopping on Oxford Street. Home to some of London’s greatest department stores, as well as that gigantic Top Shop, it’s no wonder Oxford Street is a favourite with this London 2012 legend.

St Paul’s Cathedral
Triathlete Helen Jenkins picked out St Paul’s Cathedral as her must-see London attraction. One of London’s most iconic landmarks, St Paul’s should definitely be on any history or architecture fan’s sightseeing bucket list.

The Thames
Silver-medal winning rower Mark Hunter, a qualified Thames Waterman, suggests a trip down the Thames as his unmissable London activity. If you’re not into rowing yourself, why not try one of the riverboat cruises or even a speedboat tour on London’s most famous river? You can even take a kayak down the Thames…

Nelson’s Column
The central Trafalgar Square landmark is a favourite for sailor Ben Ainslie. I wonder what Ben makes of Lord Nelson’s new hat?

Buckingham Palace
Wheelchair racer Shelly Woods picks the Queen’s official residence as her favourite place in London. Perhaps unsurprisingly, as Buckingham Palace will be where she finishes her marathon at the end of The Mall later in the summer.

The top three essential places to visit from a poll of the Team GB athletes are as follows:

• London Eye
• Buckingham Palace
• River Thames

What’s your favourite London landmark? Let us know in the comments below.

Inspired by the Jubilee Pageant, I wanted to follow in the footsteps of the 1000 boats that had graced the Thames as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Exactly a week later I found myself on the shores of Chelsea at Kayaking London HQ, ready to embark on a trip up the Thames.

Our trip was led by Harry and Katy from Kayaking London who first gave us a very informative briefing on safety, including how to paddle and what to expect. They then kitted us out in life jackets and waterproofs before I and six other people set off on our own pageant in double kayaks.

The tour would take us past many of London’s iconic sites including the Battersea Power Station, Houses of Parliament, London Eye, HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge, before heading back again.

Many of the others on the trip had no kayaking experience but with tips from Katy along the way the soon picked it up. Harry was a fountain of knowledge, telling us some great facts about London and pointing out sites including a miniature St Paul’s Cathedral which sits on Vauxhall Bridge and can only be seen from the river. It was a fantastic four hour round trip (with a much needed lunch half way) and such a great way to see London and to really see some of London’s best kept secrets.

For more information, and to book a tour, go to Kayaking London’s website

London will be getting its own cable car this summer, in time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Emirates Air Line will open at midday on 28 June, allowing passengers to cross the Thames in just five minutes.

The cable car will travel between two terminals: The Emirates Greenwich Peninsula, near The O2, and The Emirates Royal Docks, close to Royal Victoria DLR station and ExCeL. It will be in operation seven days a week during the summer, ferrying up to 2,500 people per hour in each direction.

Passengers with Oyster cards can touch in to take a flight for £3.20. Passengers without Oyster or Travelcards pay a slightly higher cash fare of £4.30. There’s also a frequent flyer pass, and a 360 Degree Tour option for passengers who want to make a round trip.

The cable cars offer a great view over East London, with sites including the Olympic Park, Canary Wharf and The City.

All cabins are wheelchair accessible and each cabin can accommodate up to two bikes.

Find out more from Transport for London’s website.

We’re suckers for timelapse videos of London here at vl.com. Here’s a gorgeous few minutes of film from ChrisCLondon, who’s created a gorgeous timelapse video of Tower Bridge opening and closing for two tugs.

If you’re fascinated by the workings of Tower Bridge, don’t miss the Tower Bridge Experience, where you can learn all about how the bridge works and the history behind its creation. You can even see the original Victorian engines on the tour.

One thousand ships will parade along the river during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in June, and during the Olympic Games,  the spectacular tall ships of Sail Royal Greenwich will transport guests up and down the Thames.

Here’s a preview of tall ship Thalassa sailing on the Thames. You’ll be able to see more during the Parade of Sail on 25 July when 20 tall ships and 200 smaller vessels will take to the Thames and sail to Greenwich.

After that, keep an eye out for Sail Royal Greenwich’s 15 tall ships, which can be spotted on the Thames until 12 August 2012.

Here’s a fun video tracing the history of the Thames in Royal events, and showing clips of various Jubilee celebrations throughout our Queen’s reign.

It’s a busy year for London’s largest waterway. If you’re a fan of the Thames, make sure you check out the following events:

• Head of the River Race, 17 Mar
• The Boat Race, 7 Apr
• Royal River at the National Maritime Museum, 26 Apr-9 Sep
• Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, 3 Jun
• BT River of Music, 21-22 Jul
• Thames Festival, 8-9 Sep

We love this photo of twinkling lights in London by veeste. The photo shows St Paul’s Cathedral from the Southbank.

If you’ve been out and about in the evenings enjoying Christmas lights in London, share your photos with the Visit London Flickr group.

London RIB Voyages have teamed up with Children in Need and children’s charity Brainwave to give deserving families a complimentary trip on the Thames.

If you’re around the London RIB Voyages launch site from 22 October, look out for Pudsey Bear who’ll be in and around the pier, meeting passengers and posing for photos. Don’t be surprised if he asks for a donation in return!

Pudsey will also messing about on the river with Thames Clippers and City Cruises during Children in Need week (22-28 Oct).

Look out for more information nearer the time on www.londonribvoyages.com