The first group of commissions for the London 2012 Festival has been announced, featuring leading artists from around the world.

The finale of the Cultural Olympiad, the London 2012 Festival will comprise a 12-week UK-wide cultural celebration that opens on June 21st 2012, Midsummer’s Day.

Pictured: Choreographer Akram Kahn will return to his roots at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, where he will work again with the post-graduate performance company Verve 12.

The event will then run until the last day of the Paralympic Games on September 9th, providing an outstanding summer of arts and creativity in the UK.

Cate Blanchett, Toni Morrison, Olafur Eliasson, David Hockney, Mike Leigh, Jude Law and Damon Albarn, Rufus Norris and Jamie Hewlett head the line-up of artists featured in the first group of commissions.

These luminaries will come together to give everyone the opportunity to celebrate London 2012 through dance, music, theatre, the visual arts, film and digital innovation – leaving a lasting legacy for the arts in the UK.

Tony Hall, chair of the Cultural Olympiad Board, explained: “This is an exciting first group of commissions for the London 2012 Festival and there is much more to come, which will be announced next year.

“Leading artists from all over the world will come together for a wonderful finale of the Cultural Olympiad. 2012 is going to be a stupendous summer of sports and arts – the whole of the UK in celebration.”

Cultural Olympiad

Over 1,000 events will be featured on a special website that will go live from summer 2011.

The aim is for over three million people to attend and be part of the Festival, with some of the events ticketed and some will be free of charge to attend.

Ruth Mackenzie, director of the Cultural Olympiad, said: “From June 21st to September 9th 2012, across the whole of the UK, new work from the best artists, musicians, writers, comedians, film makers and other creative talent will be presented in the largest festival in the country.

“From food to fashion, street dance to digital, from pop to opera, the festival will offer once in a lifetime chance to be inspired by the best in the world.”

Further information on ticketing, pricing and promotional plans will be provided next year in the build-up to the first tickets going on sale in October 2011.

World Mobi

Also in Europe today, World Mobi launched its new city guide to London. 

World Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the World Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, London.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

London.Mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

World.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.