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A reminder for 2012 - London dates to avoid?

A reminder for 2012 - London dates to avoid?

Old Dec 24th, 2011, 08:30 AM
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A reminder for 2012 - London dates to avoid?

I just found myself reminding a poster on another thread that there are two very significant dates for those contemplating a trip to London in 2012:

wk beginning Monday 4th June - the Queen's diamond jubilee. Bank holidays on both the Monday and Tuesday 5th.

27th July to 12th August - the Olympics.

so unless you have tickets for the latter, or are desperate to be in London for the former, you might like to avoid visiting London at those times.

if you do want to be there, I would certainly not delay in booking accommodation.
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Old Dec 24th, 2011, 09:02 AM
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Paralympics - 29 Aug - 9 Sept
London Marathon - 22 Apr
FA Cup Final - 12 May
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Old Dec 24th, 2011, 10:26 AM
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thanks, alan.

we might add:

Ist Test match v WI @ Lords 17th - 23rd May

ODIs v Australia 29th June and 1st July

wimbledon 25th June to 8th July

July 19-23 1st Test match v SA @ The Oval

Aug 16-20 3rd Test v SA @ Lord's


it's going to be a busy summer!
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Old Dec 24th, 2011, 10:42 AM
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Thanks for the reminders!

Any thoughts on prices in late September or early October after the Paralympics? We are hoping to find a time when weekly flats and flights might be a little cheaper.
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Old Dec 24th, 2011, 10:43 AM
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Good lists but regarding your second post, annig, none would be reason to avoid London.
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Old Dec 24th, 2011, 10:43 AM
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Why on earth would anyone avoid London during Wimbledon? Or the Cup Final? Or a Test against South Africa (SOUTH AFRICA!!!!)

When did London's hotels or transport system last even notice these minor disruptions? As for the Paralympics...

Has even the most publicity-obsessed hotel put out fake rumours of "house full" signs during the Jubilee celebrations in 2012? Did they in 2002? or 1977?

It's true that the Olympic propaganda machine is still churning out its nonsense about full London's going to be during the Olympics. But real tour organisers are claiming their bookings for London are 90% down during the Olympics, and London theatres are still debating how many will go dark as a result of Blair's conspiracy to kill London tourism altogether in July and August. EVERY Summer Olympics in the past 30 years has seen tourist numbers fall (except Beijing where it's all a state secret) - and there's not a shred of evidence London will be any different.

Jubilee celebrations cause a bit of traffic disruption in the centre for a few hours. Cup Finals, Wimbledon and Test Matches cause practically no disruption in the suburbs they're held in, and are invisible in the centre. Year, after year after year (and just how many decades is it since ANYONE used a London hotel to visit the Cup Final?)

It's possible London might be best avoided in midsummer if you're a theatre addict because the Olympic business destroyer might make a lot of theatres dark. Otherwise:
There are no dates to avoid in London in 2012
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Old Dec 24th, 2011, 10:46 AM
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well, we will see.

in fact, I posted the second set of dates just FYI. [and mine!]
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Old Dec 24th, 2011, 01:51 PM
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Toucan, I too am interested in predictions about hotel rates in late September 2012. I'm not so concerned with room availability as I am with inflated prices--am hoping that post-Olympic vacancies will cause a drop in prices, however the only way to find out if that happens is to wait until a few weeks before I travel to book my hotel which I probably won't do.
Has anyone heard about special post-Olympic hotel deals?
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Old Dec 24th, 2011, 02:08 PM
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"well, we will see."

You mean I may be wrong.

As far as the able-bodied Olympics are concerned, possibly. London 2012 will be the first Olympics of the Ryanair/TGV Era: the first major sporting event (in fact, the first event of any sort apart from the Wills/Kate wedding and Her Maj's Golden Jubilee) in history physically and financially accessible in a daytrip by most of the rich world's population.

Frankly even that won't make London a place to avoid though: they'll Easyjet into Stansted, or TGV to Stratford East, cheer their national hero to a gold, then go home that night to Frankfurt or Milan.

But that logic really doesn't apply to the Paralympics (whose tickets are still freely available, at absurdly low prices: we got the last afternoon of the Parathletics for £5 each.) Never mind the Marathon or Cup Final, which cause not a ripple in London's immense capacity for utter indifference year after year after year.

London's designed to let a million enthusiasts work themselves up without any kind of effect on the other ten million. 2012 will be just like 1966, 1977, 1981 and 2010.
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Old Dec 24th, 2011, 04:01 PM
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I've already booked accommodations in Oxford for June 3,4 and 5. Prefer Oxford over London this trip. I do plan on taking the Oxford Espress into London on the 4th and was wondering what the best timing might be to avoid any traffic delays, or can I asssume it won't really be much of a problem?

Recently checked on hotel bookings for London and didn't find any problem at this point. Late planners may find it a bit more difficult.

I seriously doubt that there will be any post-Olympic hotel deals. It's London!
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