May 21, 2013, 4:44 am -- /EPR NETWORK/ -- For sports fans, June in London means one thing: Wimbledon (24th June to 7th July 2013) which entices the world's top players to the All England Tennis Club in SW19 and in 2013 the competitors will have an even bigger incentive to win with prize money increased by 40% over last year to a total of £22.6million, an increase of £6.5million.
But visitors coming to London in June will find much more in the city than Murray mania. There's a world of entertainment outside Centre Court this month and now is the time to book a hotel in London where the city's theatres, museums, galleries and sporting venues are gearing up for a busy summer season.
On the London stage, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe appears in The Cripple of Inishmaan, Sex And The City's Kim Cattrall stars in Sweet Bird of Youth at The Old Vic, and comedian Lenny Henry returns to serious drama in Fences. Rufus Norris directs The Amen Corner at The National Theatre where Mission Drift opens at The Shed this month.
At Shakespeare's Globe The Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth open this month, and there's more from The Bard at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre which continues with The Winter's Tale, reimagined for a younger audience. The theatre also stages Pride and Prejudice in the year Jane Austen's much-loved novel reaches its 200th anniversary.
Playwrights take over in the Open Court Festival, and if you like your theatre experimental, Punchdrunk – past masters in the art – present The Drowned Man at a secret location.
Benjamin Britten's 100th anniversary celebrations continue with the English National Opera performing Death in Venice , with several concerts within the City of London Festival – the War Requiem at St Paul 's Cathedral stands out among them – and with Gloriana at the Royal Opera House where Verdi's bicentenary is marked by a powerful production of Simon Boccanegra. In other opera news, the hotly anticipated London premiere of Philip Glass's The Perfect American opens this month, and west London 's wonderful Opera Holland Park opens with a double bill directed by Lindsay Posner.
At Sadler's Wells dance highlights include RIOT Offspring, The Forsythe Company, and the popular annual Sadler's Sampled which returns for two weeks towards the end of the month. And for the traditionalists, the English National Ballet performing Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall will not disappoint.
Tate Britain dedicates a long overdue solo show to LS Lowry and presents two British painters, Patrick Caulfield and Gary Hume, in parallel. The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto this year, are highlights of the summer arts calendar, supplemented by worthwhile exhibitions on Collecting Gauguin, The Discovery of Paris, and A Crisis of Brilliance which includes some of the most well-known British artists of twentieth century.
If you're in the market to buy, head to prestigious art fairs Masterpiece London and Olympia International Fine Arts & Antiques, or – if the budget is more modest – the Affordable Art Fair and New Designers Exhibition. For those feeling the austerity pinch there are free exhibitions on Vermeer and Music at the National Gallery and the Illustration Awards at the V&A.
June also brings a host of summer fetes, fairs and free festivals including Open Garden Squares Weekend, Taste of London, the Kew Fete, The Monocle Country Fayre, More London Free Festival and, from 21st to 29th June, the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival – nine days of outdoor theatre, dance and street acts; most of it free.
The city-wide 15-day Shubbak Festival, backed by the Mayor of London, encompasses nine exhibitions - including the ICA 's Points of Departure - and 40 events including free family events and a series of Shubbak Festival Concerts at the Barbican.
Artist and activist Yoko Ono curates this year's Meltdown Festival which includes performances from Siouxie, Iggy and the Stooges, Patti Smith and Peaches. Other musical highlights include Hampton Court Palace Festival – where Sir Cliff Richard and Jools Holland play – as well as concerts by Green Day, The Stone Roses, Kings of Leon, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Maroon 5, Robbie Williams, and Canadian singer-songwriter Michael Bublé who starts a ten-night residency at London's O2 on Sunday 30th June.
In sport, top international cricket teams gather for the ICC Champions Trophy with the opening rounds and first semi-final played out at the Oval where later in the month England play New Zealand in two T20 fixtures. Wimbledon is all well and good but earlier in the month there's the AEGON Championships at the Queen's Club. Also in leafy west London is Polo in the Park at the Hurlingham Club, three days of polo and Pimm's, while Royal Ascot is more of a society than a sporting event.
At Westminster Abbey, where The Queen was crowned this month 60 years ago, there's a special Coronation Jubilee Concert on Thursday 13th June while Trooping the Colour on Saturday 15th June marks The Queen's official birthday – one of the few opportunities you'll get to see the troops in full ceremonial gear.
For these and more must-see events in London beginning in June 2013, go to LondonTown.com where a host of useful information is supplied, giving those planning to visit the city all the information they need in one online location. With over 18 years of experience, the website is the place to go to for informative and unbiased reviews on everything you need to know about the UK 's capital city.
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LondonTown.com is the number one Internet site for London. With over 18 years of experience assisting visitors to the capital, they pride themselves on their customer service and editorial independence – no advertising or paid for content is allowed. The LondonTown.com team assist in finding cheap London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events. Trusted and with a loyal following, LondonTown.com is a very reliable source of recommendations and advice on what to do in London. http://www.LondonTown.com