St Marylebone Festival 17-22 July

St Marylebone Festival takes place from Sunday 17 to Friday 22 July this year, organised by our friends at St Marylebone Parish Church as part of the their Changing Lives project. A full programme of events has been announced, telling community stories through a creative mix of music, dance and drama.

Many of the events this year draw on South American and Spanish culture; some of the South American ‘Liberators’ of the nineteenth century, such as Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín, were Marylebone residents.

A South American Soirée on 22 July is one of the festival highlights. Musicians from St Marylebone join with South American musical colleagues, to tell the stories of Argentina, Peru, Venezuela and Chile through music, dance and poetry, with pre-concert cocktails and canapes.

Experience the sultry sounds of Buenos Aires at the Tango Nueve evening on 18 July with Joanna MacGregor and her band of musicians. And you can learn how to tango yourself with teachers from local dance school Arthur Murray Dance Studios at a workshop on 20 July, followed by a performance from the London Tango Orchestra.

Local festival patron John Rutter will lead a Come and Sing choral workshop; plus there are performances from The Joyful Company of Singers and the English Folk Dance and Song Society.

There will be a special screening in the church of the film Evita starring Madonna, while you can also join walking tours exploring the London of famous Marylebone figures Florence Nightingale and Charles Dickens.

For more information on these events and to book tickets please see their website.