London's West End is A-Mazing!
A giant pop up maze has appeared in the heart of London’s iconic Trafalgar Square as part of campaign by the West End Partnership to encourage visitors to enjoy getting a little lost whilst exploring the area.
For five days visitors can enjoy exploring the maze and wondering through many of the West Ends most famous streets, lanes and squares. Each ‘Street’ within the maze will highlight some fascinating facts about the cultural history of the West End, such as Carnaby Street, which apparently inspired Ray Davies to write The Kinks hit ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’, or Trafalgar Square, which is said to be home to the world's smallest police station.
Upon reaching the heart of the maze, visitors will be rewarded with an exclusive taste of the amazing entertainment, culture, dining and shopping on offer throughout The West End. The rolling programme of activity highlighting the best that the West End has to offer, includes:
Monday – A vibrant showcase from some West End’s top shows - including Priscilla Queen of the Desert drag queens, some Avenue Q puppets and couple of Sherlock Holmes!
Tuesday – China town arrives with a bang as giant paper dragon and lion puppets weave their way through the maze and live dragon candy making sessions take place at the centre of the maze
Wednesday – London’s finest Saville Row tailors will be trimming the hedge first thing
Thursday - One of the UK’s leading young orchestra groups, The Platti String Quartet, will perform a variety of stunning pieces, filling the maze with beautiful music.
Friday – On the last day it’s time to party as we celebrate the iconic Carnaby Street with a swinging 60’s vibe, including live music from 60’s tribute bands and lots of vespas - groovy! There will also be a small exhibition of photographs from iconic 60’s photographer Phillip Townsend, picture include Twiggy, the Rolling Stones and many more. (Phillip will be available for interview if requested)
The maze aims to celebrate London’s West End as the world’s top cultural, entertainment, shopping and dining destination, with a global mix of 2,500 restaurants & bars, 2,000 shops, 40 renowned theatres, 30 museums and galleries, 17 Michelin star restaurants and 7 tranquil green spaces.
Jace Tyrrell, Campaign Director, the West End Partnership says “By creating the maze and filling it with some of the best examples of what the West End has to offer, we’re hoping to encourage visitors to go beyond their usual path and enjoy getting a little lost! The West End is filled with hidden gems, wonderful boutiques, cafes, shops and cultural hot spots all waiting to be discovered. With so much to enjoy it’s worth getting lost again and again!”
The maze itself measures approximately 30m x 20m and each hedge is 2.4m high. The maze has been constructed using 118 individual 2m sections, with a mixture of laurel and thuja hedging. Six articulated lorries delivered the hedging to Trafalgar Square on Sunday evening and a dedicated team worked through the night, taking approximately six hours, to build the maze structure. *
The maze will be in place for one week and will be open to the public from 11am – 8pm each day, for more details please go to www.westendlondon.com.
