London Events Continued

Throughout September: Summer Opening of Parliament. During the summer recess, the House of Lords and the House of Commons are open for guided tours. Tickets can be purchased from mid July at the Abingdon Green ticket office, opposite Parliament and the Victoria Tower Gardens, or by calling 087-0906-3773. For information, call 7219-3000 or 7219-4272.

3-7 Aug: The Great British Beer Festival. . London Olympia, Hammersmith Road (W14). For information and tickets, call 017-2786-7201. It features more than 450 British "real" ales, cider, perry, lagers and imported beers, in addition to food, pub quizzes, traditional pub games, roving entertainers, live music and a family room

Late August: Notting Hill Carnival. Europe's largest street festival includes music, dance, theater, food and parades. Daily events from 10 am. Streets around Ladbrooke Grove. For information, call 8964-0544 or 7937-5464.

Month of September: Opening of Buckingham Palace. The state rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to visitors each summer and the beginning of fall. For information and tickets, call 7766-7300.


October
Early-Mid October: London Festival of Chamber Music. London's finest classical musicians, including the English String
Quartet, give 16 concerts in various churches and concert halls throughout the city. For information and tickets, call 7435-6232 or 018-6530-5305.


Mid October: London International Tango Festival and Ball. Events include tango demonstrations by world-class performers, workshops, classes and a formal-dress dance party. Royal Albert Hall and other venues. For information, call 7221-9535 or 221-9538.


Late October: Times bfi London Film Festival. Europe's largest public film festival presents two weeks of features, shorts, animations, experimental films, and world cinema, including many London premieres, in approximately 350 screenings to an audience of more than 100,000. For information and tickets, call 7928-3232. Continues through early November


November
Mid-Late November: State Opening of Parliament. In the fall of each year, the queen opens Parliament in the House of Lords. The ceremony dates from the Middle Ages and includes an inspection of both houses of parliament by the royal official bodyguards, the Yeomen of the Guard. The queen, as well as peers and bishops, in traditional garb travel from Buckingham Palace in a royal procession. For information, call 7219-3000 or 7219-4272.

Mid November: Olympia Winter Fine Art and Antiques Fair. Approximately 250 dealers exhibit antique furniture and fine artworks at this holiday fair held in conjunction with the British Antique Dealers Association. Olympia Exhibition Centre, Hammersmith Road (W14). For information, call 7370-8212. For tickets, call 0870-126-1725 or 0870-900-6050.