London 2012 Festival to Feature 25,000 Artists

(ATR) Britain’s culture and Olympics secretary says the diverse program for the 12-week arts festival launched Thursday offers "something for everyone".

Jeremy Hunt was speaking to a packed room full of media at the Tower of London – though most journalists were there to speculate on whether he would keep his job at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which helps oversee the London Games.

Hunt has been under pressure this past week following allegations that he colluded with News Corp in ruling over their bid to take over broadcaster BSkyB.

On Wednesday, Hunt received backing from Prime Minister David Cameron to continue in his role. But at Thursday's briefing, Hunt’s name was omitted from LOCOG’s official press release, and after making his opening remarks he was quickly whisked out the back door without taking any questions.

Hunt boasted about the U.K.’s cultural edge over previous Olympic host countries.

"We have 28 world heritage sites – more heritage sites than Greece," he said. "We have a very vibrant fashion industry and a huge number of popular music festivals.

"In this very special year for our country where we will be in the global spotlight, this festival encapsulates all that we are proud of. With an extraordinary range, there will be something for everyone from Beethoven to Jay-Z."

The festival, running from June 21 to Sept. 9, will feature music, dance, theatre, cinema and much more. More than 25,000 artists from all 204 competing Olympic nations are involved. Organizers also promise that the British public and international visitors will have a chance to see or take part in an event with more than 10 million free tickets available.

Hunt also said that while people will not like everything in the program, there will still be something to like over the 12,000 events.

"What I’m particularly proud of is you have a lot of old favorites but also a huge amount of creativity and innovation – and that is what makes our culture sector the envy of the world," he told reporters.

"If Shakespeare and Dickens are looking down from literary heaven, I hope they are extremely proud of the cultural heritage which has been enriched and developed over the years."

Director of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival Ruth Mackenzie saidthat the festival brought the ancient spirit of the Olympics back together.

"We’re going back to the days of ancient Greece where artists and sports people are coming together," she said.

"I don’t worry at all that there’s a conflict – it’s offering a huge range of opportunities around the U.K. for people to join in. I’m afraid one set of people not able to join in will be the athletes because they’ll be quite busy."

Star names to feature in the festival include musician Damon Albarn, actor and comedian Stephen Fry, Yoko Ono, Australian actress Cate Blanchett, U.S. hip-hop star Jay-Z and Emmy award-winning actress Julie Walters.

The full program is available to download from the London 2012 Festival website.

Reported in London by Christian Radnedge

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