BRITWEEK arrives this week and naturally Santa Monica is involved.
To kick off the festivities, the two-week long celebration of British art and culture will host an exclusive Downton Abbey Vintage Party on Friday, May 3rd at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, honoring Executive Producer, Gareth Neame and cast member Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith Crawley). Events will continue on Sat. May 4th and Sun. May 5th in Santa Monica Place and on the Promenade. Among the highlights is a live concert called: “The Beatles’ Abbey Road Complete – And More” with music industry veteran Peter Asher, who will play a selection of Peter & Gordon hits as he hosts a special performance of The Beatles’ classic Abbey Road album. Asher will also introduce Denny Laine, co-founder of the Moody Blues and Wings, and Terry Sylvester of the Hollies as Denny, Terry and band play the Abbey Road album start to finish on Saturday May 4 from 7-9pm at Santa Monica Place’s Center Plaza.
Also happending at the Promenade and Santa Monica Place will be remarkable collection of environmentally-focused vendors, gardens designed by leading landscape architects and designers, live entertainment, speakers and demonstrations, all with a distinctly British flair. The event will span three blocks along the Promenade from Wilshire to Broadway, with the main performance stage located in Santa Monica Place.
Local landscape architects and designers will compete to design and build sustainable, eco-friendly “Urban Tea Garden” vignettes that will be displayed on each block of the Promenade. Each vignette will be judged and the Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 prize and a trophy. Judges will include Santa Monica Mayor Pam O’Conner, celebrity interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, award-winning author Lady Terry Robinson, British fashion icon Zandra Rhodes and designer Donna Wolfe.
The Spring Jubilee will also feature British brand sponsors including luxury car maker Jaguar offering a sneak peek of their new F-Type, mini-makeovers by Boots, Cunard Cruises give-a-ways, celebrity wax figures and photo booth by Madame Tussauds, as well as a mobile double-decker tailoring bus by British clothier Duncan Quinn. British biscuit company Walker’s Shortbread, will host a doggie red carpet with doggie adoptions from Santa Monica-based rescue organization, Take Me Home.
“BritWeek is thrilled to partner with Downtown Santa Monica in presenting the first-ever Spring Jubilee,” said Sharon Harroun Pierce, Director of BritWeek. “This event is a wonderful opportunity for us to highlight British brands and to recognize the perfect synergy between Santa Monica and the British community.”
Visitors and local residents are also invited to share their favorite spring photos of Downtown Santa Monica on Instagram for a chance to win prizes from Whole Foods and Ye Olde Kings Head. Visit http://www.downtownsm.com/instagram-contest for contest details.
BritWeek is a non–profit organization that hosts a program of events every Spring to promote British creativity, innovation and excellence across multiple categories including, film & television, music, art, fashion, design, retail, sport, philanthropy, business, and more. The events take place throughout Greater Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco and for the first time this year, Miami. For more information visit www.britweek.org.
