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The Story of London Festival is a celebration of the English capital’s proud history, as well as its aspirations for the future.

Running from October 1st to 10th 2010, this inspiring event sees activities taking place across the city, meaning that guests at Mayfair hotels are unlikely to have to go far to find something to do.

Among the projects being organised are guided walks around certain parts of the capital, plenty of family-friendly initiatives and educational options.

The organisers noted that people can use the festival to find out more about the city, from details about Jimi Hendrix’s life there to the invention of the lightbulb.

“You can create a film about the city, record the sounds of the streets or map the London of tomorrow. It’s a festival as diverse as the capital itself, celebrating London and Londoners from every part of the city; past, present and future,” they remarked.

Full details of the programme have yet to be published, but judging by the success of the first edition of the event in June 2009 – this will be the second Story of London Festival – there are sure to be all sorts of great options for tourists and residents who want to know more about the destination.

Among the venues involved are the London Transport Museum, Greenwich Heritage Centre and the Geffrye Museum.

For more information on this event visit the Story of London Festival website.

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Hendrix in Britain offers music enthusiasts the chance to look back on the legendary guitarist’s history in a venue he once described as his “first real home”.

Plenty of people booked in at Hyde Park Hotels over the coming weeks will be familiar with at least a few of Jimi Hendrix’s tunes, which include Hey Joe, Stone Free and The Wind Cries Mary.

The exhibition is being held at the Handel House Museum to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the musician’s death.

It will focus on his performances and lifestyle in the English capital, with the display available to view until November 7th 2010.

Hendrix is not the only famous musician to have lived in the building – on Brook Street in Mayfair – with composer George Frideric Handel also having resided there for 36 years.

Die-hard fans may wish to get their tickets soon, particularly if they want to attend an additional event that will see the whole building open to the public for 12 days, which normally only occurs on special occasions.

Hendrix lived at 23 Brook Street with his partner Kathy Etchingham from 1968, with the musician passing away two years later on September 18th.

Tickets are available online for £8, with the exhibition open from 10:00 to 18:00 BST on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The building is open until 20:00 on Thursdays, from 12:00 to 18:00 on Sundays and closed on Mondays.

For more information on this event visit the Handel House Museum website or contact the venue on 020 7399 1953.

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People staying in one of the many hotels London has to offer can look forward to some old-fashioned entertainment later this year.

The annual Covent Garden Punch and Judy Festival offers visitors a special day of free performances in one of the capital’s busiest shopping areas.

Covent Garden is known for its street theatre, with talented jugglers, mimes, musicians and other performers often seen entertaining the many tourists who flock to the district.

On Sunday October 3rd, Punch and Judy will be the main attraction as puppeteers from all over the country arrive to take part in the festival.

Taking place in the North Hall of Covent Garden Piazza, the performances are due to run from 11:00 to 16:30 BST and should be perfect for families visiting the area.

The festival is organised by the Punch and Judy Fellowship, which is currently celebrating its 30th year and aims to keep the tradition alive with special events of this kind.

It is not just Covent Garden’s large number of visitors that makes it ideal for this festival, as noted diarist Samuel Pepys first made reference to “Mr Punch” performing in the area in 1662.

For more information on this event, visit the Punch and Judy Fellowship website or contact the organisers on 024 7650 2011.

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Visitors to the capital will be able to indulge their creative talents at this year’s London Design Festival (LDF), which runs from September 18th to 26th.

Taking place at selected venues across the capital, the festival is now in its eighth year and will include more than 200 events spread over the nine days.

People using hotels in London can head to Trafalgar Square to see Outrace – a giant mechanical octopus designed to form the centrepiece of the 2010 LDF.

Created by Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram, the installation will enable members of the public to take control of eight industrial robot arms borrowed from the production line of carmaker Audi.

Light beams will be attached to these mechanical limbs, allowing users to trace images and messages in the sky.

Visitors can reserve a slot for their interaction with Outrace using a specially commissioned website.

Most of the events at the LDF are free to enter, although booking will be required in many cases. Other anticipated highlights include The Tramshed exhibition in east London and Size + Matter, a penny-shaped magnetic sculpture outside the Southbank Centre.

With an estimated 300,000 people visiting the LDF last year, this year’s event is expected to be even more popular.

For more information on this event, visit the London Design Festival website.

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Stargazers staying at a hotel in London later this summer should head to the Royal Observatory Greenwich to see the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition.

This stunning display of some of the best images captured this year can be visited from September 10th 2010 until January 9th 2011, with entry costing nothing.

There are several categories that entrants can win an award in, such as earth and space, deep space, our solar system, best newcomer and young astronomy photographer of the year.

Visitors will be able to see the winners in each of these sections, as well as a selection of the fine images that did not end up with a prize.

The judges of the exhibition include Sky at Night Magazine writer Will Gater, picture editor of Intelligent Life Magazine Melanie Grant and Rebekah Higgitt, who is curator of history of science and technology at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Opening times for the exhibition are 10:00 to 17:00 BST every day, although the building does shut on some bank holidays.

There is plenty for people to do at the venue as well as admire pictures in this exhibition, such as viewing the public planetarium and touching a meteorite believed to be 4.5 billion years old.

For more information on this event visit the Royal Observatory Greenwich website or contact the venue on +44 (0) 20 8312 6565.

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