London isn’t known for its beaches. Sure, you can go for a walk on the Thames foreshore at low tide, if you don’t mind losing your shoes in the mud, but that’s about it. Of course, it wasn’t always like this — in the 1930s, under Tower Bridge, you could find sandcastles, rowboats for hire, even children swimming in the river — and this year, it’s time for the return of the London beach. Yes, the O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome) is building their own little seaside, just for us. No longer will Londoners have to slog down to Brighton to get their fill of ice-cream and beach-towels. And there’s no need to worry about the weather, either, because the new O2 beach is… er… well, it’s inside.
(Picture by Yoshimai.)
It sounds a bit weird, we know. Well, it is a bit weird. But it’s also a thousand tons of sand in the shape of a desert island, surrounded by a blue floor that has shark-fins the size of a full-grown person sticking out of it, and it’s free.
The O2 is aiming the Beach at both kids and adults. During the day, while the artificial indoor sun shines, there’ll be playworkers on hand, organising storytelling and dress-ups and beach parties, helping make sure the children are having fun. After work hours, the buckets and spades will be put to one side, the artificial sun will be replaced with an illuminated moon, and the adult activities will begin: volleyball on Mondays, parties on Fridays, movies on Wednesdays and Sundays. You’ve missed Jaws, which was on last Sunday, but there’s plenty more to come: the schedule includes Moulin Rouge on the 25th of July, The Deep on the 12th of August, and live music from Rhythm of the City Samba on the 25th of August, among a lot of other movies and performers.
If you want to frolic among palm trees while children build sandcastles and skip along boardwalks, then consider wandering along to the O2. You won’t be able to go swimming, but in this weather, who’s going to venture into the sea anyway? If you go expecting a genuine beach experience you might be disappointed, but if you go expecting movies, parties and the biggest sandpit in London, then you’re bound to have fun.
The Beach: The O2. Until 27 August: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Free.
