Sadiq Khan Announces £6 Million ‘Year Of Fun’ For Live Music And Other Economies In London

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a huge new £6m campaign aimed at boosting London’s culture, hospitality, and retail economies. ‘Let’s Do London’ harnesses the talents of major London arts and cultural institutions with the mayor’s mantra ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’.

The initiative will work in line with a push for people to get back out to gigs, restaurants, art galleries, cinemas, retail, and more as the city reopens with the government’s easing of lockdown restrictions.

Speaking to Time Out, Khan said “Let’s Do London is the biggest tourism campaign our city has ever seen. The reason it’s so important is that the last 15 months have been incredibly tough for us. But I also recognise not just the intrinsic enjoyment we get from retail, culture and hospitality, but that one in five jobs in London are in those areas. We’ve got to make sure that we bounce back as quickly as possible to avoid mass unemployment, leading to a massive recession.”

Last year London’s international tourism reportedly fell by 90 per cent, and that might not pick up this year. Khan added that it’s vital the capital attracts more visitors from around the UK and that Londoners also explore their city that’s been shuttered for months on end.

“This will probably be the only year in our lifetime when there won’t be international tourists in London. It’s an opportunity to have fewer people in queues and to do the things which you wouldn’t otherwise do” he said.

Alongside opening up the capital Khan admits that we need to restore a better quality of life for Londoners “I think we’ll appreciate each other’s company more,” says Khan. “I think we’ll appreciate interaction more. I think younger Londoners in particular have really missed out on the way of life we had. Not just work, but lunch with your mates, a drink after work, going to a gig or a pub or bar or restaurant. That’s really important. I think also that people have realised that some things don’t matter. There will be less focus on material things and more enjoying each others’ company. I think it’s made us realise how much we rely on each other for our mental fitness”

“I recognise that many young Londoners work in these areas” He adds “So Let’s Do London is about bringing all the key players in London together: the Globe, the National Theatre, the Southbank, the V&A, the O2, great chefs, great artists like David Hockney, great live music venues, pubs, bars and restaurants. We want to make sure that this summer is the best summer we’ve ever seen.”

The campaign will see the focus on the capital’s many outside spaces, which have been made good use of during the pandemic. Many will be transformed by artists including Yinka Ilori and David Hockney. Khan would like to see “more walking, more cycling, more pedestrianisation”

“We want to avoid at all costs a car-led recovery,” he says, “because we don’t want London to be gridlocked. Having more walking and cycling is also good for business. We’re very good at public spaces in London, and how we use them. So what you’ll see across London is displays of public art; not hidden away in the lobbies of buildings. When you go to Piccadilly Circus tomorrow, you’ll see some works by David Hockey and other artists. What this pandemic has reminded people across the world is the things they enjoy the most. And one of the things they enjoy the most is people.”

The work begins anew today to kick-start our economy as London continues to reopen.

I was delighted to join one of our leading actors @AdrianLester today at @The_Globe for the launch of our exciting #LetsDoLondon campaign.

Here’s what he had to say: pic.twitter.com/0KPyY1elRH

— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) May 10, 2021

Partners who are coming together to support the ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign include: Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), BAFTA, BFI, Barbican, Bloomberg Philanthropies, British Museum, Capital & Counties, City of London Corporation, Central London Alliance, Discover South Kensington, English National Opera, Exhibition Road Cultural Group, Film London, Frieze London, Grosvenor Estates, Heart of London Business Alliance, Heathrow Airport, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Historic Royal Palaces, London Councils, London Design Festival, London First, London Fashion Week, London Symphony Orchestra, London Tourism Cooperative, London Tourism Recovery Board, Marriott International, Merlin Entertainments, Museum of London, National Gallery, National Theatre, Natural History Museum, New West End Company, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Photo London, PPHE Hotel Group, Roundhouse, Royal Academy of Arts, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Opera House, Royal Parks, Sadler’s Wells, Science Museum, Shaftesbury, Shakespeare’s Globe, Society of London Theatre, Southbank Centre, Tate, The Crown Estate, V&A, Visit Greenwich, Westminster Council, Whitbread, UKHospitality, ZSL London Zoo, South Bank BID.

To learn more about the initiative, find more information here.