Derry~Londonderry, UK City of Culture 2013 July Update

The first half of the year has seen Derry-Londonderry come to life with countless festivals and events as part of it's the UK City of Culture 2013 programme. With less than six months to go there are plenty more exciting events to come, teemed with other exciting news, such as a new boutique hotel in the pipeline, a new Derry food guide, a Culture Wall Facebook campaign and so much more.

LegenDerry Food Guide Launched

Serious foodies are recognising that something special is happening in Northern Ireland's food story with over 198 Gold Stars awarded to producers in 2012 and numerous other awards. To celebrate their growing reputation for excellent food, Derry-Londonderry have launched a food guide to highlight the superb local produce (dairy, beef, pork, lamb and chicken), and culinary skills of their gifted chefs, that ensure a world-class food experience in Derry-Londonderry. Download the comprehensive guide of restaurants, cafes, purveyors of fine food, as well as local food producers in Derry-Londonderry.

Derry- Londonderry Culture Wall

Tourism Ireland Australia and New Zealand have just launched their latest Facebook campaign, the Derry- Londonderry Culture Wall, to coincide with the city's UK City of Culture 2013 accolade. A local Derry artist has been commissioned to create a beautiful piece of wall art to celebrate Derry~Londonderry as the first ever UK City of Culture this year. The piece will be made up of thousands of photographs that people submit from their facebook profiles and will gradually evolve over a period of months online, before being transferred to a real life wall in Derry~Londonderry. The wall art will represent the culture year and the legacy of culture in the city. In addition to becoming part of the art piece, entrants will automatically be entered into a draw for a chance to win a trip to Derry~Londonderry including flights, hotels and tours of the city and the north coast. To take part visit http://on.fb.me/17Nc9Pp for Australian residents or http://on.fb.me/17Nc9Pp for New Zealand residents.

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann - Aug 11th - Aug 18th 2013

The Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which is the biggest festival of Irish culture anywhere in the world, will take place in Derry~Londonderry in August. This will be an event of truly historical significance with the Fleadh taking place north of the border for the first time since its foundation in 1951. Over the course of eight days the city will play host to over 300,000 visitors as traditional music takes over the streets with sessions, fun-days, pageants, marching bands, competitions, céili bands, concerts and singing. Drama, exhibitions and the arts are also part of this unsurpassed celebration of Irish culture. A nifty new Facebook Fleadh app. brings all of this information together, as well as containing the full programme of events and also the chance to win tickets to various performances. For more visit: http://fleadh2013.pgtb.me/n6B4VM

Lumiere Derry-Londonderry Launched

From the 28th of November - 1st December this year, Lumiere will transform Derry-Londonderry's familiar city landmarks, buildings, hidden spaces, parks and waterways into a spectacular nocturnal landscape of artworks made from light that will stop people in their tracks. Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of Culture Company 2013 said: "We are into the second half of our year as UK City of Culture, and Lumiere promises to bring light, enchantment and the transformative power of art to the winter months...Once again, the visually stunning backdrop of Derry-Londonderry will be used as a canvas and we can anticipate Artichoke and the artists involved collaborating to create spectacular vistas that will illuminate both our city and our spirits." Click here for more.

New Boutique Hotel due to Open in Derry-Londonderry

The 17-room boutique hotel will be developed in the former Allied Irish Bank building on Shipquay Street, after it was given the go ahead by environment minister Alex Attwood. "This is good news for Derry. With the recent announcement by Lonely Planet that Northern Ireland is in the top 10 European travel destinations, this boutique hotel in the heart of Derry will enhance choice for tourists, business travellers as well as local people. I am committed to the regeneration of Derry City as the economic heart of the North West." said Attwood.

Teenage Kicks - The Punk Musical - Nov 1st - Nov 9th

Teenage Kicks is a musical about teenage lust and love, set in Derry during the late 70s, which features classic songs from the punk era. Written by award-winning novelist and screenwriter, Colin Bateman ('Divorcing Jack', 'Murphy's Law'), Teenage Kicks isn't exclusively about punk rock; it's about being a kid, rebelling against authority and about falling in love. It's a classic boy meets girl story, albeit with a boy trying to stick a safety pin through a girl's ear.

Turner Prize 2013 - Oct 23rd 2013 - Jan 5th 2014

The Turner Prize, the UK's most prestigious award for the visual and contemporary arts will be presented in Derry~Londonderry this year, as part of the UK City of Culture programme. This will be the first time the prize has been held outside England and the second time it has been shown at a venue outside Tate. The Turner Prize was inaugurated in 1984 to celebrate new developments in contemporary art. This year the four artists who have been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2013 are: Laure Prouvost, Tino Sehgal, David Shrigley and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. The exhibition will be held at Ebrington in Derry-Londonderry as part of the UK City of Culture 2013. Over recent decades the Turner Prize has played a significant role in provoking debate about visual art and promoting public interest in contemporary British art. More information on the Turner Prize and links to previous Turner exhibitions can be found here.

For more information on Derry-Londonderry, UK City of Culture visit C