This summer sees the return of the highly successful Wireless Festival to London’s magnificent Hyde Park. The festival is now officially called the Barclaycard Wireless Festival as opposed to previous years when it was the O2 Wireless Festival.  It takes place in July over a whole weekend and you can get tickets for 1 or 2 nights. For the Hyde Park festival there is no camping or overnight accommodation associated with the festival so it’s up to the punters to find their own London accommodation.

The Wireless Festival first started in 2005, and initially also ran a sister festival at Harewood House in Leeds. This stopped after 2007 but the Hyde Park festival has remained and been highly successful. At the 2011 event there were thousands of revellers enjoying the music and no wonder when the line-up was so hot. Last years the headliners were The Black Eyed Peas, The Chemical Brothers, The Streets, Pulp, David Guetta, Bruno Mars, Grace Jones, Plan B, Tinie Tempah and Chase & Status. A wonderful chart-friendly collection or rappers, R&B, Hip Hop and Dance artists that if you attended last year, would have been sure to blow your mind. The line-up for 2012 is already looking quite startling with Rihanna the big headline artist, and Jessie J, Calvin Harris and Labrinth already confirmed as playing.

If you are heading down to London for the 2012 Wireless Festival, then as previously mentioned, you will need to find and book some accommodation close by. 2012 is going to be a difficult year for that because of the Olympic Games taking place in London, however there should still be plenty of options to choose from. One option that many might not consider is booking a London serviced apartment which gives you a lot more space than a similar hotel room. With apartments you get the use a whole apartment with kitchen, bathroom and separate bedrooms (apart from studio apartments.) So if you’re looking to for some Hyde Park serviced apartments and looking for serviced apartments get in touch with Serviced City Pads who have a wide range of London options close to Hyde Park.

If you’re struggling for ideas for what to do for Valentine’s Day 2012, then you would be hard pressed to think of a better plan than booking a serviced apartment in London for a night or two and taking in London’s romantic side for a while. Sometimes (but rarely) described as the ‘City of Lovers’ London has a certain je ne sais pas that many find alluring, tempting and somewhat lustworthy. Why not share this passion with a loved one or liked one and stay in London on Valentine’s Day?

Probably one of the most romantic areas of London for a young (or old) couple to stay would be West London, neighbourhoods such as Notting Hill, Kensington and Bayswater provide suitable urban backgrounds for lovers of any type. Many love-films have been based in the area including the High Grant hit Notting Hill which also starred American actress Julia Roberts. Why not recreate your own version of the film in some sort of role play game in a local book shop and really spice up your trip?

Hyde Park is a popular venue for Cupid-struck love kittens where one can stroll around the park, hand-in-hand with one’s soul mate whilst glancing across the Serpentine (a lake not a snake) and enjoying the green oasis in the centre of the sprawling urban labyrinth that is London. Be prepared to see young children kicking balls, jumpers for goals posts, gay kite flighers happily waltzing around string in hand, brass bands playing jolly tunes and birds singing harmonious tunes as natures orchestra serenades you down the gravel covered paths of Hyde Park.

If you’re looking for some accommodation in the city for Valentine’s Day, then why not try looking at booking some London serviced apartments so you can enjoy your stay whilst enjoying a home-from-home feel. With a fully fitted kitchen and separate bathroom and bedrooms you won’t feel squeezed in to 4 walls like you would in a prison-like hotel room and therefore heated lovers tiffs are more than likely to be less likely.

The dust has settled on another year and another season of The X Factor. However, though the show is now over, the annual X Factor Live tour is set to start soon. The main contestants from X Factor 2011 will be touring the UK giving fans a chance to see them live. The X Factor Live tour will be in London at Wembley Arena for 2 nights on the 3rd and 4th March 2012. If you will be travelling to see the show, London serviced apartments are still available for these dates.

The X Factor is always entertaining and last year was no exception! There was the excitement of the new judges Gary Barlow, Tulisa, and Kelly Rowland (with Louis Walsh the only familiar face). The contest was not without controversy – the Misha B bullying allegations aired on the show by Tulisa and Louis, Frankie Cocozza and his “rock and roll” behaviour – but it ultimately came down to a final between Amelia Lily, Marcus Collins, and Little Mix. The victory of girl group Little Mix was an X Factor landmark as this was the first time that a girl group had won the competition. Now, if you want to see Little Mix and the other contestants such as Janet Devlin, Craig Colton, or Misha B live, you can come to the X Factor Live shows at Wembley Arena.

Serviced apartments in London are available for anyone travelling to see the show and who might require accommodation. Apartments in London can be viewed on the London city page of the Serviced City Pads website. If you would like to find out more about a London serviced apartment or what options are available to you for your London visit, then why not call our reservations team on 0844 335 8866, or send us your enquiry through our website?

If you’re travelling to London this winter to see whatever, then when looking for your London accommodation then why not try a serviced apartment? London is a really happening place so there are always things going on, so get down there and see those things.

Winter is a cold time of the year caused by the tilt of the Earth. The further away you get from the Equator the more noticeable the difference is between the seasons. This is because the Earth’s axis does not rotate perfectly perpendicular to the sun so for most of the year the top or bottom half is tilted closer or further away to the sun so drastically changes the climate. At its extreme at the poles, during the peak of Winter they do not get any daylight or sunlight, depending on which pole you are at.

As London is in the Northern Hemisphere, the coming Winter means that the nights are darker and the weather is much cooler so you’d be advised to wrap up warm. On the other hand places in the Southern Hemisphere such as Australia and South Africa, will have their Winter during June/July/August so that’s why on Neighbours you might have got confused when it’s really hot over Christmas. Even though Neighbours is actually a soap and not a documentary (and just so we’re being completely clear, by ‘a soap’ we mean a soap opera in the television meaning of the word, not soap as in baths and Fight Club) the show still accurately portrays the seasons as actually experienced in Australia.

If you are going to be in the capital this year searching for London apartment accommodation, then you will want to wrap up warm. This should definitely involve a coat, most probably a combination of hat/scarf/gloves or maybe all three if it’s really chilly. Also whilst searching for London serviced apartments, Flip-flops are definitely off the cards, as well as similarly airy footwear options such as sandals and those pathetic little plastic jelly things that 4 year old girls wear “jelly shoes.”

For those looking for London serviced apartments this Winter why not try giving Serviced City Pads a ring and see what there is to offer. With plenty of serviced apartment options across London, no matter where you’re looking to stay you can usually always find somewhere to stay near where you need, and if not, the London Tube network is so extensive that you can be several miles away but only several minutes away. London serviced apartments are a great alternative to hotel rooms and you get lots more space than you would in an equivalent hotel.

On 5^th November 2011 Alan Carr will arrive in London for the last leg of his ‘Spexy Beast’ tour. He will be playing at the O2 Arena, one of the largest venues for comedy in the city. With hundreds, possibly thousands, probably not millions expected to flock to London to witness the event, be sure to book your accommodation early so as not to be disappointed. Getting a serviced apartment in London wouldn’t be a bad an idea as you might think as hotels aren’t that good really. Serviced apartments are good in fact. You can quote me on that.

Alan Carr first rose to prominence along with Justin Lee Collins on the successful TV show Friday Night Project which later became Sunday Night Project. He has seen more fame as the individual host of Alan Carr: Chatty Man. Some have described him as ‘an edgy, actually gay, Micheal McIntyre’ other as ‘the on off the Friday Night Project who wasn’t fat.’ Although his sexuality is often seen as a key USP in his act and persona, Carr doesn’t see it as a focal point of his act, once saying “I just think gay people need to get over themselves. Just because you’re gay and on the telly doesn’t mean you’re a role model. I’m just a comedian. That’s all I am. … What am I meant to do? I don’t talk about being gay and I think what better equality for gays than that?” Truer words have never been spoken. Take a bow son.

Speaking of football clichés, a little known fact is that Alan Carr’s father, Graham Carr, is a former professional footballer and manager. He now works at Newcastle United as a head scout since February 2010 and those nearly 2 years he has forged an excellent reputation as keen spotter of talent. Before he arrived at Newcastle the club had been in turmoil after relegation to the Championship and years of being known for defensive errors and almost pantomime events surrounding the team. Currently the team sit 4^th in the Premier League and have a revamped team full of young exciting talent and it seems the days of the ‘Newcastle Circus’ are a thing of the past. Obviously a lot of the is praise should be directed at new manager Alan Pardew, however some of the signings that have arrived at St. James Park have been very good buys heavily influenced by Carr. The club sold their star players Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton who seemed to leave an unfillable hole in the team, however the club also got rid of a lot of baggage off the pitch. They have replaced them with a host of young talented French talent, mostly accredited to Graham Carr. Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa, Mehdi Abeid, Sylvain Marveaux and Cheick Tiote have arrived at the club and made a big difference settling in instantly.

When travelling to London to see the Carr, get a serviced apartment for your stay to round off the 5* experience. Serviced apartments are an excellent London accommodation choice for anyone travelling to the city. Booking a serviced apartment in London is probably simpler than you think. Just give Serviced City Pads a call or send an email and of the excellently trained and professional sales team can help you with your enquiry.

Getting a London serviced apartment would be a great idea for anyone looking for family accommodation in London. With plenty of children-friendly shows in the London’s West End playing over the Winter period you will not be short of options to take the kids to. This Christmas The Gruffalo will be coming to the Lyric theatre in West London so get planning your trip down to see this monster of a play.

As far as children’s stories go, The Gruffalo is a relatively new one with the book having been first published in 1999. Written by author Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, it tells the story of a cunning little mouse and his adventures through the woods. The book was penned for 3 to 7 years olds and is written in rhyming couplets, featuring repetitive verse with minor variance.

The Gruffalo won the gold award of the 1999 Nestle Smarties Book Prize and was the UK’s best-selling picture book of 2000. Not only those 2 prestigious awards, it also won the 2000 Nottingham/Experian Children’s Book awar, and the Blue Peter – Best Book To Read Aloud award. Even the audio version won the Best Children’s Audio award in the Spoken Book Awards and then unbelievably in November 2009 the book was voted “best bedtime story” by listeners of BBC Radio 2. And finally, as if there was nothing left to possible win, in a 2010 survey by UK charity Booktime the book came first in a list of children’s favourite books. Overall the book has sold around 3.5 million copies in 35 editions worldwide. Quite a haul I’m sure you would agree and all those critics, parents and kids can’t be that wrong.

After the story was adopted to a 30 minute TV show in 2009, it has finally been turned into a stage show that will be touring the West End from 23^rd November till 15^th January. The live stage show of The Gruffalo is packed with songs, laughs and scary fun that will charm young and old alike. It makes a perfect introduction to theatre for children aged three and upwards also, so get them into acting early and maybe in a few years there’ll be appearing on the stage and bringing home the big bacon.

For those looking for accommodation in London, there are plenty of options available family accommodation. Rather than booking a few hotels rooms to split up the family, why not try booking a serviced apartment for your stay so the whole family can stay together. Also with the self-catering apartments you can choose what to cook for those picky kids instead of being stuck in expensive restaurants or with food they don’t like. A London serviced apartment also gives you much more space so you can get a separate room for the kids or have them on the sofa beds and you can enjoy your own private bedroom.

There are plenty of serviced apartments in London available in December for when Jedward roll into town. They will performing live at London’s Hammersmith Apollo so be sure to book your tickets and your serviced apartments early to make sure you aren’t disappointed!

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last 2 and half years, ‘Jedward’ as they have been lovingly labelled, are comprised of the identical twins John and Edwards Grimes. They first came to prominence in the 2009 series of x-factor and have gone to become household names. Believe it or not the pair have released several hit singles including their debut in February 2010 Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) feat. Vanilla Ice with another cover of Blink 182s ‘All the small things’ following in July 2010 under their new label Universal after being dropped by Sony. Their debut album ‘Planet Jedward’ reached number 1 in the Irish album charts, number 17 in the UK album charts and went platinum in Northern Ireland. They have recently released, in late 2011, their latest single ‘Lipstick’ which reached the dizzy heights of 40 in the UK charts and rose to number 1 in the Irish charts. What Bono made of this we cannot confirm. All we can assume is that through those tinted glasses whilst lounging around in Bermuda shorts in his luxury mansion in a island tax haven, he celebrated another successful chapter in Ireland’s proud music history as Jedward stormed the charts with another hit single that demonstrated the nations diverse and cultural music styling. The quiffed semi-quad due also have a deal with Universal for 3 studio albums. With the second ‘Victory’ being released on 5^th August 2011, there’s still more to come don’t you worry.

The other, and probably more successful, side of the Jedward saga is their television careers. Most would probably agree that they are more tolerable to listen to when you can actually see them with their funny little faces and gravity defying hairstyles, so they have proved quite popular with TV audiences of a certain ilk. As well as several high profile appearances on radio and television chat shows, the dynamic duo have also had their own shows commissioned including ‘Jedward Let Loose.’ They have also infamously appeared on Celebrity Big Brother 2011, that generation defining TV show that can makes or breaks a star. They finished third behind a gypsy boxer and that lady that does the adverts for Iceland. However they did manage to finish higher than Tara Reid.

The brothers Grime will be appearing live at the Hammersmith Apollo on December 6^th and you can expect to hear all of their hits. Fans of the pair have been patiently waiting to see them for a while now so get your tickets booked and get on the Jedward train for a journey you definitely won’t regret or by quickly bored by.

There are plenty of London serviced apartments options that you could get when you are looking to your London accommodation. If you’re struggling to find where to start your search, try contacting Serviced City Pads as they have a wide selection of London serviced apartments to get during your stay.

For anyone travelling to London to perform, work or enjoy their leisure time at the Barbican Centre in London, staying a London serviced apartment is a great option for accommodation. With a wide variety of different apartment options close to the centre and the a few stops on the tube away, a serviced apartment in London is a wonderful idea.

The Barbican Centre of Performing Arts is the biggest of its kind in Europe, and by ‘its kind’ I mean performing arts centre. It is located in the City of London right in the heart of London and was opened in 1982 by Queen Elizabeth herself after being built at a cost of £161 million as a gift from London to the country. As mentioned before, the Barbican is Europe’s largest multi-arts and conference venue and it hosts a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and creative learning events. Maybe it’s most famous tenants are the London Symphony Orchestra residing on the 6^th floor of the building.

The Barbican comprises of a number of different buildings and venue centres. The largest is Barbican Hall with a capacity of just under 2000 people. This is where you will find the London symphony orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. There is also the Barbican Theatre with a capacity of just over 1000 and The Pit which is a 200 seat venue. As well as these venue there are 3 cinema screens with capacities around 200 people, a new free art gallery at The Curve as well as other informal performance spaces. At the Barbican you will also find 3 restaurants, 7 conference halls and 2 trade exhibition halls.

There is always loads of interesting and entertaining events taking place at the Barbican. Examples of upcoming events includes; Air as Architecture with Yuki Sumner, Hertfordshire Chorus: The Dream of Gerontius, The Tempest, and book signing with Douglas Woodward.

If you’re looking for accommodation in London close to the Barbican, then why not try Serviced City Pads who have a wide range of serviced apartment options available across various locations. The underground and bus network in London now so extensive, you can by several miles away but still only 10 minutes away from any location you need to be near in London. If you have never staying in a serviced apartment before then have a look at Serviced City Pads’ website at all the different London apartments you could get for your stay and get in touch to make a booking.

If you’re a Russian Billionaire travelling to London to see Chelsea play, maybe visiting some old friends as well, then you could no worse than to book a serviced apartment in London. There are plenty of options all across the city to suit all budgets, so you can enjoy a top football match as well as relaxing in style in your London apartment.

For football fans visiting London, going to Stamford Bridge to see a Chelsea game will be top of the agenda, up there with Wembley and the Emirates. Chelsea are one of the most successful teams in British football having won the top division 4 times, 10 domestic cups and 2 European cups (although these were Cup-Winners Cups, not the elusive Champions League title that seems to keep eluding Chelsea in recent seasons, and the one trophy that owner Roman Abramovich is desperate to win.) Chelsea also have the 5^th highest average attendance of all time for British clubs, which is a good indicator of their size and success over the years.

Chelsea were the first of this new generation of football clubs to have been taken over by billionaire owners which has seen Manchester City, Malaga in Spain, the Parisians PSG and Russia’s FC Anzhi Makhachkala also taken over and been given almost bottomless pits of money to spend on achieving success. Teams being taken over by rich owners and buying success is definitely not a new concept. Blackburn Rovers famously did so in the 94/95 season when under the guidance of Kenny Daglish they won the Premier League having been heavily funded by local steel baron Jack Walker, using the money to break the British transfer record buying Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer. However these modern takeovers are on the next level of spending. Instead of spending £15 million on players and £20k a week wages, these super spending clubs are spending £50 million on players and £200k a week on wages. After the takeover of Man City by Sheikh Mansour, it looked like Chelsea’s days of being the big spenders were over. However Ambramovich has refused to be beaten and has once again opened his substantially sized wallet and spend hundreds of millions of the likes of Torres, David Luiz, Jaun Mata, Raul Meireles and Romelu Lukaku. And with the appointment of exciting young manager Andre Villas Boas, it looks like Chelsea will be challenging for major honours for the foreseeable future and there is no risk of Abramovich’s interest in investing heavily in the club fading anytime soon. Unless the win the Champions League….

For those looking for London accommodation while they are in the city for football, especially those of a modern football fan profile, then why not get a serviced apartment for the stay to round off the executive experience. Serviced apartments London give you much more space than an equivalent London hotel and yet you still get the same luxury and comfort. That is why serviced apartments are an increasingly popular form of accommodation type for the discerning traveller.

In December this year the London IndigO2 in the O2 Arena will see the return of the world famous comedian and magician double-act Penn & Teller. The pair will be bringing their unique style of entertainment to London with their ‘Conversations with Penn & Teller: 35 Years of Magic & BS!’. This is an insightful evening of candid discussion, audience Q&A, video clips and some of Penn & Teller’s classic magic tricks performed live.

Penn & Teller have been performing their unique blend of comedy and magic for 35 years now. Their biggest show, the Penn & Teller: BS! Has been nominated for a total of 16 Emmys over the years and they are also appearing at the moment on ITV show ‘Penn & Teller Fool Us!’ which is hosted by Jonathan Woss. As well as their Emmy wins, they have an amazing five wins as ‘Las Vegas Magicians of the Year’, no mean feat as well as the ‘Single best show in Vegas’ by the Los Angeles Times. With sell-out shows on Broadway, world tours, TV Specials and hundreds of amazing and often outrageous appearances on shows such as Friends and The Simpsons, Penn & Teller truly are a global phenomenon.

For 2 nights in December on the 7^th and 8^th the dynamic due will be heading to London to perform their new show. Don’t miss your chance to see the funniest and most unique magicians up close and personal in this new and never seen in the UK interactive show, so make sure you get your tickets soon to avoid disappointment.

For those travelling to London and staying over, booking a serviced apartment in London would be a wise idea if you want to really make the most of your stay. Compared to a London hotel a serviced apartment has much more room and yet you still get the luxury and comfort. You also have the self-catering option which can be a real bonus when trying to save money or cater for different mouths. Serviced City Pads offer a wide variety of serviced apartments in London in various different locations, many with easy quick access to the O2 Arena where the shows are taking place.