Delivering the LFA in changing circumstances

The London Festival of Architecture core public events programme for 2020 – due to take place in June – will now be taking place later in the year. The LFA team is absolutely determined that, as soon as it is possible, the London Festival of Architecture once again fills London’s streets and spaces with a celebration of architects and architecture. In the meantime the festival’s year-round work – celebrating London and supporting the city’s architecture and design sector through competitions and public realm installations – continues.

Tamsie Thomson, director of the London Festival of Architecture said:

“We don’t know when the current crisis will be over – but we know that it will be. Until then we’re still here, championing London’s architecture sector and determined to deliver a fantastic festival as soon as we can. When it’s over, we’ll be there– even more determined to let Londoners and the world celebrate and explore our wonderful city.

“The London Festival of Architecture is a collective endeavour – delivered every year thanks to the energy, dedication and passion of over 300 organisations from small practices to major cultural institutions. This gives us the resilience and flexibility required to see the current crisis through, and to come through the other end ready to give London and the world another fantastic festival.

“The London Festival of Architecture has changed over the years. We were initially a biennale. Then annual, then a two-week festival, then a month-long celebration. We have always been flexible, and this year we will be something else again.

“We’re not going to second guess a global pandemic so cannot commit ourselves to dates at this point. But subject to Government advice, we would hope that the core public programme will take place towards the end of the summer or early autumn. The London Festival of Architecture 2020 will certainly be different but meanwhile, as ever, we’re still here, still supporting and still championing amazing architecture in an amazing city.”

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Any further decisions on the dates and extent of the LFA 2020 core public events programme will be subject to Government guidance and further discussions with key partners. Meanwhile, the LFA team has taken the following actions:

• Late event entry fees have been removed from the LFA website, in order to allow new and existing organisers to continue to suggest new or innovative events for free, without any fixed deadlines or costs.
• The second curation panel has been cancelled (thereby removing an earlier fixed deadline for event proposals). This enables all event organisers to edit and update their events as their plans change and the wider situation becomes clearer.
• The Festival is enhancing its already powerful online and social media presence, and is developing new audio, video and written content through streams such as the LFA Views section on the LFA website, the Architecture Masters podcast, and the Building Sounds Architecture Audio Guide. A new LFA Weekly podcast is now live, engaging people working from home and sustaining the spirit of the festival.