London’s parks are hardly a secret, in fact they’ve probably had more visitors than ever in the last year as host to birthday celebrations, after work drinks, weekend picnics and stupid little daily walks (yes, I’m still haunted by this tweet which accurately sums up the last twelve months). Maybe I’m biased, having worked in the area for a couple of years and spent so many summer evenings wandering around the park when it was too nice to jump on the tube straight after work, but Regent’s is one of my favourites.
In the summer, Regent’s Park is home to the Frieze Sculpture festival and it’s one of the best times to visit. Some of the leading contemporary sculpture artists exhibit their work in the park for everyone to enjoy – below is Tim Etchells’ piece from 2018. At a time when galleries and arts spaces have closed their doors, outdoor exhibitions have never been more important. It was great that it still went ahead in 2020 despite being such a challenging year for artists. With works on display that are always timely and exciting I’m already looking forward to seeing what this summer holds!
The rest of the year still has lots to offer, with spring bringing the cherry blossom to the formal gardens and autumn turning the avenue all shades of gold. If you’re looking for a photography spot, then you don’t need to go much further. The walk along Regent’s canal through Camden and down to Kings Cross is also one of my favourites and well worth doing.
Writing these little love letters to London reminds me of some of my favourite days and makes me nostalgic for debating over sitting in the deckchairs without paying, squeezing through crowds on the river path (the photo above was from 2019!) and looking at sculptures in the sun. Although I wish I could go back and revisit all of those moments, the thing about our favourite places is they’re still there waiting for us ready for new memories to be made.
