Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Local parks chosen to host national 'Olympic Villages'
Following our report last year, Haringey's involvement in the olympics took another step last week with the news that Finsbury Park is joining Alexandra Park as a host to a competitor nation's national olympic village.
Last year we learned that Alexandra Park will become Alex van der Park for the duration as the Dutch move in.
Temporarily rebranded as Holland Heineken House, the venue will become a base for the Netherlands team and its supporters for the three weeks of the Games.
A flagship Olympic host house, Holland Heineken House has become renowned for its creative design and will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012.
Last week the news was confirmed that the Caribbean is set to come to Finsbury Park during the Olympic Games as it is in the final stages of talks to become the site for 'Jamaica Village 2012'.
The event, which will be called Jamaica Village is scheduled to run for nine days from August 3 to 12, will aim to be a celebration of all the exotic island has to offer.
Up to 50,000 people a day are expected to use the park to eat, dance, watch the games on the big screen. There will be a lot of great entertainment, encompassing music, food, drink, theatre and the arts and stars like Usain Bolt and Lennox Lewis are likely to attend.
Haringey Council, which has responsibility for the park, says it has not received a licensing application as yet, but the festival is almost certain to go ahead.
With Jamaica likely to pick up a number of athletics medals, including at least one for sprinting sensation Usain Bolt, Finsbury Park could become the place to be next year.
Finsbury and Alexandra Parks join a number of London venues which have been chosen as Olympic fan houses, including Museum of London Docklands (Germany), Glaziers Hall (Switzerland), Lancaster House (UK), QEII Conference Centre (Italy), Somerset House (Brazil), and Old Billingsgate (France).
Tags for Forum Posts: alexandra park, finsbury park, heineken holland village, jamaica village, olympics, parks
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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This is a spoof, right?
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Eh, noo. It's all quite true. Here's the Ally Pally story on the Ally Pally site for example.
Even the logo I found on the interwebs is genuine - and apparently so popular that the UK distributor of T shirts sporting it have run out of stock.
What makes you ask, Alan?
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Permalink Reply by Anette on
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This can't be true. So local residents' use of Finsubry Park will be restricted at best. And how will this impact on local traffic? This is NOT good.
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So which countries will be getting West Green Common, Rycroft Way and Markfield Park? Have Freedonia or Ruritania been allocated to the GRA Community garden? And, crucially, will the Swiss team be doing litter-picking on Duckett's Common?
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Permalink Reply by alistairj on
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Mr Bolt will be able to get in some last minute practice on the running track (if it still open).
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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This insane bolt from the blue will surely run into trouble after the discussion we had two or three years back on banning displays of religious fundamentalism in Finsbury Park. Why should olympianism be excepted. The gods of Olympia should be consigned to the dustbin of enlightenment together with their predecessors, the gods of Olympus. Friends of Finsbury Park, what's your position on this desecration?
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Not best pleased to say the least.
How will this affect traffic? Very badly I suspect, being stuck in the middle of both parks with few connecting roads to escape along!
Transport to Ally Pally is cruddy, at best!
Will HC close all roads except for local traffic? Maybe that should be considered?
And how can an event be approved in advance of a license being granted? Smells like a fishy stitch up of a deal to me!!
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@ Joe: Well said! For those of us who has to leave the area to go to work, and then trying to get back home, this will be a living nightmare! Not the least bit excited by rum and patties when faced with not being able to get to work for 2 weeks. Who will compensate me for loss of earnings?
Though so..
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Permalink Reply by Gregg H on
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I think this sounds great. It will be fun and could be inspiring to young people across North London. I can't see the problem with an installation like this that will allow people to drop in as and when - surely this is better than a one day event in the park and the transport issues that can create?
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Permalink Reply by Protheroe O'Shea on
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chill everyone. It'll probably be rained off anyway.
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Permalink Reply by Tindara on
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Are you people for real? The fastest man in the world is coming to the area and all you can do is moan! This is a sporting event of international importance.
Please get a sense of perspective. It will not stop you getting to work, the transport infrastructure is being planned and developed to be able to cope with all Olympic events whether cultural or sporting.
What a great advert for Harringay! I for one will welcome our visitors and I hope you lot will have the decency to do the same.
Thanks for the info, Hugh.
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