One impossibly lucky man or woman will win a chance to do pretty much everything cool you could conceive to do in London.
The idea is to promote one of the world’s leading tourism destinations further by picking one contest winner to enjoy a seemingly endless list of exclusive activities and experiences around London – some with international celebrity assistance. The trip is wide open to international entrants 18 and older, with airfare and accommodations provided.
To get into the game takes a little more than a few clicks. To apply to be London’s Official Guest of Honour, you must submit a short film or image. Be creative. Then, in 70 words (or, we assume less) and describe your perfect day in London. The closing date is December 9. 2014, with the actual winner’s journey going down in February.
Related: London City Guide
Let’s just assume you’re going to pull the trigger on this contest, and you’re going to win it. I’m going to cut to the chase and just tell you what you’ll see and do, courtesy of London & Partners. Deep breath, and…
The winning guest will be invited to London in February 2015 and will have the unique honour of opening Tower Bridge, the most famous bridge in the world, seeing a West End musical with international singing star Jessie J and visiting the Science Museum with renowned physicist Professor Stephen Hawking. Downton Abbey’s butler Carson – actor Jim Carter – will provide the winner with afternoon tea at Lord’s Cricket Ground; and the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, will take the Guest of Honour behind the scenes of the Houses of Parliament. The Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton will personally cook a meal for the Official Guest of Honour at one of the capital’s best restaurants and both the world-famous singer and conductor, Plácido Domingo and British ballerina and Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell, will take the winner to one of their favorite theatres in the world, the Royal Opera House. As part of the experience the Guest of Honour will fire the guns from HMS Belfast, walk the red carpet at a film premiere in Central London, and meet the English tennis star Tim Henman for a VIP tour of the All England Tennis Club, which hosts The Wimbledon Championships.
In the coming days, as part of our travel coverage here, we’ll have a behind the scenes look at a few of the venues on this list. For now, you can enter the contest and dream of laying London at your feet.
