From 10am on Saturday 5 April people will be able to explore more of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park when the south of the Park opens to the public for the first time since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

In 18 months, the London Legacy Development Corporation has led the transformation of the former Olympic Park into London’s newest Park with beautiful parklands and waterways, world-class sporting venues, arts and events.

The south of the Park, designed by James Corner Field Operations, who created the High Line in New York, features:

•   A new tree-lined promenade with 100 trees strung with a unique globe lighting system.
•   Interactive water fountains and an action packed adventure playground. 
•   Four themed walking trails explore the key sights of the London 2012 Games, the Park’s biodiversity, family fun on the Park and arts and culture.

From the 114.5m tall ArcelorMittal Orbit, visitors will be able to experience a totally new perspective of London and unrivalled views of the Park. With two spacious viewing platforms at 76 and 80 metres high, visitors can see over 20 miles across London and newly installed interactive technology that will enable guests to get close up to the breathtaking views. Tickets are already on sale – children £7, adults £15, family of four £40 (two adults and two children).  

At the base of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, visitors will be able to relax in The Podium. It boasts a versatile events space, EastTwenty Bar & Kitchen and roof top terrace with fabulous views of the iconic venues.  

To celebrate the Park opening, there’ll be activity running from 10am to 5pm over the weekend, including music, sports and arts. 

Highlights include: 

•   250 local children will take part in a parade to mark the opening of the Park and the ArcelorMittal Orbit.
•   Spectacular aerial performance by acrobats from Aircraft Circus at the ArcelorMittal Orbit.
•   Choirs, bands, dancers, poets, circus performers and story tellers throughout the south of the Park. 
•   ‘Try out’ sessions for a range of sports and fitness activities.
•   Visits from the East London Mobile workshop arts and crafts bus and the Bikeworks team.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said:

“The opening of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park marks an historic chapter in London’s post-Olympic story. Our city’s newest park is crammed with spectacular attractions and activities set in acres of stunning green spaces. This is now a must-see destination for Londoners and visitors alike and forms a glittering centrepiece for our ambitious regeneration plans in Stratford and beyond.”

Dennis Hone, Chief Executive, London Legacy Development Corporation, said: 

“In the 18 months since the end of the Paralympics, we have created a magnificent new Park for London with beautiful parklands and waterways and world-class sporting facilities. We want people to come and enjoy this new destination, whether they are reliving the memories of the golden summer of 2012 or experiencing it for the first time. 

“The opening of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is not the end of the transformation story. We are building a new heart of east London creating jobs, building new homes, and bringing in investment, culture and education with partners like the Victoria and Albert Museum and University College London. It is a truly exciting time for all Londoners and we encourage people to come and see Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for themselves.”

Vicky Martin, ArcelorMittal Orbit General Manager, said: 

“We’re really excited to be reopening the ArcelorMittal Orbit and welcoming visitors to experience a new perspective of London. The ArcelorMittal Orbit was an icon of the London 2012 Games and we’re thrilled that both local people and tourists will once again be able to admire the views into the city and over the Park. We are also proud that we are able to showcase local produce in the EastTwenty Bar & Kitchen, local crafts in our gift shop and to contribute to the regeneration of east London.”

More than a million visitors have already enjoyed the Park since it began to open in July 2013 with concerts and the Anniversary Games. The Copper Box Arena was the first former Olympic and Paralympic venue to open to the public and has already had more than 100,000 visitors. This success continued with the opening of the iconic London Aquatics Centre on 1 March, which has already had over 55,000 visitors, and Lee Valley VeloPark which opened its doors for public use for the first time this week (31 March). 

Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre will open in June 2014 and will boast four indoor and six outdoor tennis courts, as well as two of the best hockey pitches in the country. These facilities can be used by both the local community and elite players in international tournaments such as the Investec London Cup 2014, the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters 2014-2016 and the European Hockey Championships 2015.

Work is also underway to transform the Stadium in to a multi-use venue. It will be the permanent home of West Ham United Football Club from 2016 and the new national competition stadium for athletics in the UK. The venue will host five matches as part of the Rugby World Cup 2015 and the 2017 IAAF World Championships and 2017 IPC World Athletics Championships. 

A major new arts and cultural centre has been announced, working with University College London and Victoria and Albert Museum. The Mayor of London and the Chancellor, together with the London Legacy Development Corporation, have agreed to work together on ambitious plans that would potentially see two world class institutions build new sites adjacent to the Stratford waterfront, on land between the Stadium and Stratford station. It’s projected that the cumulative effect of these plans will generate an extra 10,000 jobs in the Park.

For more quotes on the opening of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, click here.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Facts 

•   At 560 acres, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is the same size as Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens combined.
•   Visitors can enjoy a stroll along a promenade lined with 100 mature trees with 57 giant globes strung between them lighting the way.
•   4,300 new trees across the Park.
•   The Park is covered by 6.5km of waterways and 15 acres of woods, hedgerows and wildlife habitat. 
•   525 bird boxes and 150 bat boxes have been installed across the Park. 
•   Eight out of eight permanent venues have a secure legacy at the Park.
•   20,000 jobs will be created in and around the Park
- 5,300 at Here East, over 4,000 from housing, shops and other community facilities, 2,000 in construction and up to 10,000 at the new cultural and educational quarter
- Over 40 per cent of the peak transformation workforce were from the neighbouring boroughs
- Over 60 apprentices helped transform the Park, the highest number on a single site in 2013
•   Planning permission granted for up to 10,000 new homes, up to 6,800 in five new neighbourhoods and more than 2,800 in East Village, around a third will be affordable homes.
•   There are five iconic sporting venues for both community and elite use – London Aquatics Centre, the Copper Box Arena, Lee Valley VeloPark, the Stadium and Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.
•   So far, more than one million visitors have come to the Park since July 2013. 
•   700,000 people attended the Summer Series of events during 2013.
•   The south of the Park covers 27 acres.
•   There are four new outdoor spaces in the south of the Park designed to inspire creativity and shaped by walls of plants. Enjoy an adhoc performance in the theatre space or let the kids play in the sandpits and fountains.
•   Explore four new activity trails and discover the hidden secrets of the Park. The trails include:
- the London 2012 trail
- biodiversity trail 
- art in the Park trail 
- kids activity trail. 
•   There are mini gardens representing different climatic regions including South Africa, the Americas and the Mediterranean.
•   There are over 1,000 trees and over 100,000 perennial plants in the south of the Park. 
•   There are 195 jets in the fountain in the south of the Park.

ArcelorMittal Orbit Facts

•   At 114.5m, the ArcelorMittal Orbit is the tallest sculpture in the UK. It is 22 metres taller than the Statue of Liberty and almost six times taller than the Angel of the North.
•   The two indoor viewing platforms are each 300 square metres and, on a clear day, visitors can see up to 20 miles in all directions.
•   2,000 tonnes of steel stretching to 560 metres, 35,000 bolts and 19,000 litres of paint were used in its construction. Almost 60 per cent of the steel is recycled. 
•   It takes approximately 32 seconds to take the lift to the top of the attraction and 10 minutes to walk down the external spiral staircase, which is 1,150 feet long and has 455 steps.
•   It was created by Sir Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond as their winning entry to a 2009 competition to design an iconic tower for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
•   It cost £22.3 million to build - £19.2 million was provided by Lakshmi Mittal of ArcelorMittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker, the remainder from the Greater London Authority. 

List of key events on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

25-27 April 2014                                FINA/NVC Diving World Series 2014 
22 June 2014                                       Hackney Half Marathon
28-29 June 2014                                 Holi Festival of Colours
7 July 2014                                           Tour de France
10 August 2014                                  Ride London
September- October 2015            Rugby World Cup matches
01 July 2017                                         IPC World Championships 
01 August 2017                                   IAAF World Athletics Championships 

Find out more at QueenElizabethOlympicPark.co.uk, @noordinarypark or facebook.com/QueenElizabethOlympicPark. For more information and to book tickets visit www.arcelormittalorbit.com.

Images can be downloaded here.

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For more information contact Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park media team on 020 3734 9010 or email press@queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk 

Notes to Editors:

London’s newest visitor destination, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, will be a place unlike any other. The south of the Park will reopen from 5 April 2014. More than a million visitors have already enjoyed the Park since it started to open in July 2013. 

Visitors to the Park will be able to enjoy beautiful parklands and waterways, world-famous sporting venues, arts and events and spectacular views from the ArcelorMittal Orbit. As a new heart for east London, the Park will also provide new homes, jobs and a cultural and education quarter.

The London Legacy Development Corporation promotes and delivers physical, social, economic and environmental regeneration in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the surrounding area, in particular by maximising the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

For more information visit QueenElizabethOlympicPark.co.uk, follow us on Twitter @noordinarypark and like us on Facebook facebook.com/QueenElizabethOlympicPark 

The ArcelorMittal Orbit originated in 2009 when London Mayor Boris Johnson launched a competition to design a sculpture for the Olympic Park.  Sir Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond’s design of a continually looping red steel tower won the competition.  Its construction was made possible by Lakshmi Mittal who provided sponsorship and all of the 2000 tonnes of steel used. Further funding was provided by the Mayor of London’s office and the London Development Agency.  

The viewing galleries are accessed by two high speed lifts.  After leisurely taking in the views, visitors are encouraged to walk down the 455 steps which spiral around the central column so they fully experience the constantly changing perspectives from every angle.  The ArcelorMittal Orbit has full wheelchair access.  For more information visit www.arcelormittalorbit.com

* Concessions on production of suitable ID:  Students – valid UK student card; 60+ – Freedom Pass/driving licence/passport; local residents – photo ID plus utility bill/bank statement confirming residency in Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest.