Hundreds of performers from the London 2012 opening- and closing ceremonies met in Hyde Park on Saturday even though Royal Parks had not exactly welcomed them with opened arms.
Preston Fitzgerald, organiser and an Olympics opening ceremony drummer, told the Evening Standard: “The Royal Parks said go somewhere else, anywhere else, but please don’t come here.
“I thought that was over the top. We had an alternative plan to go to Potter’s Field by City Hall because we thought we might get kicked out or handed over to the police.”
He said some performers did not show up because they had been scared of the park management’s warnings.
Royal Parks’ rules for picnics are that larger groups must request permission and ‘discuss location, signage and fees’ and cannot be more than 40 people.
Dennis Fernando, 36, came in full costume from when he performed in the industrial revolution part of Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony.
He told the Evening Standard: “People who took part in the Olympics and gave their time for free are people who are held in high regard among the general public.
“People saw that they wanted to contribute something and make a difference, and that they were doing it on behalf of everyone.”
Derek Moore commented on the Evening Standard article: “For many of us it was the first time we’d reunited after entering the Stadium for the performance, following many months of outside rehearsals in torrential rain, and the rare occasional sunshine.
“Hopefully there’ll be a next time where worries about permission will allow many more performers to meet and remember in peace.”
One opening ceremony NHS nurse, Renu Daryanani, said: “A lot of us are suffering from post-Olympic blues.” And if the real NHS cannot treat that, the opening ceremony ones can.
Watch the entertainers try to remember their moves from the Olympic Stadium in an unplugged Hyde Park cover:
Image via Youtube.
