How About a London Day?

Sunday was Fortaleza Day: the annual holiday for celebrating the city’s birth, 282 years ago. Fortaleza is a mere child, compared with many of Brazil’s colonial centres, of course, but that didn’t diminish the enthusiasm of the crowds for the day’s celebration, nor the expense forked out by the city authorities. The fact that the Mayor, Luizianne Lins, is seeking re-election is, of course, entirely coincidental. Anyway, the local population got a free pop concert on the beach near where I am staying, featuring Brazil’s answer to Cliff Richard, Roberto Carlos.

Opposition activists were handing out flyers, suggesting that the money spent bringing Roberto Carlos to Fortaleza would have been better used combatting the current outbreak of dengue fever (was this the local Focus Team at work?). But despite such gripes, the atmosphere was suitably festive. And it made me think: if Fortaleza each year can celebrate its existence, why not London, which is so much biggerand older? There is the Lord Mayor’s Show, of course, but that is all about the City of London, the financial district, not wider London. Mayor Ken has encouraged individual community events — Irish, Russian, gay etc. But why not have a London Day, some nice summer holiday when all Londoners, of every age, ethnicity or whatever could celebrate living in the most dynamic and cosmopolitan place on earth?