The Olympics might not arrive in London until next year, but preparations are well under way across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Open Weekend, which marks the one year countdown to the Games. Right here in Edinburgh, you can get involved at a huge public picnic on Portobello Promenade, and even have your own artwork displayed as part of the event.
The Big Welcome takes place on Sunday 24 July and features a mini-Olympics on the beach for the kids, storytelling and a performance of Portobello Sands – a new song from Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis. There’s also a picnic food market stocked by a heap of local producers.
Run by Big Things on the Beach, the Big Welcome is asking people to create a massive, kilometre-long picnic table on the sea wall, complete with 1000 different tablecloths all individually designed.