20 Greats of things in 20 years of Continental Drifts

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Continental Drifts turn 20 this year!

We’ve been involved in so many great projects that we are super proud off! Check out 20 of our favourites below.


1. Best Event Production Team at the Event Production Awards

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In 2015 Continental Drifts won Best Production Team at the Event Production Awards!


2. Chris Tofu the UNsung Hero! 2Our Music Director DJ Chris Tofu was awarded the prestigious UNsung Hero Award at the Association of Independent Festivals Awards 2015


3. All Aboard Judith!
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In 2011 we packed up and moved our office to the River Lea, where we now operate on ‘Judith’ our beautiful blue canal boat.


4. Southwark Partnership
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Since 2001 we have worked directly with Southwark Council to produce their vibrant community events. Bringing culture, music and great food to a variety of parks in the Southwark area. Bermondsey Carnival, Southwark Fireworks, Elephant and the Nun are a few of the great events we have produced over the years.


5. Lewisham People’s Day
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With over 25,000 visitors, hundreds of community stalls and organisations, craft stalls from around the globe, performances from outstanding local talent and great entertainment throughout the day, Lewisham Peoples Day has got to be one of our favourite annual events.


6. The Great British Carnival

Great British Carnival London Queen Elizabeth Olympic PArk London 27TH July 2014 Photo by ©Vicki Couchman 07957226911 vicki@vickicouchman.com

Continental Drifts were the production team for the Great British Carnival in 2014, working with our client Artaha and the LLDC. Marking the midway point between the London and Rio Olympics, the Great British Carnival was a fantastic event of dance, infectious music, performance and costume for the whole family to enjoy.


7.  Africa Day and Diwali Festival 

A general view as dancers perform onstage at the Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square on 12.10.14

A cultural explosion in London’s Iconic Trafalgar Square with back to back events celebrating Africa and Diwali. The weekend culminated with a spectacular light show on Nelsons column and the fountains.


8. Lollibop 
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Continental Drifts are the founders of Lollibop! The UK’s largest children’s festival – a magical land of endless fun for the under 10s


9. We Are Fstvl 9

We were hired to undertake initial feasibility studies for the inaugural festival in 2013 and went on to produce this 2-day London dance music extravaganza for 2 years. The event was a huge success, winning Best New Festival 2013 and Best Medium-Sized Festival 2014 at the UK Festival Awards.


10. Shangri La

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Journey deep into the heart of The Naughty Corner and find yourself transported into the fantastical world of 23 hour hedonism that is Shangri-la. Glastonbury’s definitive night time area.”

Born from what used to be Lost Vagueness, Shangri-la is a key night-area within Glastonbury Festival, with incredibly high production values and immersive experiences, where the weird and wonderful meet and mingle, and of which Chris Tofu has been the music director and main programmer since day 1


11. Club DaDa Bestival
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Club Dada is our legendary Spiegel tent venue at Bestival! Welcome to a surreal world where the absurd is common place and where eccentricity isn’t just celebrated but elevated to performance art.


12. Electro Swing Club
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Our beloved music director Chris Tofu, in association with Nick Hollywood from White Mink, started the first Electro-Swing Club in the world in 2009. Since that time we have literally had every new electro swing act grace our stage and expanded that club to over 13 other countries from Holland to Hollywood. Chris is the resident DJ and had some of the greatest moments in the genres short history! The night still runs every 3rd Saturday of the month at the Bedroom Bar. Come and say hello!


13. London New Year’s Day Parade
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Continental Drifts have produced Lewisham Council’s entry in the London New Year’s Day Parade 2015 and 2016. This year’s theme was 30 Magical Years of the parade so we designed their Animal Magic themed float based on the Natural History Exhibition at the Horniman Museum., Our production won Lewisham second place in the London Borough Competition winning £7000 for Charity! Next year we’re going for first!


14. David Blaine Above The Below

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Working with BskyB to produce the opening and closing of this televised stunt shown across the world. David’s 44 days suspended in a glass box without food was a cult phenomena with thousands of pe14ople visiting and even camping on Londons South bank


15. JCPR/CAPCO Covent Garden

15/11/2007: Covent Garden is transformed into a spell-binding'Narnia-esque' Christmas Wonderland, to launch Christmas Deluxe, the most unique and lavish Christmas experience in London. There are events running throughout the Christmas period, for further details see www.christmas-deluxe.com

Property developers Capco purchased Covent Garden in 2007. We worked with their PR agency, JCPR to produce a series of newsworthy events that were designed to give Londoners a reason to re-visit.

Continental Drifts produced three world-class events for JCPR/Covent Garden including six weeks of Christmas performance programming, an August foodie night market and an autumn pumpkin celebration.


16. Sochi 2014 Olympic Bid

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Drifts were employed by Weber Shandwick to produce the Sochi 20014 Winter Olympic bid in London. We organized and managed a photo-shoot event where Maria Sharipova played tennis with a group of school children on a grass pitch surrounded by snow covered trees.


17. Channel Four Big Brother 2015 Launch
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18.  Global Local

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10 years and counting, Global Local is a ground breaking, Arts Council funded project for which we have been granted NPO status and that allows us to consistently brings some of the best, most ethnically diverse music around to festival stages throughout London and beyond.

From Roma to rumba, Latin beats to Afro funk, new folk to no folk, Global Local brings you the best emerging musical remix talent the UK has to offer!


19. London Remixed Festival 
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It’s Global Local’s annual showcase which brings performances from over 25 cutting edge bands and DJs across 4 stages over 2 days, all in one vibrant venue nested in the heart of Shoreditch.

Showcasing the best in Latin Grooves, Afrobeats, Tropical Bass, Vintage-Remix, Desert Remix, Balkan Beats, Urban Roots, Acoustic Soundclash and Brass Band Remix, The London Remix Festival is kicking global London into the future! Make sure to check out to come down to the 2017 edition on 3rd and 4th of February next year!


20. The Remix Space

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The Remix Space is a digital platform hosted on the Global Local website, where producers from all over the world and Global Local artists work together to produce unique new mash up’s of cultures, sounds and beats.

4 tracks are available to remix at any one time, with stems ready to download and remix competition running with the chance to win a digital release and a cash prize!

Go and remix the world now on www.globallocal.co.uk/remixspace


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