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Camden may not have a climate like Hollywood, but this storied stretch of north-west London will soon be getting a touch of Tinseltown: its very own Music Walk of Fame.
From early 2019, the world’s greatest musicians will have their names literally set in stone along the mile of pavement between Chalk Farm and Mornington Crescent, with the first one-metre-square granite plaques being laid along Camden High Street from February. There are plans for a further 400 stones to be laid over the next 20 years.
Launched by local music promoter Lee Bennett and officially twinned with the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in LA, the Music Walk Of Fame will celebrate the London borough’s own 80-year musical heritage as well as celebrating international icons, influencers, industry innovators, unsung heroes and artists of the year, which will be selected by both music industry figures and fans.
It’s been in the works for more than a decade, and 2013 and 2017 were both previously suggested as opening dates. But the proposals are now finally with Camden Council for consideration. ‘After many years of teasing the project along, the timing is now right to move it forward,’ Bennett says. ‘We have an accommodating and progressive council with very supportive councillors and officers as well as a proud local community.’
And it’s not just slabs on the ground: for those more technologically inclined, a specially designed app accompanying the walk will let people explore it through augmented reality. You’ll be able to ‘watch’ each icon perform on the pavement, read about the people and places that made music history and do snazzy stuff like seeing Pink Floyd’s pig flying overhead.
Anyone not in London will be able to take a virtual trip through music history via the app – but for those of us lucky enough to live here, it’ll be a nice reminder of our status as the greatest city in the world. Even when it’s raining.
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