On 29 June, RLSB launched London without Limits with a bang at the iconic Carnaby Street in London. Over 20 shops, restaurants and bars got involved, offering exclusive discounts and cool blindfolded events.
I’m Kevin, your London without Limits roving reporter and I spent all day at Carnaby enjoying the summer spirit and taking part in all the activities. I am here to report back, as a blind person, on my own highlights on what went down on the day.
Dozens of discounts and selfies in the sun
The day kicked off with the RLSB team setting up along Carnaby, handing out London without Limits leaflets, which gave shoppers access to exclusive discounts and information on the blindfolded events.
We also set up a foam board, for people to stick their heads through creating the illusion that they looked like the Queens Guards or a bulldog for them to take photos. Those who entered went into a draw to win a £200 Carnaby shopping spree.
At lunchtime, the offer of mega deals like 20% off at Señor Ceviche, and 25% off at Lomography, tempted many shoppers and we gave out leaflets like no tomorrow.
In the afternoon, shoppers were able to cool down with deals like free coke at Shinola, 2 for 1 on bubbly at Whyte and Brown and a refreshing free lemonade at Comptoir Libanais with a meal.
Blindfolds at the ready, for sensory events on the street
Events kicked off from 4:30pm and shoppers were treated to blindfolded Yoga at Triyoga, blindfolded arts and crafts at Carry Me Home, Smoothie tasting at Moosh Fruit, cocktail tasting at the Rum Kitchen and much, much more. Even the Puma’s got in on the blindfolded action!
The first event I tried was blindfolded smoothie tasting with my colleague Lauren at Moosh Fruit. I donned my blindfold and was guided inside. First thing I noticed was the zesty aroma of an enticing blend of fruits and vegetables. The sweetness of pineapples, contrasted against kiwis and cucumbers. The vendor explained he would concoct three different drinks for us, and the challenge was for us to guess the flavours.
It was fascinating because even though I’m totally blind I have light perception, and being robbed of that by wearing a blindfold I felt really focused my sense of taste. I usually know if something’s good or not, but I’m no pro at guessing all the flavours, and I got most of them right this time!
Next up, we created some buzz on the street by rounding up passers-by, and asking them to put on blindfolds for a mass group shot (which you can see at the top of the page!) When the blindfolds went on, the noise level rose, with people chatting to one another, explaining where they were and where they thought the camera was. It created a real sense of teamwork and was great fun.
#BlindfoldBeautician challenge
Over 30 people gathered at Benefit ranging from members of the public, vision impaired women and beauty bloggers to local workers from the area. All came to hear blind beauty blogger and founder of YouTube channel Yesterdays Wishes, Lucy Edwards, talk about the importance beauty and fashion to a blind young person, the confidence and self-esteem this can bring, and some top tips on how she goes about applying make-up.
She also launched the #BlindfoldBeautician challenge, which had people putting on a blindfold, applying make-up to a friend, snapping a picture and then sharing the results on social media – and of course, donating £3 by texting LONDON to 70111 to support blind young Londoners. Find out more about how you can take part in the challenge.
I had a go at being Jenny’s #BlindfoldBeautician and doing her lipstick which, as you can imagine, was a first for me! See how I got on here:
Dinner in the dark
The evening rounded off for me with blindfolded dinner at Kua ‘Aina. They got right into the spirit, turning the lights out in the downstairs seating area of the restaurant. Each table had a little candle burning, and everyone received a blindfold to wear.
The waiters read the menus, which is something that regularly occurs at restaurants that don’t have braille menus, so it felt like a very authentic experience. The free dessert was a sweet and welcome touch at the end of a fab day.
My only regret was that I couldn’t try everything; it was great to see the stores taking up the events with bags of enthusiasm. Dr Martens staff were spotted serving customers in blindfolds, and you could win a pair of boots in store if you snapped a blindfolded photo in their booth!
Watch out for our video round-up of the day coming soon!
For more blindfolded fun throughout July, don’t forget to check out our London without Limits events page, and make sure you book ASAP, as tickets for events are going fast!
Tune into my next blog, where you’ll get the low-down from the Moonrising Music Without Limits gig.