A four-year Cultural Olympiad of the London 2012 Games will be launched with a special weekend of events at the end of September.

The nationwide Open Weekend, between 26 and 28 September, will feature more than 500 events around the UK, showcasing British creativity in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics.

Highlights of the weekend will include museums and galleries, such as The Discovery Museum in Newcastle, and the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth, opening up their stores to visitors for the first time.

Tate Britain in London will present a special 'Olympic Hour', with a number of well-known sports people, including Sebastian Coe, replacing a regular team of sprinters in the Turner Prize-winning Work No 580.

Events will also be held in locations across Britain, including Lincoln, Windsor and Weymouth.