Londoners are being encouraged to put down their Blackberries, stop racing from one thing to the next, and take part in the first-annual Slow Down London festival. Starting April 24, the informal 10-day series of events includes wine tastings, poetry readings, and meditation workshops, according to the Financial Times.

The festival starts with The Big Slow Walk across London Bridge at rush hour on April 24 at 5 p.m., leaving from Embankment Gardens (free).

On April 24, poet Miriam Nash will lead a Snail Mail workshop, persuading people to use pen and paper for occasional personal letters instead of sending e-mails or texts. (2 p.m., The Gallery, Foyles Charing Cross, (free).

On Sunday afternoon May 3, sample at leisurely pace the fare for sale the Slow Food London Market at the stalls at Southbank Centre Square, all afternoon long. Then at 7 p.m., drop by the National Portrait Gallery for a quirky lecture from David Rooney, curator of timekeeping at Greenwich’s Royal Observatory, who helps set time for the world (free).

For details, visit Slow Down London.