After a brief identity crisis, London's celebration of its best buildings is back. No longer a biennale - too confusing - or a humble week - too short - the London Festival of Architecture is a month-long programme of imaginative events, plus a bit of architecture for serious enthusiasts.

The festival, opened last week with a birthday speech by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, runs until July 20 and incorporates lots of art installations, some bike rides, a super-sized sitting room, an obscure Swiss dance troup called Da Motus! and plenty of food, including a jelly banquet.

Food - especially fresh food, fresh being the festival buzzword - is a main theme. The tenuous link between food and buildings is the growing concern over food miles and their adverse affect on our environment, both natural and urban. A multiple growbag installation shows how the homegrown food movement might develop within the confines of a city. Less green and more mouth-watering is the Great Hoxton Bake Off, a competitive application of architectural theory to cake-making.

Eggs and bacon are being served with serious debate at the Blueprint Big Breakfasts held in famous London restaurants and chaired by the likes of Janet Street-Porter, Jon Snow, Loyd Grossman and Julia Peyton-Jones, director of the Serpentine Gallery.

Johnson's speech at the festival launch party, held in the courtyard of Somerset House, was the first in which he commented on London's architecture as mayor. He name- checked his local Daniel Libeskind landmark on Holloway Road, made a few of his trademark classical references and compared himself to Augustus, the Roman Emperor who boasted of turning Rome from brick to marble.

Johnson informed the diverse crowd that he would be keeping Richard Rogers, Ken Livingstone's architectural adviser, on his team and said that he was not averse to skyscrapers if they were in the right context. He trumpeted the contrasts in London's architecture as the “genius” of its beauty and pleaded for ingenuity in taking London's landscape forward.

Hot picks

Wallpaper magazine is hosting Hauswork, a series of talks on the 21st-century townhouse.

The French art collective Exyzt is transforming Southwark Lido into conceptual Roman baths.

Scott King, former art director at i-D magazine, is creating an installation on hoardings in SE1.

David Chipperfield is lecturing on the King's Cross masterplan.

Screening the City is a series of films celebrating architecture.

www.lfa2008.org

Times recommends

• Second homes: credit crunch casualty or money-spinner?
• How I built my own sliding house
• Top 10 incentives for house buyers