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Festivals in Great Britain: 2013

Jan 1 New Year's Day Britain
Jan 2 New Year's Holiday Scotland
Jan 25 Robert Burns Night Scotland
Feb 15–19 London Fashion Week London
Feb 16–24 Jorvik Viking Festival (costumed warriors, battles) York, England
March 1-10 Bath Literature Festival Bath, England
March 29 Good Friday England & Wales
March 31-April 1 Easter Sunday and Monday

Britain

May 6 Early May Bank Holiday Britain
May 9–12 Keswick Jazz Festival Keswick, England
May 21-25 Chelsea Flower Show Bath, England
May 24–June 9 Bath Fringe Festival (theater, walks, talks, alternative music) Bath, England
May 22–
June 2
Bath International Music Festival Bath, England
May 27 Spring Bank Holiday Britain
June 7-8 Keswick Beer Festival Keswick, England
June 15 Trooping the Colour (military bands and pageantry, Queen's birthday parade) London
June 18-22 Royal Ascot (horse races at Ascot Racecourse) near Windsor, England
June 20-23 Royal Highland Show (Scottish county fair) Edinburgh, Scotland
June 22-30 Golowan (Midsummer) Festival Penzance
June 24–July 7 Wimbledon Tennis Championship London
July 5-13 Early Music Festival York, England
July 9-14 International Eisteddfod (folk songs, dances) Llangollen, North Wales
July 25–28 Cambridge Folk Festival (buy tickets early) Cambridge, England
Aug 2-24 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (massing of pipe and drum bands) Edinburgh, Scotland
Aug 2-26 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (offbeat theater and comedy) Edinburgh, Scotland
Aug 5 Summer Bank Holiday Scotland (not England or Wales)
Aug 9–Sept 1 Edinburgh International Festival (music, dance, shows) Edinburgh, Scotland
Aug 25-26 Notting Hill Carnival (costumes, Caribbean music) London
Aug 26 Summer Bank Holiday England & Wales only (not Scotland)
Aug 30–Nov 3 Blackpool Illuminations (waterfront light festival) Blackpool, England
Sept 13-20 London Fashion Week London
Sept 13-21 Jane Austen Festival Bath, England
Sept 20-29 York Food Festival York, England
Nov 1 All Saints' Day Britain
Nov 5 Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night (fireworks, bonfires with effigy burning of 1605 traitor Guy Fawkes) Britain
Nov 9 Lord Mayor's Show (horse drawn coach parade and fireworks) London
Nov 30 St. Andrew's Day Scotland
Dec 24–26 Christmas holidays Britain
Dec 31–Jan 2 Hogmanay (Scottish New Year's celebration) Scotland

For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' Great Britain guidebook — or join us on one of our free spirited Britain tours.