Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in England
- Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the festival dates on the festival's website or with a local tourist information office. For more information about these and other events, contact the Visit Britain office.
- This list includes major festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout England. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays — keep it in mind when planning your itinerary. Note that this isn't a complete list; holidays can strike without warning.
- See upcoming holidays and festivals in Scotland, Wales, and across Europe
2019
July 19–21: Tramlines Festival, Sheffield (indie rock and more)
July 19–September 14: The Proms, London (series of classical-music performances in Royal Albert Hall)
August 1–4: Cambridge Folk Festival
August 2–4: Pride Festival, Brighton
August 10–18: Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival (Yorkshire)
August 24–26: Notting Hill Carnival, London (costumes, Caribbean music)
August 26: Summer Bank Holiday (closures)
August 30–November 3: Blackpool Illuminations (waterfront light festival)
September 1–30: Totally Thames, London (free events on the south bank of the Thames)
September 13–22: Heritage Open Days (free entry to many historical sights across England)
September 13–22: Jane Austen Festival, Bath
September 20–29: York Food and Drink Festival
October 2–13: BFI London Film Festival
November 5: Guy Fawkes Night (fireworks, bonfires, effigy-burning of 1605 traitor Guy Fawkes)
November 9: Lord Mayor's Show (traditional pageants in the City of London, including horse-drawn coach parades and fireworks)
November 11: Remembrance Sunday (two minutes of silence at 11:00, people wear poppies on lapels, royals lay wreaths at Cenotaph on Whitehall in London for WWI dead)
November 16: Glastonbury Carnival
Late November–mid-December: Christmas festivals, across Britain; York's St. Nicholas Fayre and Keswick's Victorian Fayre are especially fun (markets, music, entertainment)
December 24–26: Christmas holidays
2020
January 1: New Year's Day (closures)
February 14–18 (likely): London Fashion Week Festival
February 19–26 (likely): Jorvik Viking Festival, York (costumed warriors, battles)
Early April (1 day): Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race, southwest London
April 10–April 13: Easter Weekend (Good Friday through Easter Monday; closures)
April 30–May 10 (likely): Leeds International Festival (forward-looking arts and culture festival; includes Live at Leeds city-wide music festival on May 2)
Early May (2 days): Arcadia London (spectacle-filled giant rave)
Early May–early June (4 weeks): Plymouth History Festival
May 2–4: Chimney Sweeps Festival, Rochester (Morris dancers, northwest of Canterbury)
May 4: Early May Bank Holiday
May 7–10: Keswick Jazz Festival
May 19–23 (likely): Chelsea Flower Show, London
May 22–May 31 (likely): Bath Festival (music and literature)
May 22–June 7 (likely): Bath Fringe Festival (alternative music, dance, and theater)
May 24: Cooper's Hill Cheese Roll, Gloucester, Cotswolds
May 25: Spring Bank Holiday (closures)
June 6 (likely): Trooping the Colour, London (military bands and pageantry, Queen's birthday parade)
June 6–8 (likely): Keswick Beer Festival (music, shows)
Late June (4 days): Royal Ascot horse races, near Windsor
Late June: Golowan Festival, Penzance (midsummer celebration)
Late June (5 days): Glastonbury Festival, Somerset (indie pop/rock music)
Early July (1 day): London Pride Parade
Early July (9 days): Early Music Festival, York
Early July (2 weeks): Wimbledon Tennis Championship, London
July 3–5: Love Supreme, Sussex (jazz festival)
August 31: Summer Bank Holiday (closures)
November 5: Guy Fawkes Night (fireworks, bonfires, effigy-burning of 1605 traitor Guy Fawkes)
November 11: Remembrance Sunday (two minutes of silence at 11:00, people wear poppies on lapels, royals lay wreaths at Cenotaph on Whitehall in London for WWI dead)
Late November–mid-December: Christmas festivals, across Britain; York's St. Nicholas Fayre and Keswick's Victorian Fayre are especially fun (markets, music, entertainment)
December 24–26: Christmas holidays