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
2018
August 31–November 4: Blackpool Illuminations (waterfront light festival)
September 21–30: York Food and Drink Festival
October 10–21: BFI London Film Festival
November 5: Guy Fawkes Night (fireworks, bonfires, effigy-burning of 1605 traitor Guy Fawkes)
November 10: 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 17: Glastonbury Carnival
Late November–early 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
2019
January 1: New Year's Day (closures)
February 20–27: Jorvik Viking Festival, York (costumed warriors, battles)
February 21–24: London Fashion Week Festival
April 7: Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race, southwest London
April 19–April 22: Easter Weekend (Good Friday through Easter Monday; closures)
May 2–12: Leeds International Festival (forward-looking arts and culture festival; includes Live at Leeds city-wide music festival on May 4)
Early May (weekend): Arcadia London (spectacle-filled giant rave)
Early May (weekend): Chimney Sweeps Festival, Rochester (Morris dancers, northwest of Canterbury)
Early May–early June (4 weeks): Plymouth History Festival
May 6: Early May Bank Holiday
May 9–12: Keswick Jazz Festival
May 17–June 2: Bath Festival (music and literature)
May 21–25: Chelsea Flower Show, London
May 24–June 9: Bath Fringe Festival (alternative music, dance, and theater)
May 26: Cooper's Hill Cheese Roll, Gloucester, Cotswolds
May 27: Spring Bank Holiday (closures)
June 8–9: Keswick Beer Festival (music, shows)
June 15: Trooping the Colour, London (military bands and pageantry, Queen's birthday parade)
June 18–22 (likely): Royal Ascot horse races, near Windsor
June 21–30: Golowan Festival, Penzance (midsummer celebration)
June 26–30: Glastonbury Festival, Somerset (indie pop/rock music)
July 1–14: Wimbledon Tennis Championship, London
July 5–7: Love Supreme, Sussex (jazz festival)
July 5–13: Early Music Festival, York
July 6 (likely): London Pride Parade
July 12–September 7 (likely): The Proms, London (series of classical-music performances in Royal Albert Hall)
July 19–21: Tramlines Festival, Sheffield (indie rock and more)
August 1–4: Cambridge Folk Festival
August 2–4 (likely): Pride Festival, Brighton
August 10–18 (likely): Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival (Yorkshire)
August 24–26: Notting Hill Carnival, London (costumes, Caribbean music)
August 26: Summer Bank Holiday (closures)
September 1–30 (likely): 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 (likely): Jane Austen Festival, Bath