National holidays in Great Britain. UK Festivals. Famous festivals and national celebrations
Everyone knows with what sublime metaphors poets love to glorify the foggy Albion. Think about what associations come to your mind when you hear about Great Britain? I think, for the most part, the Queen, the Tower, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, pubs, rain, fog and so on on the list. What associations should arise in the head of a fan of good music? That's right, festivals. 
The festival, as one of the most interesting events, has already firmly established itself as an important item in the entertainment program of many music fans. Even if you're not a huge fan of a particular band or singer, you can have a great time lounging in the sun and expanding your musical tastes by soaking up the music that reaches your ears.
The UK is the best place to visit music festivals and see the country at the same time. Therefore, I would like to present to your attention the largest and most interesting festivals.
1.Leeds And Reading
A double festival where you can hear your favorite performers. One of the oldest festivals in the world. The main directions are punk, rock, alternative, metal and, of course, soul-warming indie. Leeds And Reading is especially famous for the fact that the band Nirvana gave their last UK concert here in 1992, and the band's leader, Kurt Cobain, went on stage in a wheelchair.
Where: Leeds and Reading respectively, England
When: end of August, it is better to check the dates on the official website.
Who: Classic British rock, the best of those musicians that Foggy Albion gave us. Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Franz Ferdinand, Iron Maiden The Killers, Oasis, Blur and many others
2.Glastonbury
Also popularly known as Glasto, it is one of the main music events of the year in the UK, as is Leeds. The number of people who come here for a “musical holiday” is almost 150,000. You must agree, this is not a small number. According to the number of visitors and the scope of the festival.
Where: a few kilometers from Glastonbury, England
When: last weekend of June.
Who: the same classic representatives of British rock Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, as well as The Prodidgy, Pendulum, The Verve, and in 2009 Lady Gaga performed at the festival
3.Mathew Street Music Festival
One of the largest festivals of so-called free music. You can come here to expand the boundaries of your musical tastes and hear many new bands from Canada, Italy, France and other countries. Another definite plus is that, unlike the previous two, Mathew Street Music Festival is free. Moreover, it began its existence as a festival dedicated to the music of the Beatles.
Where: Mathew Street, Liverpool, England
When: last weekend of August.
Who: The participants change every year, it is unlikely that you will find super-popular groups here. However, ACDC has been announced for 2012, so this event should not be missed.
4.Download Festival
A two-day festival for true connoisseurs of heavy music. This is where it’s worth having a blast. On several stages you can find music for truly sophisticated listeners. Download is a fairly young festival; it was first held in 2003. But even then the headliners were the monsters and fathers of heavy metal Iron Maiden. If this name means something to you, then you can safely go to this festival.
Where: Donington Park Circuit, England
When: end of spring
Who: 30 seconds to mars, Korn, Alice Cooper, Pendulum, Rob Zombie, Def Leppard, Linkin Park, in general list is very diverse, and if you are interested, you can hear the new recruits who have joined the ranks of the army of heavy music.
5. The ‘V’ festival
A relatively young festival compared to Glasto and Leeds, however, it has managed to win the hearts of music lovers. As is customary, it takes place over two days.
Where: Chelmsford and Staffordshire at the same time. This interesting feature. You can choose the city that is more interesting to you, comparing it with your musical tastes, of course.
When: penultimate weekend of August
Who: all the popular British performers, here you have Lily Allen and The Killers in one bottle. In general, the choice is more than varied.
In general, the number of music festivals held in the UK is very large. And this applies not only to rock or pop music. Do you like jazz? So Glasgow is your destination. Moreover, music festivals on Foggy Albion are carried out almost all year round. But, of course, only in the summer outdoors you can get a huge number of impressions, and not only musical ones, meet new people and just have a great time. After all, a music festival is a special atmosphere and special emotions that you will not experience anywhere else.
In the country a large number of festivals and holidays, the vast majority of them musical or sports.
Celtic culture and music festivals open Festival New Year, they take place from January 13th and last until the end of January in the city of Glasgow, this is in Scotland. As you imagine, the main actors there will be men in Celtic skirts playing bagpipes. These days, more than two hundred cultural events will take place in Glasgow, in which both British performers and from the USA, Canada, France, and Spain will take part.
Valentine's Day February 14 is a popular holiday in the UK, flowers, especially red roses and valentines with the obligatory inscription “To You, with Love from Valentine” (with Love from Valentine) required attributes this event. As we all know, Valentines are simply cards with hearts and words of love or friendship.
Following Valentine's Day comes St David's Day The first of March is a cultural and patriotic holiday for all residents of Wales. The holiday is celebrated in the city of Cardiff; on this day it is customary to wear national clothes, a traditional holiday dish is leek soup. Even the Empire State Building will be illuminated in green, red and white on this day, but this will be in New York.
Another Saint's day, this time Patrick's celebrated on the seventeenth of March. This Irish holiday is widely celebrated in many European countries, as well as in the USA and Canada. Costume parades with brass instruments take place throughout the cities of Great Britain. The symbol of this day is everywhere green color, which is present everywhere and in everything from green clothes to green beer.
If we celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th, then in the UK there is a similar analogue - mothers Day, it is usually celebrated on the eighteenth of March or on the next day off, namely the fourth Sunday of Lent. On this day, all women, and especially mothers, rest, and all of them hard work They are performed by children or husbands. Families in the UK go out to restaurants or stay home for a festive dinner with a traditional treat - simnel cake, decorated with 12 marzipan balls. It is mandatory to congratulate your mothers, no matter where you are. If you are a foreign tourist, you can also congratulate yours at home, perhaps it will be an educational surprise for your mother.
pay attention to first of April in UK, only the laziest can avoid making fun of friends and friends; jokes usually take place only in the first half of the day, but in Scotland this holiday lasts two days. The second of April is called Tail Day here, you can put buttons or devices that make indecent sounds in society, you can also discreetly stick a sticker on the back of the poor fellow with the call - Give me a kick. Remember that these days the best joke is the one that the fool laughs at.
Preceded Catholic Easter Good Friday , on this day many institutions and companies may not work; services and prayer services are held in churches. On the first full moon Sunday after spring equinox Between 22 March and 25 April Easter is widely celebrated in the UK. For all British people this is the most important holiday, the festive table is decorated with Easter cake (simnel cake) and colored eggs, a more serious appetizer is baked lamb with vegetables, and on Sunday mornings for tea you can always try hot cross buns. Friends or relatives in the UK are given both real painted eggs and, for example, chocolate or souvenir eggs, as well as other sweets. Easter eggs, symbol of new life - traditional attribute Easter, this is great fun for children. And it consists of finding these eggs, which the kids themselves had painted the day before. Children are absolutely sure that they left the eggs somewhere along with the basket and other sweets at night. Easter Bunny. Children's competitions to find eggs are fun; the one who finds the most eggs will receive the main prize of the holiday. But the main festive events take place, of course, in churches and temples in Great Britain, with services held in the morning and organ music concerts in the evening. Be sure to wear this day new clothes, as a symbol of the end of the season bad weather and the approach of summer.
Queen Elizabeth II's birthday is celebrated on April 21st both at Windsor Castle and throughout Britain.
Virgin London Marathon marathon in London, in which everyone can take part on April 22. The distance is quite serious 26.2 miles, after which there are street performances, festivities, snacks in pubs. The race is paid, you must first make a cash contribution, which is later transferred to charity. More than fifteen thousand participants take part in the marathon every year; other Londoners who do not want to run take part in street performances, for which they prepare in advance.
Walpurgis Night – pagan holiday, is widely celebrated in Great Britain on the night from the thirtieth of April to the first of May. According to legend, the witches' Sabbath takes place on Mount Brocken in Germany, and in Great Britain there should be wilderness and bonfires.
Beltane celebrated on the first of May, the holiday of driving cattle to summer pastures. On the same day, the Rochester Chimney Sweep Festival takes place in England, a colorful procession with dancing. This profession is still in demand, since the country has many ancient buildings that require specific care. Meeting a chimney sweep is considered great happiness; chimney sweeps are often invited to weddings.
The Whiskey Festival takes place on the third of May in the UK., a particularly large-scale action takes place in Speyside (Spirit of Speyside Whiskey Festival) in Scotland. Moreover, it is followed by other similar festivals throughout the summer, the final one being the Autumn Speyside Whiskey Festival in September. As for the city of Speyside, there are more than a hundred whiskey distilleries. Of course, the most interesting part of the festival is the tasting of this exquisite drink, including especially aged and rare varieties. Collectors meet here, producers exchange experiences, but at the same time keep their secrets. You can attend national Scottish parties, dinners at distilleries, take part in competitions (quick barrel construction), visit exhibitions, whiskey museums and folk music evenings. By the way, Saint Patrick is considered the inventor of whiskey.
May holidays in Great Britain take place in cities with street processions and festivities, but May Day has a medieval twist.
Spring Bank Holiday in the UK celebrated on the last Monday of May. As usual, festivals or new exhibitions open in many UK cities on this day.
Birthday of the English Monarch celebrated on the first and second Saturday of June. On this day, the national flag is hung on buildings, and a ceremonial parade is held at the residence of the British kings in Whitehall.
Scottish Independence Day is celebrated on June 24th. On these same days, as usual, the Wimbledon tennis tournament starts, which becomes the main event in the country for two weeks.
Edinburgh Fringe Arts Festival Held annually in early August. The festival presents all types of arts - from musicals to comedy, from opera to dance.
Peterborough Beer Festival takes place on the twentieth of August. More than forty thousand people visit the festival every year.
The Battle of Trafalgar Day is celebrated in the UK on October 21st. the Royal Navy's victory over the combined fleet of France and Spain at the Battle of Trafalgar. Today you can admire the naval parade, the procession from London's Mall to Trafalgar Square.
All Saints' Day in Great Britain celebrated, as throughout the world, on the first of November, and Halloween is widely celebrated the night before.
UK holidays and events 2019: the most important festivals and highlights, national holidays and events in the UK. Photos and videos, descriptions, reviews and timings.
- Last minute tours to the UK
- Tours for May Worldwide
February 17 - 21, 2019 London Fashion Week
Every year over 200 British fashion designers present their new collections here. Among them are both world-famous figures and aspiring artists. Applications are accepted for the general exhibition and two special sections: the first is dedicated to clothing made from exotic materials, the second - to the works of emerging designers.
June 26 – 30, 2019 Glastonbury Festival
July 8 – 10, 2019 T in the Park Festival
July 21 - 24, 2019 Isle of Wight Festival
August 2, 2019 Fringe Festival
August 3 – 7, 2019 Peterborough Beer Festival
August 19 – 26, 2019 Glyndebourne Festival
October 31, 2019 Halloween
November 5, 2019 Guy Fawkes Night
November 10 – 20, 2019 Pirate Week
November 21, 2019 – January 4, 2020German Christmas Market in Hyde Park
- Next page Track.
The British love May; there are many holidays and festivals during this month: in May they honor chimney sweeps, organize a whiskey festival, or simply celebrate May Day, choosing the king and queen of the month.
So, on the first of May in England there is a colorful procession with dancing in honor of the grimy, but never despondent people with ladders, ropes and brooms. “My Lord” leads the procession, followed by Jack-in-the-Green, a boy decorated with leaves and branches, teenage clowns somersaulting in front of him, followed by lords and ladies. At the end there is “milady”, who collects the “treasury”. Jack-in-the-Green represents the spirit of spring and the forest.
Apart from Easter, Christmas and New Year, all UK holidays fall on Mondays. This is how the British diplomatically solved the problem of a “hard day.”
In May, Scotland hosts a whiskey festival: before ordinary people The doors of factories open, which you usually can’t get into, of course. And most importantly, during the festival there are tastings of the drink that the Scots are so proud of. On May Day, a medieval carnival is held on the streets, ruled by a king and queen - they are chosen by the residents themselves. On the last Monday of May, residents of Great Britain have a spring day off: everything around is decorated with fresh flowers, people dance and sing in the streets. Every year, during three weeks in August, the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, welcomes guests and participants of the world's largest arts festival, the Fringe.
The Fringe festival hosts 32 thousand performances and more than 2 thousand different shows, for which more than 250 venues are equipped throughout the city.
Another interesting holiday celebrated in Great Britain is Apple Day. It is celebrated on October 21 or the weekend closest to this date. On this day you can try hundreds of different varieties of apples, some of which are not sold in regular stores. Also among holiday dishes- apple pies, fruit and vegetable seasonings, cider. And, of course, the holiday is not complete without games and competitions. For example, you can shoot apples with a bow or try your hand at a competition for the most long strip peels.
The longest apple peel entered into the Guinness Book of Records. American Katie Wolfer peeled an apple for 11 hours and 30 minutes and obtained a peel 52 meters 51 centimeters long. The record was set on October 16, 1976 in New York.
Hundreds of festivals are held in the UK every year, covering different genres of music. Their main advantage is the opportunity to see dozens of bands and performers in a few days, make friends and truly have a blast.
The first major music festivals began to be held in England in the 1960s, following the success of Woodstock in the United States. Many events initially had a different style than they acquired later. So, Reading festival was called National Jazz and Blues Festival, and Glastonbury festival was first held in 1970 under the name Pilton Pop, Blues & Folk Festival. Over time, a wide variety of events have emerged for lovers of a wide variety of musical styles.
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is held near the village of Pilton in Somerset at Worthy Farm. This is the world's largest festival under open air. Today, this event brings together incredibly spectacular concerts of rock and pop artists on the main stage (Pyramid stage), secondary stage (Other stage) and entertainment at dozens of other venues. Every year Glasto brings together the most interesting and relevant performers. IN different time Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Neil Young, The Cure, U2, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, Muse and many other British and foreign groups and performers have performed here. The festival also includes art exhibitions, circus performances, etc.
Today Glastonbury is a five-day festival. Traditionally it takes place at the very end of June, from Wednesday to Sunday. Ticket prices increase every year and in 2015 are £225. Most spectators are accommodated in tent camps for these five days. There are also small hotels in the surrounding area that offer accommodation with amenities, but they are located at a fair distance from the festival site.
Shambhala
Shambhala, unlike Glastonbury, is a small English music festival. The event program is no less interesting. It brings together performers of rock, pop, folk and ethnic music. During the festival days there is also a demonstration of independent films, debate platforms, an organic food fair, various master classes. This festival can be visited with children: there is a rich program for them.
Shambhala lasts several days. The specific location of the event is never announced in advance, but the event is always held in Northamptonshire. The 2015 event will take place from 27 to 30 August and tickets cost £150.
T in the Park
This is a Scottish music festival that has been held annually since 1994 in early or mid-June. From 2015 the event will take place at Strathallan Castle. The festival lasts three days and brings together interesting events and performances by musicians on various stages: Main Stage, Stage 2, NME Stage, Slam Tent, King Tut’s Tent, etc. Here you can listen to pop, rock, Indian, electronic, folk performers, as well as drink beer brewed especially for the festival and stay in equipped hotel tents. Entry fees for adults cost around £200 for the whole weekend, and accommodation costs around £1500-2000 for two, with camping also available.
Useful Expressions and Words
Line-up– performers performing at the festival
Gate– entrance “doors”, entrance to the festival
Headliner– the last final day and the most anticipated performer
Facilities– services, base (facilities), infrastructure
Dance tent– tent/tent where dance music plays and DJs perform
Booze tent– tent/tent where alcohol is sold
Gig- concert, performance
Set / DJ set– DJ set, DJ performance
Banging tunes– great/rocking music/melodies
Porter loo– portable, portable toilets used at festivals (they do not have the best reputation, they are considered to be constantly dirty and smelly)
Walk-in medical center- first aid station, first aid station
There are many traditions and holidays in Great Britain that are not found in other countries. The British people's commitment to tradition is manifested not only in politics, but literally at every step, in the most ordinary life. The British, contrary to logic and common sense adhere to their system of measures and weights (in a pub - an English brasserie - you will always be served a pint, not half a liter! of beer), driving on the left, traditions in nutrition (English breakfast is strikingly different from the so-called continental breakfast - a cup of coffee and a bun with jam - its solidity and thoroughness). Tea with milk has long been the national drink of the British, their indispensable daily “five o’clock tea” - “five-o-clock” - is not just a strictly established meal time, but, above all, an occasion for communication with relatives, friends, and colleagues. This famous English tradition became widespread in Europe and the USA. Sometimes a tribute to tradition is not just decoration. If you see a guard in an operetta room near Edinburgh Castle, in the eyes of a modern European, Scottish skirt, then the carbine in his hands is not a toy at all. And the Scots Guardsman himself is not an actor hired to entertain tourists, but a member of the guard company military service a young man, necessarily from the ancient Gordon family, who has long been granted the privilege of guarding the castle of the kings of Scotland. The old-fashioned cabs and omnibuses on the streets of London are just as functional, and the clerks hurrying into the City of London in the morning carry all the folders with papers in their arms - they despise briefcases just like their predecessors a hundred years ago. Apart from Easter, Christmas and New Year, all holidays in the UK fall strictly on a Monday. “They should take Mondays and cancel them” - this seems to be about other islanders. New Year— January 1st, celebrated with family with traditional apple pie. Easter is always celebrated in April; organ music concerts are held in Catholic churches on this day. Easter Monday - on this day it is customary to congratulate each other on Easter, give gifts, and give candy and toys to children on the streets. There is also a flower show in April featuring some of the UK's best gardeners. As part of this exhibition, a competition is being held to compile the best bouquet. If you're in the UK in May, you'll have the opportunity to take part in folk festivals and a costumed street parade held on the first Monday of May ( May holiday). On the last Monday of May, Spring Bank Holiday is celebrated - on the streets decorated with garlands of flowers you can taste real English roast beef. May is the most favorite month of the British; for almost all thirty days an atmosphere of fun and elation reigns. In May, it will be interesting to visit the local Rochester chimney sweep festival. The beginning of June is marked by the opening of the Royal Regatta in Henley (30 km from Oxford). June: International Animation Festival. The world's leading animators gather at Cardiff's St David's Hall and other venues in the city centre. Fans of classical and church music are advised to visit the City of London Arts Festival and the Chichester Church Music Festival in July. Also in July there is an international dance and music festival.
Very interesting Royal National holiday in Aberystwyth, which takes place on August 12th. A theatrical performance takes place on the streets of the city.
The best of Wales's aspiring poets read their poems, a fair of art, antiques, and samples of Welsh folk art. July - August: Cardiff Summer Festival. A festival of "street entertainment" when the entire city turns into a "place for walking": concerts, carnivals, the Lord Mayor's Parade and an international street theater festival. August Bank Holiday is celebrated on the last Monday of August. The townspeople try to spend this day in nature. An unforgettable sight is the Druid ceremony during the period autumn equinox(September 22nd). In October, Nottingham hosts a fun celebration of the nice guy Robin Hood, with many competitions, attractions, games and gifts that will replace your children's nightly fairy tale for a long time. Halloween is celebrated on October 31st. Every year on this day, the city streets are transformed into a fairy tale, witches in pointed hats move along them, an old woman walks with a sharpened scythe, devils with pitchforks and other cute kids walk around. The faces of orange pumpkins look out with empty eye sockets from everywhere - from shop windows, from the windows of houses, and in the evening they are illuminated by candles inserted inside, and everyone around them rejoices: Halloween has come! For lovers thrills in November there is a vintage car race along the route London - Brighton November - December: international music festival. 2nd half of September: Cardiff Music Festival. Christmas is celebrated on December 25th, and our favorite holiday is Boxing Day on December 26th. On this day, if you find yourself visiting, you should definitely give souvenirs to the owners of the house, and sweets to the children. After the noisy Christmas holidays, Christmas Day of Rest is held on December 27th.
