🎪 Events Worth Building a Holiday Around
The carnivals, regattas and festivals that define their towns — each guide has places to stay nearest-first, where to eat, this year's ticketed events nearby, and a journey planner aimed at the gates.
📅 Early June · Appleby-in-Westmorland
Appleby Horse Fair
The largest traditional Gypsy and Traveller gathering in Europe — horses washed in the River Eden, h...
📅 Early November · Bridgwater
Bridgwater Carnival
The biggest illuminated carnival in Europe — vast light-covered carts that squibbing crews have buil...
📅 Early August · Cowes
Cowes Week
The world's longest-running sailing regatta: up to a thousand boats racing the Solent by day, firewo...
📅 August · Dawlish
Dawlish Carnival
A proper Devon seaside carnival week — airshow flypasts, a grand procession along the sea wall, raft...
📅 8 May · Helston
Helston Flora Day
The Furry Dance — couples in morning dress and ball gowns dancing through the streets, in and out of...
📅 August bank holiday · London
Notting Hill Carnival
Europe's biggest street festival: two days of mas bands, steel pan, sound systems and a parade route...
📅 May Day · Padstow
Padstow 'Obby 'Oss
Cornwall's oldest and strangest tradition: the red and blue 'osses dance through streets dressed in...
📅 Early August · Sidmouth
Sidmouth Folk Festival
One of Europe's longest-running folk festivals: a week of concerts, ceilidhs, morris dancing on the...
📅 September · St Ives
St Ives September Festival
Two weeks of music, art and poetry across the galleries, churches and pubs of the town with the best...
📅 April & late October · Whitby
Whitby Goth Weekend
Twice a year the town that inspired Dracula fills with extraordinary outfits, live bands and the fam...
What's on near you
Beyond the big set-piece events, 669 venues across the UK have 3,542 dates coming up — theatres, clubs, halls and pubs. Each venue has its own page with the dates, tickets, somewhere to eat first and bookable places to stay close enough to walk back to.
County Durham
124 on- Billy Bootleggers 21
- Cog And Wheel 10
- The Tyne Bridge 9
- PILGRIM 8
- World Headquarters 8
- Digital Newcastle 6
+34 more venues
Devon
105 on- Babbacombe Theatre 19
- Diocese Of Exeter 16
- Move Exeter 12
- Royal Albert Memorial Museum 9
- Kingswear Railway Station 8
- Buzz Bingo Torquay 6
+9 more venues
Cumbria
103 on- Old Fire Station 43
- St Martin's College 32
- The Brickyard 15
- The Source Collective 4
- The Milbourne Arms 4
- Carlisle Old Fire Station 3
+1 more venue
London
100 on- ATIK Romford 18
- Romford United Services Social Club 4
- Buzz Bingo Barkingside 3
- The Lyceum Theatre 2
- Gielgud Theatre 2
- Lingua Diversa Group 2
+63 more venues
Shropshire
97 on- The Harp 48
- St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury 27
- Taj Mahal 8
- Chirk Parish Hall 4
- Edge Arts Centre (The) 3
- Prees Village Hall 3
+2 more venues
Dorset
93 on- Canvas 23
- Christ Church, Weymouth 9
- Poole Methodist Church 9
- The Keep, Dorchester 9
- The Vault Nightclub 5
- Buzz Bingo Poole 5
+11 more venues
Norfolk
93 on- Norwich Castle 23
- Theatre Royal, Norwich 22
- Be At One Norwich 11
- The Adrian Flux Waterfront 9
- Epic Studios 5
- CTRL ROOM 4
+7 more venues
Northamptonshire
80 on- Delapre Abbey 30
- Silverstone Circuit 20
- Unit Nine 8
- MK11 LIVE MUSIC VENUE 7
- The Old Savoy Home Of The Deco Theatre 4
- The Black Prince 3
+4 more venues
Wiltshire
80 on- Salisbury Playhouse 22
- Salisbury Arts Centre 7
- Swindon Mechanics' Institute 7
- The Tunnels Frome 6
- Buzz Bingo Swindon 5
- Prestbury Sports Bar 5
+11 more venues
Lincolnshire
78 on- Lincoln Drill Hall 27
- High Street, Lincoln 27
- Buzz Bingo Lincoln 8
- STACK Lincoln 4
- Oatz And Co 3
- The Engine Shed 3
+3 more venues
Somerset
74 on- Glastonbury Abbey 25
- County Hall, Taunton 24
- Buzz Bingo Weston Super Mare 8
- Mambo 7
- The King Arthur 4
- Coal Orchard 3
+2 more venues
Essex
71 on- Buzz Bingo Colchester 11
- Colchester Castle 11
- Colchester Arts Centre 10
- St John's Abbey Gate, St John's Green, Colchester 7
- Hot Box Live Events Chelmsford 6
- Buzz Bingo Basildon 5
+9 more venues
Merseyside
69 on- DYSCO Liverpool 7
- FunnyBoyz Liverpool 5
- Arts Club 4
- The Benidorm Bar 4
- The Snug Coffee House 3
- Hot Water Comedy Club At Blackstock Market 3
+30 more venues
West Sussex
68 on- Sea Life Centre 8
- Madam Lola's Cabaret And Vaudeville 7
- Brighton Dome Corn Exchange 6
- Artista Cafe And Gallery 5
- The Volks Nightclub 5
- The Factory Live 3
+19 more venues
Yorkshire
68 on- White Rose Shopping Centre 7
- The York Dungeon 6
- York 5
- Chino Latino 4
- Lending Room 3
- The Bootlegger Leeds 3
+31 more venues