British holiday

BRITISH HOLIDAYS

NEW YEAR’S DAY (1 JANUARY)

• On New Year’s Eve it’s traditional to celebrate midnight. There are parties across the country, with Edinburgh’s ‘Hogmany ’ being one of the biggest. New Year’s Day is a public holiday so expect the celebrations to last well into the night!

CHINESE NEW YEAR (LATE JANUARY - EARLY FEBRUARY)

• See food stalls, fireworks and dragon parades take over the streets of many UK cities to usher in the Chinese New Year. London’s celebration is the biggest outside of Asia, offering an explosion of colour, sounds and delicious aromas.

VALENTINE’S DAY (14 FEBRUARY)

• Take your sweetheart out for dinner and give them a Valentine’s card, chocolates or flowers to celebrate this day of romance. If you’re single, you might even receive an anonymous card from a secret admirer.

ST PATRICK’S DAY (17 MARCH)

• Celebrated by Irish communities all around the world, many UK cities host their own St Patrick’s Day events too. Dress in green, grab a pint of Guinness and head out with friends to join in the celebrations.

EASTER

• There are two bank holidays in Easter: Good Friday and Easter Monday. This Christian holiday is traditionally celebrated with a family meal, usually featuring roast lamb to mark the beginning of spring. Another delicious tradition is chocolate eggs - supermarkets offer a huge variety, from tiny ones to eggs the size of your head!

SUMMER SOLNICE (21 JUNE)

• Celebrate the longest day and shortest night of the year at the ancient monument of Stonehenge . Stand inside the monument facing northeast and you'll see the sun rise like a blazing fire – a sight that brings in pagans and sun-lovers of all beliefs.

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (LATE JUNE)

• Summer in the UK means music festival time.With its 175,000 revellers Glastonbury is the largest and most iconic. But from Wales’ Festival No.6 and Scotland’s T in the Park, to the new grass-roots festivals emerging across the country, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the festival season .

EID AL-FITR (JUNE/JULY )

• Marking the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslim communities in the UK. Each community usually has its own events, but Birmingham and London see some of the largest organised celebrations and feasts.

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE - ‘THE FRINGE ’ (AUGUST)

• features over 50,000 performances and more than 3,000 shows, over three weeks every August. As the world’s biggest arts festival it’s the place to go for stand-up comedy, dance, theatre, art exhibitions, circus, spoken word, opera and more.

NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL (LATE AUGUST )

• Held in London over August bank holiday weekend, Notting Hill is the biggest street carnival in Europe . Join two million carnival goers dancing to pumping calypso music and enjoying Caribbean food as they watch the high energy parade go by.

MANCHESTER PRIDE (LATE AUGUST )

• Pride events take place in UK cities over the year, and on August bank holiday weekend tens of thousands flock to Manchester to promote equality and celebrate LGBT life at The Big Weekend- a colourful 72-hour party with a flamboyant parade in the city centre.