Study, work or travel in the UK. British
culture and life.
Things to do in the UK in August 2009
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Study, work or travel in the UK. British
culture and life.
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Things to do in the UK in August 2009
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AUGUST
2009
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 Seaside fun (Brighton) |
 Harvest time (Somerset)
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| Fri 17 Jul - Sat 12 Sep 2009 |
Proms, Central London The BBC Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. A series of classical concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall. See: For full details, see the BBC's Proms website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms. * Further information: Life/Entertainment/Concerts |
| Sun 26 Jul - Wed 30 Sep 2009 |
Summer opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace,
Central London While the Queen visits Scotland each summer, it is possible to buy a ticket to see the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace. To buy a ticket: click here. * Further information: Travel/Tours/London/BuckinghamPalace |
| Sat 1 Aug - Sat 8 Aug 2009 |
National Eisteddfod of Wales, Meirion A week-long Welsh festival of singing, music and dance, including competitions between the various categories of Welsh choir. Each year this event takes place in a different part of Wales: in 2009 it will be in the Meirion area. For full details, see: http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english * Guide to Wales: Travel/Tours/Wales |
| Sat 1 Aug 2009 | Brighton Pride: Carnival Parade, Brighton A free event in Brighton organised by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. The Carnival Parade starts at Madeira Drive at 11am and finishes in Preston Park at about 1pm. Entertainment continues in Preston Park until the early evening. See: http://www.brightonpride.org * Photos from the Pride London event: Ideas/Album/Pride * Guide to visiting Brighton: Travel/Tours/England/Brighton |
| Sun 2 Aug 2009 | Carnaval del Pueblo, South London Free Latin American festival. The event starts with a street procession from Elephant Road (nearest Tube: Elephant & Castle; map) to Burgess Park (nearest Tube: Elephant & Castle; map) from noon to 2pm (the route followed is: Elephant Road - Walworth Road - Camberwell Road - Albany Road - Burgess Park). This is followed by concerts until after 9pm in Burgess Park (including a special celebration of Brazilian Day). See: http://www.carnavaldelpueblo.co.uk and http://www.braziliandaylondon.co.uk * Photos from this event: Ideas/Album/CarnavalDelPueblo |
| Mon 3 Aug 2009 | Summer Bank Holiday, Scotland A public holiday in Scotland, but not in England or Wales. |
| Mon 3 Aug - Sun 9 Aug 2009 |
Robin Hood Festival, near Nottingham Medieval festival in Sherwood Forest - according to legend, Robin Hood was based here during the reign of King John, robbing from the rich to give to the poor. Entertainment includes displays of archery, falconry and jousting, as well as storytelling, music, juggling and jesting. For details, see: http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/robinhoodfestival. |
| Mon 3 Aug - Sat 3 Oct 2009 |
Houses of Parliament Summer Opening, Central London During the summer break for Parliament it is possible to buy a ticket for a 75-minute guided tour of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. See: http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visitingandtours/summeropening.cfm * Further information: Travel/Tours/London/Parliament |
 Summer Opening of Parliament |
| Tue 4 Aug - Sat 8 Aug 2009 |
Great British Beer Festival, West London Drink, music and other entertainment. This is held at Earls Court (nearest tube station: Earls Court on the District line). See: http://www.gbbf.org (or http://www.camra.org.uk). * British pubs and drinks: Britain/Food/Pubs |
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 Great British Beer Festival |
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| Thu 5 Aug 2009 | Scottish Higher results, Scotland Scottish Higher exam results are published in Scotland. Students who have received offers from Scottish universities but whose grades are not high enough can enter a process known as clearing, which tries to match them with available places. See: http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/importantdates or http://www.sqa.org.uk |
| Thu 6 Aug - Sun 9 Aug 2009 |
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, Bristol Europe's largest hot air balloon festival, with over 100 balloons taking part. For details, see: http://www.bristolfiesta.co.uk |
| Fri 7 Aug - Tue 11 Aug 2009 |
The Ashes: 4th Test, Leeds England play Australia in the fourth of 5 cricket matches, this time at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds * Cricket: Life/Sport/Cricket |
| Fri 7 Aug - Mon 31 Aug 2009 |
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Entertainers perform shows in hundreds of venues across Edinburgh. For details, see: http://www.edfringe.com. * Photos of Edinburgh: Travel/Tours/Scotland/Edinburgh |
| Fri 7 Aug - Sat 29 Aug 2009 |
Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh A daily show outside the walls of Edinburgh Castle - a mixture of marching bands, dance and spectacle. * Photos/further information about this event: Ideas/Album/Tattoo |
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| Fri 14 Aug - Sun 6 Sep 2009 |
The Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh A major annual festival of classical music, theatre, opera and dance in Edinburgh. For details, see: http://www.eif.co.uk. * Photos of Edinburgh: Travel/Tours/Scotland/Edinburgh |
| Sat 15 Aug - Sun 16 Aug 2009 |
Canary Wharf Jazz Festival, London Free jazz concerts in Jubilee Park, Canary Wharf (nearest Tube/DLR station: Canary Wharf; map), from 1-9pm on Saturday and 1-7pm on Sunday. See: http://www.mycanarywharf.com/whats-on |
| Sun 16 Aug 2009 | London Mela, West London A free celebration of Indian subcontinent cultures from 1-8:30pm in Gunnersbury Park, Ealing (nearest Tube: Acton Town; map). There is music and dancing on several stages around the park. There are hundreds of stalls selling food and other goods. See: http://www.londonmela.org (see also http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/asian_london or http://www.ealing.gov.uk) |
 London Mela: a celebration ... |
 ... of the cultures of the Indian subcontinent |
| Sat 17 Aug - Sun 22 Aug 2009 |
Shoreditch Festival, London Festival in Shoreditch Park (nearest Tube: Old Street or Liverpool Street; map) See: http://www.shoreditchfestival.org.uk |
| Thu 20 Aug 2009 | A Level results, England & Wales A Level results are published. Students who have received offers from universities but whose grades are not high enough can enter a process known as clearing, which tries to match them with available places. See: http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/importantdates or http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_4130.aspx |
| Thu 20 Aug - Mon 24 Aug 2009 |
The Ashes: 5th Test, London England play Australia in the last of 5 cricket matches, this time at the Oval cricket ground in London [England won the match, and won the series 2-1] * Cricket: Life/Sport/Cricket |
| Mon 22 Aug - Mon 21 Sep 2009 |
Ramadan Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. It lasts about 30 days, starting and ending with an official sighting of the new moon. Healthy Muslims who follow this tradition are not supposed to eat or drink between dawn and sunset during Ramadan - they eat meals just before and after these times. It is also a spiritual time: Muslims are encouraged to pray, to do good deeds (avoiding bad behaviour, thoughts or sights), and if possible to spend time with family members. For information about times when the new moon is expected to be visible in different parts of the UK, see: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/ramadan |
| Sat 22 Aug - Sun 23 Aug 2009 |
V Festival, Chelmsford and Birmingham Weekend music festival at Hylands Park near Chelmsford and Weston Park near Birmingham. See: http://www.vfestival.com * UK rock festivals: Life/Entertainment/Festivals |
| Fri 28 Aug - Sun 30 Aug 2009 |
Reading Festival / Leeds Festival, Reading &
Leeds Weekend music festival both at Reading and at Leeds. See: http://www.readingfestival.com and http://www.leedsfestival.com. * UK rock festivals: Life/Entertainment/Festivals |
| Sat 29 Aug 2009 | South West Four, South London Music festival on Clapham Common. See: http://www.southwestfour.com * UK rock festivals: Life/Entertainment/Festivals |
| Sun 30 Aug 2009 | Get Loaded in the Park, South London Music festival on Clapham Common. See: http://www.getloadedinthepark.com * UK rock festivals: Life/Entertainment/Festivals |
| Sun 30 Aug - Mon 31 Aug 2009 |
Notting Hill Carnival, West London A free colourful street festival in London, from 12 noon to 7pm both on Sunday and on Monday (a public holiday in the UK). This is one of Europe's largest carnivals, attended by up to a million people each year. Sunday is known as Children's Day. This day is less crowded, so you may be able to get a better view of the procession and find it easier to leave afterwards. The main event is on Monday: it can get extremely crowded. The procession route is along Great Western Road, Chepstow Road, Westbourne Grove and Ladbroke Grove. Bus and Tube services in the area will be disrupted on Sunday and Monday. For details, check the Transport for London website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk Some hints: - Take a map of the area, so that you can go there and get back easily (note that many of the bus and Tube services in the area will not stop in the carnival area). Check the maps on the carnival websites for the route of the march and for the location of toilets (these will be quite basic; take your own toilet paper). - Use sunscreen (you may be in the sun a long time) - Consider protecting your ears, as the music can be loud (tissue paper can work well) - Be very careful with your belongings, as there will be pickpockets there. If possible, just carry a small amount of cash and your travel tickets. Leave credit cards and mobile phones at home. - The less you carry, the less tired you will feel at the end of the day. - When it is crowded, the police may need to direct you in a certain direction. - Allow plenty of time to leave the area. It may be slow moving through the crowds, some exit routes may be closed, and you may need to walk quite a long way to get to a Tube or bus station which is open. For more information, see: http://www.myvillage.com/notting-hill/carnival * Photographs from the Notting Hill Carnival: Ideas/Album/NottingHillCarnival |
 Notting Hill Carnival: steel drums |
 Notting Hill Carnival: street parade |
| Sun 30 Aug - Mon 31 Aug 2009 |
Mathew Street Festival, Liverpool An annual free music festival in Liverpool. See: http://www.mathewstreetfestival.com * The Beatles: Britain/Music/Beatles. * Visitor guide to Liverpool: Travel/Tours/England/Liverpool |
| Mon 31 Aug 2009 | Summer Bank Holiday A public holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (but not in Scotland). Transport services often run to a timetable similar to those on Sundays. * To check timetables use the links in: Travel/Transport |
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