Study, work or travel in the UK. British
culture and life.
Things to do in the UK in September 2012
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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 September 2012
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 Apple harvest |
 Hay bales |
 Autumn leaves |
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SEPTEMBER
2012
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| Thu 21 Jun - Sun 9 Sep 2012 |
London 2012 Festival, UK A series of cultural events across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics. See: http://festival.london2012.com |
| Tue 31 Jul - Sun 7 Oct 2012 |
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. See: http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=30 * Further information: Travel/Tours/London/BuckinghamPalace |
| Wed 29 Aug - Sun 9 Sep 2012 |
2012 Summer Paralympic Games, UK There will be competitions in the following 20 sports: Archery, Athletics, Boccia, Cycling, Equestrian, Football 5-a-side, Football 7-a-side, Goalball, Judo, Powerlifting, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table tennis, Volleyball, Wheelchair basketball, Wheelchair fencing, Wheelchair rugby, Wheelchair tennis. Television coverage is on Channel 4: http://paralympics.channel4.com. See: http://www.london2012.com/paralympics |
| Wed 29 Aug - Sun 9 Sep 2012 |
BT London Live, London A giant screen will be set up in Trafalgar Square screening the Paralympic Games, plus there will be live music during the evenings. See: http://www.btlondonlive.com |
| Thu 30 Aug - Sun 2 Sep 2012 |
Bournemouth Air Festival, Bournemouth The UK's biggest free aviation festival. See: http://www.bournemouthair.co.uk |
| Fri 31 Aug - Sun 4 Nov 2012 |
Blackpool Illuminations, Blackpool The seaside town of Blackpool is decorated with lights along 6 miles of the sea front. On the first night the lights are switched on by a celebrity. See: http://www.visitblackpool.com * Photos of Blackpool: Travel/Tours/England/Blackpool |
| Sat 1 Sep - Mon 3 Sep 2012 |
Liberty - London's Disability Rights festival, London This lively, fully accessible showcase takes place at several London venues, including Trafalgar Square, the National Theatre, Southbank Centre, British Film Institute and Potters Fields Park, next to City Hall. See: http://www.molpresents.com/liberty * Photos from this event: Ideas/Album/Liberty |
| Sat 1 Sep - Sun 2 Sep 2012 |
Elephant and Nun Festival, London Free annual community festival in various locations in the Southwark area of London, stretching from Elephant and Castle to Nunhead. See: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/elephantandnun |
| Sat 1 Sep 2012 | 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 and finishes in Preston Park. Entertainment continues in Preston Park until the early evening. See: http://www.pridebrighton.org * Photos from the Pride London event: Ideas/Album/Pride * Guide to visiting Brighton: Travel/Tours/England/Brighton |
| Sat 1 Sep 2012 | Braemar Gathering & Highland Games, Scottish highlands Braemar is a small Scottish village in the Highlands of Scotland, not far from Balmoral Castle. It is a tradition for the villages to organise a gathering each year, and these include highland games and competitions for bagpipes and Scottish dancing. The Braemar event is one of the last of these events, taking place on the first Saturday in September. It is particularly famous because it is usually attended by the Queen, who stays at Balmoral during the summer. For details, see: http://www.braemargathering.org * Information about Highland Games: Ideas/Album/HighlandGames |
| Sun 2 Sep 2012 | Angel Canal Festival, London Annual free one-day festival in the area around City Road Lock. The festival site extends from Graham Street/Danbury Street, all along the Regent's Canal towpath to Packington Square (nearest Tube: Angel; map). See: http://www.angelcanalfestival.org |
| Tue 4 Sep - Sun 9 Sep 2012 |
British Science Festival, Aberdeen Each September the British Science Festival celebrates the role in our lives of science, engineering and technology through a series of talks, workshops and other events. It is held in a different location each year - in 2012 it will be in Aberdeen. See: http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/BritishScienceFestival |
| Thu 6 Sep - Sun 9 Sep 2012 |
Heritage Open Days, England, Wales & Northern Ireland Free entry is offered at many National Trust properties across the UK. For information about the places which are taking part see: http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk or http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk |
 Heritage Open Days: Free entry at National Trust properties such as Ham House |
 Heritage Open Days: Cherry Garden at Ham House (near Richmond) |
| Fri 7 Sep - Sun 9 Sep 2012 |
Tours from London If you want to join a tour this weekend (starting in London), these are some options: Fri-Sun: Edinburgh weekend break ; Edinburgh, Loch Ness and Highlands by train ; Paris by Coach Sat-Sun: Overnight Hilton Hotel Oxford, Stonehenge & Bath ; Oxford, Cotswolds, Bath, Lacock & Stonehenge Sat: Stowe & Tring ; Cambridge ; Bath and Stonehenge Sun: Old Amersham: Heritage Open Day ; Windsor and Hampton Court * For more tour options, see: Travel/Tours/Dates |
| Sat 8 Sep - Sun 9 Sep 2012 |
Thames Festival, London - Two days of free music and entertainment on the south bank of the Thames, between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge. For details, see: http://www.thamesfestival.org. - One of the highlights is the Night Carnival (Procession of Lights) on Sunday evening. This procession starts on Victoria Embankment, just after Waterloo Bridge, at about 7:30pm. It follows the road east, crosses the Thames at Blackfriars Bridge, and continues west along the South Bank before finishing behind the Royal Festival Hall at about 9:30pm. From 9:45pm to 10pm there will be fireworks launched from a barge between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. * Pictures of the Thames Festival: Ideas/Album/ThamesFestival. |
 Thames Festival: concert |
 Thames Festival: night carnival |
| Sat 8 Sep 2012 | Last Night of the Proms Famous classical music concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London. There are also classical "Proms in the Park" concerts in Hyde Park, London and in other parts of the UK (see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/features/proms-in-the-park). If you cannot go to the concerts but are living in the UK, watch the first part on BBC2 and then the ending on BBC1, or listen on Radio 3. If you miss it or if you are not in the UK, you can listen on the BBC's internet site for a week or two after the concert (http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms). * Further information about the Proms: Life/Entertainment/Concerts |
 Last Night of the Proms: Royal Albert Hall |
| Sun 9 Sep 2012 | Bandstand Marathon, UK Live music performances at bandstands and other outdoor performance spaces across the UK- all at the same time on the same day, celebrating the end of the London 2012 Festival (and the final day of the Paralympic Games). See: http://www.bandstandmarathon.org.uk (search for your nearest event in the UK using this link: http://bandstandmarathon.org.uk/index.asp?ID=205) |
| Sun 9 Sep 2012 | Klezmer in the Park, London A free concert of Jewish Klezmer music in Regent's Park. See: http://www.jmi.org.uk/event/klezmer-in-the-park * Photos from Simcha in the Square: Ideas/Album/Simcha |
| Sun 9 Sep 2012 | Closing Ceremony of 2012 Summer Paralympic Games, London See: http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/spectators/ceremonies/closing-ceremony |
| Mon 10 Sep 2012 | Our Greatest Team parade, London A parade through central London to celebrate the achievements of the British athletes in the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, starting at 1:30pm at Mansion House, passing Trafalgar Square before ending at The Mall (the final part of the parade is only for ticketholders). About 800 athletes are expected to take part. See: http://www.molpresents.com/parade |
| Fri 14 Sep - Sun 23 Sep 2012 |
London Design Festival, London A series of events across London (mostly free) celebrating creative design. See: http://www.londondesignfestival.com |
| Fri 14 Sep - Sun 16 Sep 2012 |
Tours from London If you want to join a tour this weekend (starting in London), these are some options: Fri-Sun: Holland and Belgium ; Amsterdam & Bruges coach tour ; Edinburgh, Loch Ness and Highlands by train Sat-Sun: Isle of Wight Overnight ; Oxford, Cotswolds, Bath, Lacock & Stonehenge ; Wales Coast & Mountains Sat: Bath: Jane Austen Festival ; Brighton ; Bruges Sun: New Forest & Exbury Gardens [or Beaulieu] ; Leeds Castle and Rochester ; * For more tour options, see: Travel/Tours/Dates |
| Sat 15 Sep 2012 | The Great River Race, London Over 200 different rowing boats race along the River Thames. In 2012 the race will be upstream, starting in the Docklands at 10:40am and ending at Ham House (Richmond). For details, see: http://www.greatriverrace.co.uk |
 Great River Race: dragon boat |
 Hundreds of boats take part in the river marathon |
 Sting opened the 2007 event |
| Sun 16 Sep 2012 | Great North Run, Gateshead/Newcastle The world's largest half-marathon is run in Newcastle (north-east England). There are about 50,000 runners, many of them running to raise money for charity. You can watch the event live on BBC1 (starting at about 9:30am). For further details, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/great_north_run or http://www.greatrun.org. * Pictures of Newcastle: Travel/Tours/England/Newcastle |
| Mon 17 Sep 2012 | Rosh Hashanah The start of the Jewish New Year. The celebration starts at nightfall on the previous day and ends at nightfall on the following day. One of the traditions at this time is to blow the shofar (a ram's horn, used as an instrument) in the synagogues (Jewish places of worship). See: http://www.whenis.co.uk/when-is/rosh-hashanah.php * Simcha on the Square: Ideas/Album/Simcha |
| Wed 19 Sep - Sat 6 Oct 2012 |
Houses of Parliament Summer Opening (period 2), 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. Saturday tours are run throughout the year. See: http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visitingandtours/summeropening.cfm * Further information: Travel/Tours/London/Parliament |
| Fri 21 Sep - Sun 23 Sep 2012 |
Tours from London If you want to join a tour this weekend (starting in London), these are some options: Fri-Sun: Paris Eurostar ; Edinburgh, Loch Ness and Highlands by train ; Paris by Coach Sat-Sun: Overnight Hilton - Northern England Peaks and York ; Oxford, Cotswolds, Bath, Lacock & Stonehenge Sat: Brogdale Cider Festival ; Windsor and Hampton Court ; Wales daytrip Sun: Autumn Equinox in Sussex ; Warwick Castle * For more tour options, see: Travel/Tours/Dates |
| Sat 22 Sep - Sun 23 Sep 2012 |
London Open House, London During this weekend you can visit many buildings in London which are not normally open to the public. For the most popular buildings it is necessary to book in advance. For more details, see: http://www.openhouselondon.org |
| Sat 22 Sep 2012 | Autumn Equinox The autumn equinox is when day and night are of equal length. Druids celebrate this at Primrose Hill, London and at Stonehenge and other ancient monuments. For more information, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/autumnequinox.shtml or http://www.nmm.ac.uk/explore/astronomy-and-time/time-facts/equinoxes-and-solstices |
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Harvest festivals
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| A "harvest festival" is a thanksgiving ceremony, to give thanks after crops have been harvested successfully. It is a very old tradition. Each location chooses its own date: it usually takes place on a Sunday in September or early October. People collect food from their homes and take it to their churches or schools. The food is later given to poor or older members of the local community. |
 Harvest Festival: food is collected ... |
 ... and distributed to the poor |
 Pearly Queen and Princess |
| Tue 25 Sep - Sun 30 Sep 2012 |
Ryder Cup, US The Ryder Cup is a golfing competition between US and European teams which takes place every 2 years. In 2012 it is held at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois (in the US). See: http://www.rydercup.com |
| Fri 28 Sep - Sun 30 Sep 2012 |
Tours from London If you want to join a tour this weekend (starting in London), these are some options: Fri-Sun: Amsterdam & Brugge Budget ; Paris Eurostar ; Edinburgh, Loch Ness and Highlands by train Sat-Sun: Oxford, Cotswolds, Bath, Lacock & Stonehenge Sat: Isle of Wight: the West ; Isle of Wight ; Bath and Stonehenge Sun: Erith Riverside - Old Bexley (walk) ; Windsor and Hampton Court * For more tour options, see: Travel/Tours/Dates |
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