Study, work or travel in the UK. British
culture and life.
Things to do in the UK in September 2008
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Study, work or travel in the UK. British
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Things to do in the UK in September 2008
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 Apple harvest |
 Hay bales |
 Autumn leaves |
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SEPTEMBER
2008
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| Mon 28 Jul - Sat 27 Sep 2008 |
Houses of Parliament Summer Opening, 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. * Further information: Travel/Tours/London/Parliament |
| Thu 31 Jul - Mon 29 Sep 2008 |
Summer opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace,
London While the Queen visits Scotland each summer, it is possible to buy a ticket to see the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace. * Further information: Travel/Tours/London/Parliament |
| Fri 29 Aug - Sun 2 Nov 2008 |
Blackpool Illuminations, Blackpool The seaside town of Blackpool is decorated with lights along 6 miles of the sea front. See: http://www.visitblackpool.com * Photos of Blackpool: Travel/Tours/England/Blackpool |
| Mon 1 Sep - Mon 29 Sep 2008 |
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. |
| Sat 6 Sep - Wed 17 Sep 2008 |
2008 Paralympic Games, China Disabled sportsmen and sportswomen from across the world compete in Beijing. For the official event website see: http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn For British coverage see the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/paralympics |
| Sat 6 Sep 2008 | 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 7 Sep 2008 | Regent Street Festival, London A special event on Regent Street, one of London's most famous shopping streets, from 12 noon until 8pm. Among the entertainment provided are marching bands, fanfare trumpeters, pipe bands, live music, dance performances, a veteran car display and gourmet food stalls. 10% discounts are offered in some of the shops, restaurants and bars. For details, see: http://www.regentstreetonline.com/RegentStreet/VisitorInfo/RSFestival2008.aspx |
| Thu 11 Sep - Sun 14 Sep 2008 |
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) |
| Sat 13 Sep 2008 | 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 parks in Swansea, Glasgow and Belfast. 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 |
| Sat 13 Sep 2008 | The Great River Race, London Over 200 different rowing boats race along the River Thames, from Ham House (Richmond) to Island Gardens (Isle of Dogs). 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 |
| Sat 13 Sep - Sun 14 Sep 2008 |
Barrio Fiesta, London Free annual festival organised by London's Filipino community. It takes place in Lampton Park, Hounslow (nearest Tube: Hounslow Central; map). This is the largest Barrio Fiesta in Europe. This event was previously scheduled to be on July 19/20, but had to be postponed. See: http://www.philippinecentre.com/barriofiesta2008.html |
| Sat 13 Sep - Sun 14 Sep 2008 |
Thames Festival, London - Two days of free music and entertainment on the south bank of the Thames, between Westminster Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. The event starts at 12 noon and ends at about 10pm on each day. 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 |
| Sun 14 Sep 2008 | Simcha on the Square, London A free annual event in London's Trafalgar Square which celebrates Jewish music and culture. See: http://www.simcha.org.uk * Photos from this event: Ideas/Album/Simcha |
| Mon 15 Sep 2008 - Wed 24 Sep 2008 |
Tower Music Festival, London A series of evening concerts outside the Tower of London (tickets required). For further information, see: http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/WhatsOn/Default/TheTowerfestival.aspx |
| Thu 18 Sep - Mon 29 Sep 2008 |
Riverfront Jazz, Greenwich Also known as the Greenwich Jazz Festival, this is a series of jazz events (many of them free) in and around Greenwich (in south-east London; nearest station: Cutty Sark on the DLR). For details of times and venues, see: http://www.riverfrontjazz.co.uk * Visitor guide to Greenwich: Travel/Tours/London/Greenwich |
| Fri 19 Sep - Sun 21 Sep 2008 |
Davis Cup World Group Semifinals and Play-offs in this international tennis competition. Great Britain play Austria at Wimbledon in one of the play-offs. See: http://www.daviscup.com * Tennis: Life/Sport/Tennis |
| Sat 20 Sep - Sun 21 Sep 2008 |
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 an alphabetical list of open houses in 2007, click here ] For more details, see: http://www.openhouselondon.org. |
| Sun 21 Sep 2008 | London Freewheel, London A chance to cycle through central London along a 12km route which will only be open to bicycles between 9:30am and 4:30pm. The route is between Hyde Park Corner and the Tower of London, via Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Monument. There will be feeder routes to the centre from other London boroughs. For further details and to register for the event, see: http://www.londonfreewheel.com |
| Mon 22 Sep 2008 | 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/server/show/conWebDoc.3843 |
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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 |
| Mon 29 Sep - Tue 30 Sep 2008 |
Rosh Hashanah The start of the Jewish New Year. 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). * Simcha on the Square: Ideas/Album/Simcha |
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