Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in England
- Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the festival dates on the festival's website or with a local tourist information office. For more information about these and other events, see the sites for Visit England and Visit Britain.
- This list includes major festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout England. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays — keep it in mind when planning your itinerary. Note that this isn't a complete list; holidays can strike without warning.
- See upcoming holidays and festivals in Scotland, Wales, and across Europe
2026
Mid-July–mid-September: The Proms, London (series of classical-music performances in Royal Albert Hall)
July 23–26: WOMAD Festival, Malmesbury (between Bath and Oxford; world music)
July 23–August 2: XXIII Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (giant quadrennial sports competition)
July 24–26: Tramlines Festival, Sheffield (indie rock and more)
August 1–2: Cambridge Folk Festival
August 1–2: Pride Festival, Brighton
August 8–16: Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival, Yorkshire
August 28–January 3, 2027 (likely): Blackpool Illuminations (waterfront light festival)
August 30–31: Notting Hill Carnival, London (costumes, Caribbean music)
August 31: Summer Bank Holiday (closures)
September (all month): Totally Thames, London (free events on the south bank of the Thames)
September 11–20: Heritage Open Days (free entry to many historical sights across England)
September 11–20: Jane Austen Festival, Bath
September 18–27: York Food and Drink Festival
October 6–10: Leeds International Festival of Ideas (forward-looking arts and culture festival)
October 7–18: BFI London Film Festival
October 24–31: Lightpool Festival, Blackpool (light-based art installations)
November 5: Guy Fawkes Night (fireworks, bonfires, effigy-burning of 1605 traitor Guy Fawkes)
November 8: Remembrance Sunday (two minutes of silence at 11:00, people wear poppies on lapels, royals lay wreaths at Cenotaph on Whitehall in London for WWI dead)
November 14: Lord Mayor's Show (traditional pageants in the City of London, including horse-drawn coach parades and fireworks)
November 21: Glastonbury Carnival
Late November–mid-December: Christmas festivals, across Britain; York's St. Nicholas Fayre and Keswick's Victorian Fayre are especially fun (markets, music, entertainment)
December 24–26: Christmas holidays
2027
January 1: New Year's Day (closures)
February 15–21 (likely): Jorvik Viking Festival, York (costumed warriors, battles)
March 26–29: Easter Weekend (Good Friday through Easter Monday; closures)
April 11: Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race, southwest London
May 1–3 (likely): Chimney Sweeps Festival, Rochester (Morris dancers, northwest of Canterbury)
May 3: Early May Bank Holiday (closures)
May 15–23 (likely): Bath Literature Festival
May 18–22: Chelsea Flower Show, London
May 21–June 6 (likely): Bath Fringe Festival (alternative music, dance, and theater)
May 31: Spring Bank Holiday (closures); also Cooper's Hill Cheese Roll, Gloucester, Cotswolds
May 29–June 6 (likely): Bath Music Festival
June 4–5 (likely): Keswick Beer Festival (music, shows)
June 12: Trooping the Colour, London (King's birthday parade, with military bands and pageantry)
June 15–19 (likely): Royal Ascot horse races, near Windsor
June 18–27 (likely): Golowan Festival, Penzance (midsummer celebration)
June 23–27: Glastonbury Festival, Somerset (indie pop/rock music)
June 28–July 11: Wimbledon Tennis Championship, London
July 2: Stage 1 of the Tour de France (from Edinburgh to Carlisle)
July 2–4: Love Supreme, Sussex (jazz festival)
July 2–9 (likely): Early Music Festival, York
July 3: Stage 2 of the Tour de France (from Keswick to Liverpool)
July 3 (likely): London Pride Parade
Mid-July–mid-September: The Proms, London (series of classical-music performances in Royal Albert Hall)