Events Calendar
Mid- to late Jan Celtic Connections, Glasgow. A major celebration of Celtic and folk music held in venues across the city. Jan 25 Burns Night: Scots worldwide get stuck into haggis, whisky and vowel-grinding poetry to commemorate Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns. Mid-Feb Chinese New Year. Festivities in London's and Manchester's Chinatown districts. Feb-March Six Nations Rugby tournament between Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy. March 1 St David's Day. Hwyrnos and celebrations all over Wales. March 1 Whuppity Scourie, Lanark. Local children race round the church beating each other with home-made paper weapons in a representation (it's thought) of the chasing away of winter or the warding off of evil spirits. Mid-March Cheltenham Gold Cup meeting. England's premier national hunt horseracing event. End of March or early April University Boat Race. Hugely popular rowing contest on the Thames, between the teams of Oxford and Cambridge. Shrove Tues Purbeck Marblers and Stonecutters Day, Corfe Castle, Dorset. Ritual football game through the streets of the village. Maundy Thurs The Queen dispenses the Royal Maundy Money (at a different cathedral annually). Easter Mon Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle-Kicking, Hallaton, Leicestershire. Late March or early April Grand National meeting, Aintree, Liverpool. Cruelly testing steeplechase that entices most of Britain's population into the betting shops. April Scottish Grand National, Ayr. Not quite as testing as the English equivalent steeplechase, but an important event on the Scottish racing calendar nonetheless. April 6 Tartan Day. Over-hyped celebration of ancestry by North Americans of Scottish descent on the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. Ignored by most Scots in Scotland, other than journalists. May English FA Cup Final. The deciding contest in the country's premier football tournament is currently without a home of its own. For the time being, the English national game's most important fixture will be held in the Welsh capital, Cardiff. May Scottish FA Cup Final in Glasgow. Scotland's premier football event. May 1 Padstow Hobby Horse, Padstow, Cornwall. Processions, music and dancing through the streets. May 8 Helston Furry Dance, Helston, Cornwall. Last Mon in May Cheese Rolling, Brockworth, Gloucestershire. Pursuit of a cheese wheel down a murderous incline - one of the weirdest customs in England. Late May: Hay-on-Wye Festival of Literature. London's literati flock to the Welsh borders for a week. Last week in May St David's Cathedral Festival. Superb setting for classical concerts and recitals. Last week in May Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London. Essential event for Britain's green-fingered legions. Late May and early June Bath International Festival. International arts jamboree. May-July Glyndebourne Opera Festival, East Sussex. The classiest and most snobbish arts festival in Britain. June Aldeburgh Festival. Jamboree of classical music held on the Suffolk Coast. Established by Benjamin Britten. June Shinty Camanachd Cup Final. The climax of the season for Scotland's own stick-and-ball game, normally held in one of the main Highland towns. Also marks the beginning of the Highland Games season across the Highlands, northeast and Argyll. First week in June Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Urdd. The largest youth festival in Europe, alternating between North and South Wales. First week in June Derby week, Epsom racecourse, Surrey. The world's most expensive horseflesh competing in the Derby, the Coronation Cup and the Oaks. First Fri in June Cotswold Olimpicks, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. Rustic sports festival and torchlight procession. First or second Sat in June Trooping the Colour, Horse Guards Parade, London. Equestrian pageantry for the Queen's Official Birthday. Mid-June Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Huge, televised week-long music festival, with a star-studded list of international competitors. Mid-June Appleby Horse Fair, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria. Mid-June Royal Ascot, Berkshire. High-class horseracing attended by high-class people; the best seats go to royalty and their satellites, while the proles mill around in the outfield. End of June World Worm-Charming Championships, Willaston, Cheshire. Last week of June Glastonbury Festival, Somerset. Hugely popular festival, with international bands, indie music and loads of hippies. Last week of June and first week of July Lawn Tennis Championships, Wimbledon, London. Queues are phenomenal even for the early rounds, and you need to know a freemason or ex-champion to get in to the big games. Late June Royal Highland Agricultural Show, at Ingliston near Edinburgh. July Scottish Open Golf Championship, held at a different venue each year. Also Highland Games at Caithness, Elgin, Glengarry, North Uist, Inverness, Inveraray, Mull, Lewis, Durness, Lochaber, Dufftown, Halkirk. Early July Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod. Over 12,000 participants from all over the world, including choirs, dancers, folk singers, groups and instrumentalists. Early July Glasgow International Jazz Festival, and T in the Park - the latter Scotland's biggest outdoor music event, held in Glasgow's Strathclyde Park with a star-studded line-up of contemporary bands. First week in July Henley Royal Regatta, Oxfordshire. Rowing event attended by much the same crew as populates the grandstands at Ascot. First week of July Tynwald Ceremony, St Johns, Isle of Man. Second weekend in July Guyl Werin y Cnapan, Ffostrasol, near Lampeter, Ceredigion. The best folk and Celtic music festival in the world. Second week in July York Early Music Festival. The premier early music festival lasts for ten days. Second or Third Sat in July Durham Miner's Gala, Durham. Mid-July British Open Golf Championship, variable venue. The season's last Grand Slam golf tournament. Third week in July Swan Upping, River Thames from Sunbury to Pangbourne. Ceremonial registering of the Thames cygnets. Last week in July Royal Tournament, Earl's Court Exhibition Centre, London. Precision military displays. Last week in July Cambridge Folk Festival. Biggest event of its kind in England. Late July WOMAD, Reading. Three-day world music and dance festival. Last week in July to first week in Aug Cardiff Festival. Incorporates music, art, drama, opera, literature and street entertainment. July to early Sept The Promenade Concerts ("The Proms"), Royal Albert Hall, London. Classical music concerts ending in the fervently patriotic Last Night of the Proms. Aug Edinburgh Festival, one of the world's great arts jamborees. First week in Aug Royal National Eisteddfod. Wales's biggest single annual event: fun, very impressive and worth seeing if only for the overblown pageantry. Bardic competitions, readings, theatre, TV, debates and copious help for the Welsh language learner. Early Aug The two-day Lammas Fair at St Andrews, the oldest medieval market in the country. Early Aug Sidmouth Folk Festival. Folk and roots performers from around the world, plus theatre and dance. Weekend in mid-Aug Bristol Balloon Fiesta. Hundreds of balloons take to the skies early morning and evening. Aug Bank Hol Notting Hill Carnival, around Notting Hill, West London. Vivacious celebration by London's Caribbean community - plenty of music, food and floats. Aug Bank Hol Reading Festival, Berkshire. Three-day hard rock jamboree. Last Sun in Aug Plague Memorial, Eyam, Derbyshire. Early Sept Ben Nevis Race (for amateurs), held on the first weekend in the month, running to the top of Scotland's highest mountain and back again. Also Highland Games at Braemar. First Mon after Sept 4 Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire. Vaguely pagan mass dance in mock-medieval costume - one of the most famous ancient customs. Early Sept to early Nov Blackpool Illuminations, Lancashire. Five miles of extravagant light displays. Oct Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts. Concerts, jazz, drama, opera, ballet and art events throughout the city. Late Oct Glenfiddich Piping Championships at Blair Atholl for the world's top ten solo pipers. Late Oct to early Nov Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. One of Europe's premier showcases for up-to-the-minute highbrow music. First Sun in Nov London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally. Ancient machines lumbering the 57 miles down the A23 to the seafront. Nov 5 Guy Fawkes Night. Nationwide fireworks and bonfires commemorating the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 - especially raucous celebrations at York (Fawkes' birthplace), Ottery St Mary in Devon and at Lewes, East Sussex. Mid-Nov Lord Mayor's Procession and Show, the City of London. Cavalcade to mark the inauguration of the new mayor. Nov 30 St Andrew's Day, celebrating Scotland's patron saint. Dec 31 New Year Walk-In, Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys. A boozy stagger around the town. Dec 31 Tar Barrels Parade, Allendale Town, Northumberland. Dec 31 & Jan 1 Hogmanay and Ne'er Day: traditionally more important to the Scots than Christmas, known for the custom of "first-footing", when groups of revellers troop into neighbours' houses at midnight bearing gifts. More popular these days are huge and highly organized street parties, most notably in Edinburgh, but also in Aberdeen, Glasgow and other centres.
scotland's moneyluke says "scotlands money is called pounds.
" scotland's moneyluke says "scotlands money is called pounds.
" scotlandluke says "scotland's people speak english
but in a diffrent accent eg: what, would be pronounced wot." the greatjake says "in scotland if you see a pair of badasses named jake and patrick then you had better hide your women." diefak says "sdkjfhksjhfksjdhfksjadfhksajfdf" Help mefak says "U R ALL FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG LIARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" hicheese says "scotlands best attraction is stonehenge." runescaperunescape says "go to www.runescape.com its an awsome game." U. R. Stupidscotland says "Hi read a book called street drugs are harmless and its by U. R. Stupid. And its true,
you are stupid. hahaha!" heyscots says "no i mean..... um nothing no1 is listening." british poundSabrina says "can we use the british pound in Scotland?" SMALL WORLDLITTLE WORLD says "IM A LITTLE BOY WHO WANTS TO BE RAPED IN THE BUM
" @(o_O)@HI KAYDEN says "RUSSIANANANANANANANA CHICKEN TIME!!" SMALL PEOPELLIITLE PEOPLE says "ATTACK OF THE GIANT MIGDET " SPAMMER!!!SPAMM!!!! says "SPAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!" kaydenkayden says "clean panties are not cool
" KUPKAKEKUPKAKE says "IM AT SCHOOL HOW ABOUT U??????????????????
" KUPKAKEKUPKAKE says "KUPKAKE ¢¾'Z AUBREY!!!!!!"
Your Tip for Scotland
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