Study, work or travel in the UK. British
culture and life.
Things to do in the UK in April 2008
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Study, work or travel in the UK. British
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Things to do in the UK in April 2008
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2008
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 Cherry blossoms |
 Tulips |
| Thu 27 Mar - Thu 10 Apr |
London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, London A festival of gay and lesbian films, shown at the National Film Theatre in London. For details, see: http://www.llgff.org.uk. * Information for lesbians in the UK: Personal/Relationships/Lesbian * Information for gay men in the UK: Personal/Relationships/Gay * British films: Britain/Films |
| Tue 1 Apr - Thu 3 Apr |
Central London Higher Education Convention, London A free education fair in central London for people who are thinking of applying for a course at a British university or college. You can pick up the prospectus and ask questions, and attend short talks about university life (book a ticket for the ones you want soon after you have arrived). The event is at Earls Court (Brompton Hall) in London (nearest Tube: West Brompton; map). There are similar fairs in other cities in the UK on different dates, organised by UCAS. For details, see: http://www.ucas.co.uk/students/exhibitions/conventions/majorevents. |
| Tue 1 Apr | April Fool's Day, UK Be careful - it is traditional for people to try to trick you ("fool you", "play a practical joke on you"). This is meant to be for fun, so try not to take it too seriously if someone tries a joke on you or tries to make you believe something strange. One of the most famous examples in Britain was a documentary shown on television about the spaghetti harvest in Italy! Many people believe that someone should only be tricked in the morning, otherwise the person who is doing the tricking is the "fool". The tradition may have started in France, where New Year's presents used to be exchanged on April 1st. In 1582 the Western calendar was changed, and New Year's Day was moved from 25th March to 1st January. Some people kept their former New Year's customs, but other people would think they were fools and would make fun of them. The custom of fooling people on this day was later copied in Britain and many other parts of the world. |
| Sat 5 Apr | The Grand National, Liverpool A famous horse race (a "steeplechase", which involves jumping over fences) at Aintree, near Liverpool. You can see it in the afternoon on television on BBC1. In 2007 the race starts at 4:15pm. Many British people like to make a small bet about the result of this race. See: http://www.aintree.co.uk. * Horse racing in the UK: Life/Sport/Horse |
| Sun 6 Apr | New tax year starts, UK The start of the new tax year. If you paid too much income tax during the previous tax year (6th April - 5th April), you can claim a tax refund. For UK tax information, see: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk Student tax checker: http://stccalculator.inlandrevenue.gov.uk * Further details: Work/Employment |
| Sun 6 Apr | Olympic Torch Relay, London The Olympic flame will be carried through London by 80 torchbearers, as part of the run-up to this year's Beijing Olympic Games. There will also be a public event at which the final torchbearer will light a cauldron. Two different timetables have been published, so where they are different both of the times are shown below. Note that times are not exact, and there may be music or dancing before the flame arrives: you should aim to be at a location at least 30 minutes before the times shown: 10:30am Wembley (tickets required for the opening event outside Wembley Stadium at Arena Square) - 11am Ladbroke Grove - 11:20am/11:30am Notting Hill Gate - 12am Oxford Street - 12:20am/12:25am British Museum - 12:30pm/12:45pm China Town - 12:40pm/12:50pm Piccadilly Circus - 12:50pm/1pm Trafalgar Square - 1:30pm Southbank Centre - 2:15pm/2:30pm Somerset House - 2:30pm/2:45pm St Paul's Cathedral - 3pm/3:15pm Potter's Fields/More London - 3:15pm/3:30pm Tower Bridge - 3:30pm/3:45pm Whitechapel Road - 4pm/4:45pm Stratford - 5pm Canary Wharf - 6pm North Greenwich (tickets required for the closing event at the O2 Arena) For more details of the entertainment that is planned at the various places along the route, and to apply for free tickets for the North Greenwich event, see: http://www.london.gov.uk/torchrelay/london/map.jsp |
| Sun 13 Apr | Vaisakhi, UK & worldwide The Sikh festival of Vaisakhi. Note that the celebration of Vaisakhi in London's Trafalgar Square will be 3 weeks later, on Sunday 4 May 2008 * Photos: Ideas/Album/Vaisakhi |
| Sun 13 Apr | The London Marathon, London The London Marathon has been taking place each year since 1981. Many of the runners are taking part in order to raise money for charity. There are three starting points (red, green and blue) close to Greenwich Park (in Charlton Road, St John's Park and Shooter's Hill Road; map); races start between 9am and 10am. The nearest railway stations are Maze Hill or Blackheath; Greenwich train station and the DLR station at Cutty Sark are also close. The race ends on The Mall (map; in front of Buckingham Palace, near Green Park, Victoria and St James's Park underground stations). The centre of Greenwich (near the boat called the "Cutty Sark") and the area near to the finishing line can become very busy (most of The Mall contains seats and can only be accessed by people with tickets). Recommended places to view the race are either close to the start, or somewhere along Westferry Road on the Isle of Dogs (the 15-20 mile section of the race, close to the DLR station Canary Wharf). A free spectator's guide is available from underground stations. You can also watch the marathon on television: it is shown on BBC1 in the morning and early afternoon. If you want to apply to run in next year's race, obtain a copy of London Marathon News from a local sports shop between August and October (not all people who apply are accepted). For further details about the race, see: http://www.london-marathon.co.uk or http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/sport/marathon. * Photos of this event: Ideas/Album/LondonMarathon |
 London Marathon |
| Sat 19 Apr - Sat 26 Apr |
Jewish Passover Jewish people celebrate the festival of Passover, starting at sunset on Saturday 19 April. |
| Sat 19 Apr - Sun 27 Apr |
St George in Southwark Festival, London A series of events in Southwark to celebrate St George's Day. For details, see: http://www.stgeorgefestival.org.uk |
| Sat 19 Apr | Festival of St George, London Traditional English music, dance and entertainment. This free event takes place in Covent Garden Piazza between 10:30am and 6pm (nearest Tube: Covent Garden; map) For details, see: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/culture/stgeorge.jsp * Photos from this event: Ideas/Album/StGeorgesDay |
 Festival of St George in Covent Garden |
 English rose buttonhole |
| Sun 20 Apr | Open Day at Shakespeare's Globe, London Free events at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on London's South Bank, from 12-5pm (nearest Tube: Southwark or Mansion House; map) See: http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/shakespearesbirthday |
 Audience participation on stage during ... |
 ... the Globe Theatre's annual open Day |
| Mon 21 Apr - Fri 25 Apr |
Alternative Fashion Week, London A free fashion event in Spitalfields Traders Market, Crispin Place, Brushfield St, London E1 (nearest Tube: Liverpool Street; map). The collections are put together by young designers who are studying at (or have recently graduated from) fashion colleges in the UK. Shows are daily from Monday to Friday between 1:15pm and 2pm. For details: http://www.alternativearts.co.uk/AFW * Photos from this event: Ideas/Album/AlternativeFashionWeek |
 Alternative Fashion Week |
| Mon 21 Apr | Queen's Birthday gun salutes, London & Windsor The Queen's real birthday is on 21 April (she also has an "official" birthday in June which is marked by the Trooping the Colour ceremony: Ideas/Album/TroopingTheColour). She was born in 1926. It is traditional for soldiers to fire cannons to celebrate royal birthdays or other national events. Cannons will be fired in the following locations: - A 41-gun salute at 12 noon fired by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Hyde Park, London (opposite the Dorchester Hotel: map ; nearest Tube: Hyde Park Corner or Marble Arch) - A 62-gun salute at 1pm fired by the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London (from the gunpark at the western end of London Wharf: map ; nearest Tube: Tower Hill). Guns have been fired from this location since the time of Henry the Eighth - A 21-gun salute at 12 noon at The Long Walk in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Windsor (near the Brook Street entrance: map) For background information about the gun salutes, see: http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page4951.asp or http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/tourists/gun_salutes.cfm. * Royal traditions: Britain/Countries/Royalty |
 Gun salute in Hyde Park ... |
 ... and at the Tower of London |
| Tue 22 Apr | Accredited MBA Fair, London Fair for people who are interested in studying for an MBA (from 4-7pm at Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel, London). Exhibitors are all accredited by the Association of MBAs. See: http://mbaguide.mbaworld.com/content/mbafair2008/index.html * MBA courses: Course/MBA |
| Tue 22 Apr | Champions' League Semi-Finals (first legs) The first leg of a semi-final game in the Champions' League: Liverpool v Chelsea (kick-off at 7:45 pm). The result was 1-1. See: http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl |
| Wed 23 Apr | St George's Day, England Saint George is the Patron Saint of England. It is believed that he lived in Palestine in the time of the Roman empire. He was imprisoned and killed after protesting against the persecution of Christians by the Romans. A legend was later created about St George - it is said that he saved a village and rescued its princess by killing a dragon. For more background information about St George, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/george_st.shtml. Not that this day is not a public holiday in England, so some events take place on the nearest weekends. Further information: St George's Day events in London: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/culture/stgeorge.jsp St George's Day events in England: http://www.enjoyengland.com/attractions/events/calendar/april/st-george-events.aspx or http://www.stgeorgesdayevents.org.uk * Photos from St George's Day events: Ideas/Album/StGeorgesDay |
| Wed 23 Apr | Festival of English Food with Street Theatre, London A celebration of English food in London's Trafalgar Square from 12-7:30pm (nearest Tube: Charing Cross; map). There will be stalls from Borough Market, stage entertainment (from 12-2pm and 5:30-7:30pm), and street theatre. It is free to attend this event. See: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/culture/stgeorge.jsp * British food: Britain/Food |
| Wed 23 Apr | Shakespeare's Birthday 23 April is the day on which the birthday of William Shakespeare (England's most famous writer) is celebrated. From 6pm a floating theatre will travel up the Thames from Butlers Wharf to the Globe Theatre (next to Tate Modern). There will be some entertainment on the river until 7pm. Today is the start of this year's season of Shakespeare's plays at the Globe Theatre (the first play being performed is King Lear). See: http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/shakespearesbirthday |
 Shakespeare's birthday: Tudor music on a boat |
 The start of performances at the Globe Theatre, London |
| Wed 23 Apr | Champions' League Semi-Finals (first legs) The first leg of a semi-final game in the Champions' League: Barcelona v Manchester United (kick-off at 7:45 pm). The result was 0-0. See: http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl |
| Fri 25 Apr | ANZAC Day, UK & worldwide The name ANZAC is an abbreviation for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, which took place in Turkey on 25 April 1915 (starting at dawn), during the First World War. 50,000 Allied soldiers (from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France and India) and 87,000 Turkish soldiers died, and many more were injured. This was the first time that soldiers from Australia and New Zealand had been involved in a major battle. Australians and New Zealanders use this occasion to remember those who have served their countries and the Commonwealth in times of war. The following events usually take place in London: 05:00 - Dawn Service at the Australian/New Zealand War Memorials in Hyde Park Corner (the service will last about 40 minutes) (you are recommended to arrive before 04:30) 11:00 - A brief wreath-laying service at the Cenotaph on Whitehall (you are recommended to arrive before 10:20) 12:00 - Commemorative service at Westminster Abbey (tickets for this must be obtained in advance) For more details about these ANZAC Day events in London, see: http://www.australia.org.uk/lhlh/EventsAnzacD.html Several tour companies in the UK organise travel to Gallipoli (in Turkey) for those who wish to take part in the dawn service and other commemorations there. One such company is Kumuka. For further information about ANZAC Day in Turkey, see: http://www.embaustralia.org.tr/anzac/anzacdayatgallipoli.htm See also: http://www.anzacsite.gov.au * Useful general links for people from Australia: Links/Australia * Useful general links for people from New Zealand: Links/NewZealand |
 New Zealand War Memorial |
 Australian War Memorial |
| Sat 26 Apr | Shakespeare's Birthday Celebrations, Stratford-upon-Avon Celebrations of Shakespeare's birthday in Stratford-upon-Avon, the town where he was born. There is a street procession and other entertainment with a Shakesperean theme. See: http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/birthday.html * Guide to Stratford-upon-Avon: Travel/Tours/England/Stratford |
| Tue 29 Apr | Champions' League Semi-Finals (second legs) The second leg of a semi-final game in the Champions' League: Manchester United v Barcelona (kick-off at 7:45 pm). The first leg was a 0-0 draw. The match is shown live on ITV1, or there is a commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live: http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive [Manchester United won this game 1-0 and goes through to the final] See: http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl |
| Wed 30 Apr | Champions' League Semi-Finals (second legs) The second leg of a semi-final game in the Champions' League: Chelsea v Liverpool (kick-off at 7:45 pm). The first leg was a 1-1 draw. The match is shown live on Sky Sports 2, or there is a commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live: http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive [Chelsea won this game 3-2 and goes through to the final] See: http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl |
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