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Ideas / Events / August
Things to do in the UK in August 2010

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Introduction
August is one of the hottest months in the UK. Crops in the fields are starting to become ready to be harvested. It is a good time to travel in the UK or Europe (for information about tourism, transport and accommodation, see: Travel). If the weather is fine, enjoy a walk in the countryside or go to the seaside (if you swim in the sea, note that the water is not very warm and that the currents can be strong). The Edinburgh Festival is a famous event in Scotland, including music, theatre and comedy; if you are going to this festival, try to arrange your accommodation early. There is a public holiday on the last Monday of August: this is also the last day of the Notting Hill Carnival, a colourful celebration on the streets of London involving processions, music and dancing. This is the time of the year when you can decide if you want to join "evening classes" - these adult education courses are taught in a wide range of subjects, usually using school classrooms during weekday evenings from September until June (contact your nearest public library to find out which courses are available).

* For a list of free outdoor concerts in London's parks in August, see: Life/Entertainment/Concerts


Seaside fun (Brighton)

Harvest time (Somerset)



Fri 16 Jul -
Sat 11 Sep 2010
Proms, Central London
The BBC Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. A series of classical concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall. See: For full details, see the BBC's Proms website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms.
* Further information: Life/Entertainment/Concerts
Tue 27 Jul -
Fri 1 Oct 2010
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.
* Further information: Travel/Tours/London/BuckinghamPalace
Sat 31 Jul -
Sat 7 Aug 2010
National Eisteddfod of Wales, Blaenau Gwent
A week-long Welsh festival of singing, music and dance, including competitions between the various categories of Welsh choir. Each year this event takes place in a different part of Wales: in 2010 it will be in the Blaenau Gwent area. For full details, see: http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english
* Guide to Wales: Travel/Tours/Wales
Sun 1 Aug 2010 Carnaval del Pueblo, South London
Free Latin American festival. The event starts with a street procession from Elephant Road (nearest Tube: Elephant & Castle; map) to Burgess Park (nearest Tube: Elephant & Castle; map) from noon to 2pm (the route followed is: Elephant Road - Walworth Road - Camberwell Road - Albany Road - Burgess Park). This is followed by concerts until after 9pm in Burgess Park (including a special celebration of Brazilian Day). See: http://www.carnavaldelpueblo.co.uk and http://www.braziliandaylondon.co.uk
* Photos from this event: Ideas/Album/CarnavalDelPueblo
Mon 2 Aug 2010 Summer Bank Holiday, Scotland
A public holiday in Scotland and Ireland, but not in England or Wales.
Mon 2 Aug -
Sun 8 Aug 2010
Robin Hood Festival, near Nottingham
Medieval festival in Sherwood Forest - according to legend, Robin Hood was based here during the reign of King John, robbing from the rich to give to the poor. Entertainment includes displays of archery, falconry and jousting, as well as storytelling, music, juggling and jesting. For details, see: http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/robinhoodfestival.
Mon 2 Aug -
Thu 30 Sep 2010
Houses of Parliament Summer Opening, 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.
Tours are not available for a 2-week period in September, but Saturday tours are run throughout the year.
See: http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visitingandtours/summeropening.cfm
* Further information: Travel/Tours/London/Parliament


Summer Opening of Parliament

Tue 3 Aug -
Sat 7 Aug 2010
Great British Beer Festival, West London
Drink, music and other entertainment. This is held at Earls Court (nearest tube station: Earls Court on the District line). See: http://www.gbbf.org (or http://www.camra.org.uk).
* British pubs and drinks: Britain/Food/Pubs



Great British Beer Festival


Thu 5 Aug 2010 Scottish Higher results, Scotland
Scottish Higher exam results are published in Scotland. Students who have received offers from Scottish universities but whose grades are not high enough can enter a process known as clearing, which tries to match them with available places. See: http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/importantdates or http://www.sqa.org.uk
Fri 6 Aug -
Mon 30 Aug 2010
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh
Entertainers perform shows in hundreds of venues across Edinburgh.
For details, see: http://www.edfringe.com.
* Photos of Edinburgh: Travel/Tours/Scotland/Edinburgh
Fri 6 Aug -
Sat 28 Aug 2010
Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh
A daily show outside the walls of Edinburgh Castle - a mixture of marching bands, dance and spectacle.
* Photos/further information about this event: Ideas/Album/Tattoo


Sat 7 Aug 2010 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 at 11am and finishes in Preston Park at about 1pm. Entertainment continues in Preston Park until the early evening. See: http://www.brightonpride.org
* Photos from the Pride London event: Ideas/Album/Pride
* Guide to visiting Brighton: Travel/Tours/England/Brighton
Sun 8 Aug 2010 London Mela, West London
A free celebration of Indian subcontinent cultures from 1-8:30pm in Gunnersbury Park, Ealing (nearest Tube: Acton Town; map). There is music and dancing on several stages around the park. There are hundreds of stalls selling food and other goods. See: http://www.londonmela.org (see also http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/asian_london or http://www.ealing.gov.uk)


London Mela: a celebration ...

... of the cultures of the Indian subcontinent

Fri 13 Aug -
Sun 5 Sep 2010
The Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh
A major annual festival of classical music, theatre, opera and dance in Edinburgh.
For details, see: http://www.eif.co.uk.
* Photos of Edinburgh: Travel/Tours/Scotland/Edinburgh
Thu 12 Aug -
Sun 15 Aug 2010
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, Bristol
Europe's largest hot air balloon festival, with over 100 balloons taking part. For details, see: http://www.bristolfiesta.co.uk
Thu 12 Aug
- Sun 15 Aug 2010
Airbourne (Eastboune Air Festival), Eastbourne
Free airshow on Eastbourne's seafront. See: http://www.eastbourneairshow.com
Thu 12 Aug -
Fri 10 Sep 2010
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.
For information about times when the new moon is expected to be visible in different parts of the UK, see: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/ramadan
Fri 13 Aug -
Sun 15 Aug 2010
Canary Wharf Jazz Festival, London
Free jazz concerts in Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf (nearest Tube/DLR station: Canary Wharf; map).
See: http://www.mycanarywharf.com/whats-on


Thu 19 Aug
- Sun 22 Aug 2010
Bournemouth Air Festival, Bournemouth
The UK's biggest free aviation festival. See: http://www.bournemouthair.co.uk
Thu 19 Aug 2010 A Level results, England & Wales
A Level results are published. Students who have received offers from universities but whose grades are not high enough can enter a process known as clearing, which tries to match them with available places. See: http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/importantdates or http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_4130.aspx
Sat 21 Aug -
Sun 22 Aug 2010
V Festival, Chelmsford and Birmingham
Weekend music festival at Hylands Park near Chelmsford and Weston Park near Birmingham. See: http://www.vfestival.com
* UK rock festivals: Life/Entertainment/Festivals
Sat 21 Aug -
Sun 22 Aug 2010
On The Edge, Richmond
Free festival of world music, with live performances taking place on Richmond Riverside. See: http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/leisure_and_culture/arts/music/on_the_edge.htm
Fri 27 Aug -
Sun 29 Aug 2010
Reading Festival / Leeds Festival, Reading & Leeds
Weekend music festival both at Reading and at Leeds. See: http://www.readingfestival.com and http://www.leedsfestival.com.
* UK rock festivals: Life/Entertainment/Festivals
Sat 28 Aug 2010 South West Four, South London
Music festival on Clapham Common. See: http://www.southwestfour.com
* UK rock festivals: Life/Entertainment/Festivals
Sun 29 Aug 2010 Get Loaded in the Park, South London
Music festival on Clapham Common. See: http://www.getloadedinthepark.com
* UK rock festivals: Life/Entertainment/Festivals
Sun 29 Aug -
Mon 30 Aug 2010
Notting Hill Carnival, West London
A free colourful street festival in London, from 12 noon to 7pm both on Sunday and on Monday (a public holiday in the UK). This is one of Europe's largest carnivals, attended by up to a million people each year. Sunday is known as Children's Day. This day is less crowded, so you may be able to get a better view of the procession and find it easier to leave afterwards. The main event is on Monday: it can get extremely crowded.

The procession route is along Great Western Road, Chepstow Road, Westbourne Grove and Ladbroke Grove.
Bus and Tube services in the area will be disrupted on Sunday and Monday. For details, check the Transport for London website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk

Some hints:
- Take a map of the area, so that you can go there and get back easily (note that many of the bus and Tube services in the area will not stop in the carnival area). Check the maps on the carnival websites for the route of the march and for the location of toilets (these will be quite basic; take your own toilet paper).
- Use sunscreen (you may be in the sun a long time)
- Consider protecting your ears, as the music can be loud (tissue paper can work well)
- Be very careful with your belongings, as there will be pickpockets there. If possible, just carry a small amount of cash and your travel tickets. Leave credit cards and mobile phones at home.
- The less you carry, the less tired you will feel at the end of the day.
- When it is crowded, the police may need to direct you in a certain direction.
- Allow plenty of time to leave the area. It may be slow moving through the crowds, some exit routes may be closed, and you may need to walk quite a long way to get to a Tube or bus station which is open.

For more information, see: http://www.myvillage.com/notting-hill/carnival

* Photographs from the Notting Hill Carnival: Ideas/Album/NottingHillCarnival


Notting Hill Carnival: steel drums

Notting Hill Carnival: street parade

Sun 29 Aug -
Mon 30 Aug 2010
Mathew Street Festival, Liverpool
An annual free music festival in Liverpool. See: http://www.mathewstreetfestival.com
* The Beatles: Britain/Music/Beatles.
* Visitor guide to Liverpool: Travel/Tours/England/Liverpool
Mon 30 Aug 2010 Summer Bank Holiday
A public holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (but not in Scotland). Transport services often run to a timetable similar to those on Sundays.
* To check timetables use the links in: Travel/Transport

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LINKS


Tours in August: Travel/Tours/Dates/August
Events in September: Ideas/Events/September
Print a free calendar: Ideas/Calendar
UK music festivals: Life/Entertainment/Festivals
Sports events: Life/Sport

Home page: Home

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