Study, work or travel in the UK. British
culture and life.
Things to do in the UK in March 2008
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Study, work or travel in the UK. British
culture and life.
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Things to do in the UK in March 2008
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2008
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| Sat 1 Mar |
St David's Day, Wales |
 Daffodils in bloom |
 St David's Day: Traditional Welsh dress |
| Sun 2 Mar | Mother's Day (also called "Mothering Sunday"),
UK A time for people living in the UK to think about their mothers. People often give flowers or chocolates or organise a special day out for their mothers at this time, and may send a special "Mother's Day" card. Note that Mother's Day is celebrated on a different date outside the UK. * Ideas for Mother's Day presents: Ideas/Gifts/MothersDay |
| Wed 5 Mar - Thu 6 Mar |
Central London Higher Education Convention, Manchester A free education fair in Manchester 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 the Manchester Central Convention Complex (map). There are similar fairs in other cities in the UK on different dates, organised by UCAS. For details, see: http://www.ucas.com/students/exhibitions/index.html. |
| Thu 6 Mar - Sun 9 Mar |
Crufts, Birmingham A famous annual British dog show which started in 1928. It is held at the NEC in Birmingham (nearest train station: Birmingham International). The "Best in Show" award is presented on the final day (Sunday). See: http://www.crufts.org.uk or http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/crufts. Highlights of the competition are shown on BBC2 television on each day. * Photos from this event: Ideas/Album/Crufts |
 Crufts dog show |
| Fri 7 Mar - Sun 16 Mar |
National Science and Engineering Week, UK Various special events take place across the UK to celebrate science, engineering and technology and its importance to our lives. See: http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/NSEW/index.html |
| Fri 7 Mar - Sat 8 Mar |
National Graduate Recruitment Exhibition, London An exhibition for students thinking about jobs/careers after graduation. The event is in Hall 1 at the Barbican (nearest Tube: Barbican; map) To register for this event, see: http://www.gradjobs.co.uk/about_exhibition.php?exhi_id=78 |
| Sat 8 Mar | TNT Magazine Travel Show (formerly Independent Travellers
World), London Fair providing information to people who want to organise travel in the UK, Europe or around the world. You can visit the stalls of tour and travel companies (some offer competitions or special discounts), and you can attend seminars on a variety of travel-related topics. The event is free and is open between 9:30am-6:00pm at the New Connaught Rooms, 61-65 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5DA (nearest Tubes: Holborn or Covent Garden; map). For details, see: http://www.tntmagazine.com/travelshow. * Information about travel in or starting from the UK: Travel |
| Sat 8 Mar - Sun 9 Mar |
Six Nations Championship, UK International rugby competition (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy). Saturday: 13:15 Ireland vs Wales ; 15:15 Scotland vs England Sunday: 15:00 France vs Italy * Rugby in the UK: Life/Sport/Rugby * Photos from a visit to a Six Nations game: Ideas/Album/SixNations |
| Mon 10 Mar | Commonwealth Day, UK & other Commonwealth countries Commonwealth Day is an annual event (on the second Monday of March) during which all the member countries of the Commonwealth celebrate their links with one another. People use the day to promote understanding about global issues, international co-operation and the work of the modern Commonwealth. Each year there is a different theme. There is a special service in Westminster Abbey. For details, see: http://www.commonwealthday.com. |
| Tue 11 Mar - Fri 14 Mar |
Cheltenham Festival, Cheltenham One of the main horse racing events of the year, taking place in Cheltenham (in Gloucestershire, part of the Cotswolds). This is jump racing (over fences), with many top British and Irish horses competing. The most important race is the Gold Cup on Friday. You can watch the races on television on Channel 4. * Horse racing in the UK: Life/Sport/Horse |
 Cheltenham Festival |
| Wed 12 Mar - Sun 16 Mar |
Country Living Fair (Spring), London British crafts and small businesses display their products. A good place to find unusual gifts. There is an entrance charge. The event is held at the Business Design Centre in London (near Angel underground station; map). For details, or to buy tickets in advance, see: http://www.countrylivingfair.com. |
| Fri 14 Mar - Sun 16 Mar |
Sport Relief, UK People take part in local sports activities to raise money for charity. The main event is the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile on Sunday, when there are fun runs of 1, 3 or 6 miles at locations across the UK. See: http://www.sportrelief.com and http://www.bbc.co.uk/sportrelief |
| Fri 14 Mar - Sun 6 Apr |
Ideal Home Show, London The Ideal Home Show takes place at Earls Court (http://www.eco.co.uk). Tickets are cheaper if bought in advance, but they are also available at the show. For more information, see: http://www.idealhomeshow.co.uk. |
| Sat 15 Mar | Head of the River Race, London A boat race on the river Thames in London for "eights", which each have eight people who row and one person (the "cox") who directs the boat. There are several hundred boats competing, setting off at 10-second intervals (the strongest teams row first), and the times to finish the course are recorded. It is expected to start at 9:45am and end at about 11am; the fastest boats can complete the 4.25 mile (7 kilometre) course in about 20 minutes. The race starts at Chiswick Bridge and ends at Putney Bridge. You can watch it from any accessible point along the river, but the best views are probably on the east bank of the Thames (the side which is in Surrey) just north of Chiswick Bridge (near the railway station Mortlake; see: map). Poor weather or strong tides may stop the race, so check before on the website: http://www.horr.co.uk. |
| Sat 15 Mar - Sun 16 Mar |
A Taste of Ireland in Covent Garden, London Specialty Irish food market in London's Covent Garden from 11am-6pm, as part of the St Patrick's Day celebrations. For further details and for more information about Irish food and drink, see: http://www.bordbia.ie/food_island |
| Sat 15 Mar | Six Nations Championship, UK Final day of the international rugby competition (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy). The games are: 13:00 Italy vs Scotland ; 15:00 England vs Ireland ; 17:00 Wales vs France * Rugby in the UK: Life/Sport/Rugby * Photos from a visit to a Six Nations game: Ideas/Album/SixNations |
 Final matches of the Six Nations competition |
| Sun 16 Mar | London St Patrick's Day Festival, London A celebration of Irish culture in London, usually on the Sunday nearest to St Patrick's Day (17 March). There is a parade and festival of music and cultural performances. To check full details of this year's event, see: http://www.london.gov.uk/stpatricksday. * Photos from this event: Ideas/Album/StPatricksDay |
| Mon 17 Mar | St Patrick's Day, Ireland A public holiday in Ireland. Saint Patrick was born in north England or southern Scotland at the time when the country was occupied by the Romans. He was captured and made into a slave, and was taken to Ireland, where he worked as a shepherd. He escaped on a boat, but later came back to Ireland and worked to convert the Irish people to become Christians (previously the main religion was paganism). Saint Patrick died on 17th March 461 AD, and has become the "patron saint" of Ireland. St Patrick's Festival in Dublin: http://www.stpatricksfestival.ie * Book a tour to Dublin for St Patrick's Festival: click here * Guide to Dublin: Travel/Tours/Ireland/Dublin |
 St Patrick's Day |
| Thu 20 Mar | Spring Equinox, UK The day and night are each 12 hours (this is known as the spring or vernal "equinox"). Pagans celebrate this natural event. Easter is on the first Sunday after this day. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/springequinox.shtml. |
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EASTER
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| The Easter weekend is the time when Christians
remember the time that Jesus Christ was killed on a cross and later came
back to life. People eat "hot cross buns": currant buns with a
symbol on the top which represent the cross on which Jesus was killed (these
are cut in two, toasted, and butter is spread on each half). The date of
Easter changes each year, but it is always between the end of March and
the end of April. The 4-day holiday period is used by many people as a chance to travel. Airports can be very busy (book your flights early). If you are travelling by train, check if there is engineering work on the part of the railway network you need: extra bus services will be organised, but journeys can take longer. If you are driving, note that the roads can be very busy (especially on Thursday, Friday and Monday), and check for roadworks before travelling. If you want to go on a tour, try to book this early (2 weeks or more in advance): tours are often full. Easter is named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring (Eostre). Eggs and bunnies (baby rabbits) are two symbols that represent new life. There are many Easter traditions involving eggs, including eating chocolate Easter eggs, egg races, egg hunts and egg painting. |
 Statue of Jesus on the cross |
 Hot cross buns |
 Chocolate Easter bunny |
| Thu 20 Mar | Maunday Thursday, UK Maunday Thursday is when Christians remember the Last Supper, when Jesus met with his followers before he was betrayed by Judas and was captured by the Romans. |
| Fri 21 Mar | Good Friday, UK A public holiday in the UK. Some supermarkets and larger shops will be open, but many local shops will be closed. Buses and trains will run, often with a service that is similar to a normal Saturday or Sunday service. Good Friday is the day when Christians remember the death of Jesus Christ, who was crucified (killed on a cross) by the Romans. Christian churches hold special services. * Photos and information about Good Friday traditions: Ideas/Album/Good-Friday |
| Sun 23 Mar | Easter Sunday, UK Special Easter Sunday services in Christian churches celebrate the belief that Jesus Christ came back to life on the third day after he was killed (known as the "resurrection"). There are special Easter Sunday religious services. Churches are often decorated with flowers. Children are often given chocolate Easter eggs by their parents or relatives. Sometimes eggs are hidden and children hunt for them in the house or garden. Note that many shops are closed on Easter Sunday, even if they normally open on other Sundays. Visitor attractions are usually open, but you should check before you travel. * Photos and information about Easter Sunday traditions: Ideas/Album/Easter-Sunday |
| Mon 24 Mar | Easter Monday, UK A public holiday in the UK. Many of the larger shops will be open, but you should check opening times; many smaller shops will be closed. Buses and trains will run, often with a service that is similar to the normal Sunday service. |
| Mon 24 Mar | Harness Horse Parade, Sussex An annual parade of horses, ponies and donkeys and their carriages. The venue is the South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TL (map) For details, see: http://www.lhhp.co.uk * Photos and information about this event: Ideas/Album/HarnessHorseParade |
 Harness Horse Parade |
| 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 |
| Sat 29 Mar | Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race, London An annual university boat race on the Thames in London between Oxford University (the "Dark Blues") and Cambridge University (the "Light Blues"). The teams toss a coin to choose which side of the river they start (the north side is "Middlesex", and the south side is "Surrey": these are the names of the counties on each river bank. The race starts at Putney Bridge (near Putney Bridge underground station, on the Wimbledon branch of the District line; see: map), and ends after a distance of 4.25 miles (7 kilometres) just north of Chiswick Bridge (near the railway station Mortlake; see: map). The starting time changes each year, depending on the tide. Thousands of people line the river to see the two boats pass (after this people often rush to the nearby pubs to watch the rest of the race, which lasts about 20 minutes). The first contest took place in 1829, after a student at Cambridge challenged his friend at Oxford. Each year about 400 million people watch the event on television, in over 150 countries. Before the main event is a similar race between the second teams, which are known as "Isis" (Oxford) and "Goldie" (Cambridge). Other useful vocabulary: cox or coxswain (the person who steers the boat), stroke (the rower nearest the cox), bow (the rower furthest from the cox), a clash of oars (when the oars of the two boats hit each other), to catch a crab (when one of the oars gets stuck in the water and cannot complete its stroke). In 2008 the starting time for the race is 5:15pm. For more details about the event, see: http://www.theboatrace.org. You can watch the race live on television. |
 Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race |
 Light vs Dark Blues |
| Sat 29 Mar / Sun 30 Mar |
British Summer Time (BST) starts, UK If you are in the UK, change all clocks forward 1 hour. You lose one hour's sleep. The time change is actually during the night: at 1am on Sunday morning the time is changed to 2am. Before going to bed you should change at least your watch and alarm clock, and the clock for your heating system - you can make other changes on Sunday morning if you prefer. Note that some computers and electronic equipment automatically change their clocks during the night. Mornings become darker, and afternoons/evenings brighter. If you are calling abroad note that the time difference may have changed (for example: Japan/Korea change from 9 hours ahead of the UK to 8 hours ahead). For the next 6 months the time in the UK is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+1). When you change your clocks, you can check the exact time from the speaking clock by phoning 123. Do not always believe the clocks which you may see in public places - sometimes there is a delay before they are changed. More information is available on the website: http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/info/timeuk.htm. |
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