November 2009: listings/things to do/traditions/festivals/whats on in London/UK/Britain/England

Wed 18 Nov 2009	Marylebone Christmas Lights, London Christmas lights are switched on at Marylebone High Street (nearest Tube: Regents Park or Great Portland Street). For details, see: http://www.marylebonevillage.com or http://www.marylebonechristmaslights.com
Wed 18 Nov 2009	State Opening of Parliament, London The Queen travels from Buckingham Palace to Westminster to open a new year's programme for Parliament. The British Parliament has two main chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons has most of the power these days: its representatives (known as MPs: "Members of Parliament) are elected directly by the people in a general election. The main role of the House of Lords is to review the decisions taken by the House of Commons, and to recommend changes. Before the State Opening ceremony starts, the cellars of the Palace of Westminster are searched by the Yeomen of the Guard - a precaution dating back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 when Guy Fawkes and others planned to blow up Parliament. The Queen enters the House of Lords and sits on a throne. An official known as "Black Rod" walks to the House of Commons, but the door is closed in front of him (this represents the occasion when King Charles the First was refused entry, at the time of the English Civil War). Black Rod uses his ornamental mace (a heavy stick) to knock on the door, after which he is allowed into the House of Commons. He asks the MPs (Members of Parliament, who are chosen in a general election) to move into the House of Lords to listen to the "Queen's Speech". The Queen reads out details of planned changes to the law over the coming year (this is written by politicians from the government). The ceremony, which is a tradition which started over 500 years ago, is shown on television (usually on BBC1: 10.45am - 12.30pm). You can watch the Queen arriving or leaving in her coach: it leaves Buckingham Palace at 11am, follows The Mall to Horse Guards, passes through to Whitehall and then travels past the Cenotaph to Parliament Square. At 11.15 a cannon is fired in Hyde Park. Possible places to watch include the northern and north-eastern edges of St James's Park and in front of the Houses of Parliament (map; near Westminster Abbey). For further information, see: http://www.parliament.uk/faq/lords_stateopening.cfm * Photos of this event: Ideas/Album/StateOpeningOfParliament. * A brief guide to Parliament: Travel/Tours/London/Parliament
Wed 18 Nov 2009	Christmas Grand Sale, London About 150 stalls selling seasonal gifts from 6-9pm in the Royal Horticultural Halls (nearest Tube: Victoria or St James's Park). There is an entrance charge. See: http://www.horticultural-halls.co.uk/events/calendar/details/?id=6
Thu 19 Nov 2009	University of London Postgraduate Open Evening, London Free event for people who are interested in taking a postgraduate course at one of the members of the University of London. See: http://www.london.ac.uk/postgradopen.html
Thu 19 Nov 2009	Bond Street Christmas Lights (Bond Noël), London Bond Street will be turned into a "winter wonderland" from 5pm-8pm, with carol singers, musicians and entertainers. A celebrity will switch on the lights at 6pm, from a stage set up on the corner of Burlington Gardens and Old Bond Street (nearest Tube: Green Park or Bond Street; map). For details, see: http://www.bondstreetassociation.com * Photos from this event: Ideas/Album/BondStreetLights. See also: Ideas/Album/ChristmasLights

Bond Street Christmas lights (2007)

Fri 20 Nov 2009

BBC Children In Need, across the UK
An annual event to raise money for British children's charities. You can get involved in one of many fundraising events in the UK, or you can help by donating money to the charities. There is a special programme on television on BBC1 throughout Friday evening. An injured bear called Pudsey is the symbol for this charity appeal. For details of events and how to make a donation, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey.

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< Up	Ideas / Events / November
Things to do in the UK in November 2009

NOVEMBER 2009
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Thu 5 Nov 2009	Tar Barrels, Ottery St Mary (Devon) There is a special Bonfire Night tradition in Ottery St Mary, a town in Devon (near Exeter). Barrels which have been soaked with tar are lit and are then carried on people's backs through the streets. This has been done since the 17th century. The fires were believed to drive away evil spirits from the town. For more about this tradition, see: http://www.tarbarrels.co.uk To check details of this year's event, see: http://www.otterytourism.org.uk * Visitor guide to Exeter: Travel/Tours/England/Exeter
Thu 5 Nov 2009	Lewes Bonfire Night, Lewes (East Sussex) The Bonfire Night celebrations at Lewes remember not only the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, but also the burning on the stake of 17 Protestants in the town in 1555, and the restoration of a Protestant king (William of Orange) in 1688. There will be torchlit processions through the town, followed by bonfires and firework displays on the surrounding hills, organised by the various local bonfire societies. For more about this tradition, see: http://www.lewesbonfirecouncil.org.uk * Visitor guide to Lewes: Travel/Tours/England/Lewes
Sat 7 Nov - Sun 8 Nov 2009	Leeds Castle Firework Spectacular, Kent Spectacular fireworks display set to music from the West End, in the grounds of Leeds Castle in Kent. For details: click here * Leeds Castle: Travel/Tours/England/LeedsCastle
Sun 8 Nov 2009	Remembrance events, UK Wild poppies grew in the fields of France and Belgium where many people died during the First World War. Paper poppies are sold and worn from the start of November to raise money for the Royal British Legion (http://www.poppy.org.uk), a charity which supports the families of people who have been killed or injured in wars. The Queen and representatives of Parliament, the Armed Forces and the Commonwealth lay wreathes (rings) of poppies at the Cenotaph. The Cenotaph is a memorial for those who died in the First and Second World Wars (it is located in London in the middle of the road called Whitehall to the north and called Parliament Street to the south, near Westminster tube station; see map). 10,000 veterans (former soldiers) march past the memorial. There will be a two-minute silence at 11am. The ceremony can be seen on television (on BBC, starting at about 10:30am). If you go to Whitehall to watch, you will get a better view if you arrive before 9:30am. * Photos of this event: Ideas/Album/RemembranceSunday
Wed 11 Nov 2009	Armistice Day, UK The fighting in the First World War finished at 11am on 11 November. At 11am there is a two-minute silence when people remember the victims of wars - you may be asked to stop what you are doing and should avoid speaking during this time.

Wed 11 Nov - Sun 15 Nov 2009	Country Living Fair (Christmas), London British crafts and small businesses display their products. A good place to find unusual Christmas presents. There is an entrance charge. The event is held at the Business Design Centre in London (http://www.businessdesigncentre.co.uk; near Angel underground station; map). For details, or to buy tickets in advance, see: http://www.countrylivingfair.com.
Sat 14 Nov 2009	The Prince of Wales's birthday: gun salute, London Gun salute to mark the birthday of Prince Charles. 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) For background information about the gun salutes, see: http://www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/GunSalutes/Gunsalutes.aspx or http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/tourists/gun_salutes.cfm. * Royal traditions: Britain/Countries/Royalty.
Sat 14 Nov 2009	The Lord Mayor's Show, London Since 1189 (during the rule of King John) there has been a Lord Mayor of London elected each year who represents the City of London, the traditional business centre of London (do not confuse the Lord Mayor with the Mayor of London, the role currently taken by Ken Livingstone). Each year a new mayor is elected and by tradition must travel from the City to Westminster to promise to serve the king or queen (on the second Saturday in November). There is a street parade which starts at the Guildhall (map) at about 10:55am; this is watched by the new Lord Mayor from outside of Mansion House. The parade includes about 200 horses, 60 floats (displays on top of a vehicle), 200 motor vehicles, 20 marching bands and 23 carriages. It takes about one hour to pass. The Lord Mayor follows at the end of this procession in his golden coach (built in 1757). The procession travels past St Paul's Cathedral (map) and ends at the Royal Courts of Justice in Aldwych (map). At 1.00pm the procession returns, starting near Temple tube station (map), and following Victoria Embankment and Queen Victoria Street back to the Guildhall, finishing at about 2:30pm. If you cannot go to the parade yourself, you can watch it on television on BBC1 between 10.45am and noon. Later in the day (starting at about 5pm) there are fireworks which are set off from a boat on the River Thames. Good places to see the fireworks are along Victoria Embankment, on Blackfriars Bridge or on Waterloo Bridge (all of these are near Temple tube station). For more details and the timetable of events during the day, see: http://www.lordmayorsshow.org. * Photos of this event: Ideas/Album/LordMayorsShow

Thu 26 Nov 2009	Thanksgiving Day Americans celebrate the harvest season, often eating a family meal including turkey and pumpkin pie. Although this day is not widely celebrated in the UK, some restaurants offer the traditional meal. * Useful links for Americans in the UK: Links/USA
Thu 26 Nov 2009	Edinburgh's Christmas, Edinburgh The start of Edinburgh's Christmas celebrations. For details see: http://www.edinburghschristmas.com
Mon 30 Nov 2008	St Andrew's Day, Scotland Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. He and his brother - Saint Peter - were fishermen who became Apostles of Jesus Christ. He was crucified (killed on a cross) on November 30th in Greece. The cross of Saint Andrew is on the Scottish flag (the Saltire). Scottish celebrations often include traditional food, music, songs, poetry and dance. For information about St Andrew's Day events in Scotland, see: http://www.scotland.org/standrewsday * Photos of Scotland: Travel/Tours/Scotland