British Culture: Britain's Festivals
Party On: Get down and sample some of Britain's festive fun
Daniel Allen
Every country has its own unique annual holidays, celebrations, festivals, shindigs and blowouts that make perfect sense to the inhabitants, but can seem like sheer madness to overseas visitors. Britain is no exception.
From Burns Night in Edinburgh to Bonfire Night in Lewes, the country is home to a plethora of excellent public parties and festivals throughout the year. If you're planning a visit, see if you can incorporate one of the following events into your itinerary.
Burns Night (January 25)
Burns Night is annually celebrated in Scotland on or around January 25. It commemorates the life of the bard (poet) Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759. The day also celebrates Burns' contribution to Scottish culture. Burns' best known work is the famous poem "Auld Lang Syne."
Burns Nights are most common in Scotland and Northern Ireland, although there has been a surge in celebrations across Britain. Burns Nights often include "Burns Suppers," which may be formal or informal. They typically include haggis (a traditional Scottish dish celebrated by Burns in his poem Address to a Haggis), Scotch whisky, and the recitation of Burns's poetry.
Isle of Wight Festival, Isle of Wight (June)
Starting the British summer with a bang, the Isle of Wight Festival takes place in June every year in the town of Newport on the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight Festival was first held in 1968, and has a rich past (in 1970, 600,000 hippies descended on the island to see Jimi Hendrix perform his penultimate concert). The event is recognised around the world for its line-up of legendary artists and up-and-coming acts.
isleofwightfestival.com
Glastonbury Festival, Somerset (June, usually late June)
The Glastonbury Festival is a unique feast of music offering a scale of entertainment unlike any other festival in the world. For five days every year the 1,100 acre Pilton farm in Somerset is home to a city under canvas in the Somerset countryside. Glastonbury hosts music from nearly every genre on earth on over 100 stages. In addition the entertainment and performing arts at Glastonbury include cabaret, theatre, circus, children's entertainment, poetry, healing, green crafts and much, much more.
The first act confirmed for this year is Lionel Richie, who will be the Sunday legend, while there are even rumours that the Dalai Lama may be stopping by.
glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh (August)
The Edinburgh Festival is made up of four festivals. The Book Festival held in Charlotte Square; the International Festival, for productions of the high arts; the Art Festival, with special exhibitions and regular galleries; and The Fringe, which is what most people mean when they talk of the Edinburgh Festival.
The Fringe is the world's largest arts festival, with the 2012 event lasting 25 days with over 2,695 shows from 47 countries in 279 venues. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital in the month of August. The Fringe is a showcase for the performing arts, particularly theatre and comedy (which has seen substantial growth in recent years), although dance and music are also represented.
edfringe.com
Notting Hill Carnival, London (August Bank Holiday Weekend)
The Notting Hill Carnival was first held in 1964 as an offshoot of the Trinidad Carnival, and has remained true to its Caribbean roots, bringing a spirit of diversity to London.
Back in 1964, a mere 500 stopped by to check it out - last year more than one million people attended over the weekend, making it one of the largest street festivals in the world.
Expect a spectacle of floats featuring calypso, mas and pan bands as well as a series of sound systems for al fresco dancing. You can be sure of dense crowds and a vibrant celebration of music, movement and masquerade, together with a panoply Caribbean food stalls serving up jerk chicken and fried plantain.
thelondonnottinghillcarnival.com
Diwali, Leicester (mid-October and mid-November)
Diwali is one of the biggest festivals in the Indian calendar and is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains all over the world. Its name is taken from a Sanskrit word meaning row of lights.
Diwali celebrations in Leicester are one of the biggest outside of India, with up to 35,000 people attending the switch on of the lights on Belgrave Road, and even more attending Diwali day itself in the heart of the city's Asian community. There's a fireworks display and live stage as the festival of light marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year.
visitleicester.info/things-to-see-and-do/festivals-celebrations/diwali/
Lewes Bonfire Night, East Sussex (November 5)
The history of bonfire celebrations on November 5th throughout the United Kingdom have their origins with the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when a group of English Catholics, including the infamous Guy Fawkes, were foiled in their plot to blow up the British government in the Houses of Parliament in London.
The Lewes Bonfire Night, or the Lewes Bonfire Night Celebrations, is the biggest November 5 celebration in the world, when seven local societies put on five separate parades and firework displays. The current celebrations are a series of torch lit processions through the streets of Lewes, when society members wear traditional costumes and a number of large effigies are carried.
The festivities end with five separate bonfire displays, where the effigies are destroyed in the flames. Around 80,000 people attend the event each year.
lewesbonfirecelebrations.com
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