A GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL

STUDENTS
 FESTIVALS, HOLIDAYS
AND EVENTS IN THE UK

There are many festivals, holidays and events in
the UK for you to get involved in. Some of these
fall on specific dates while others fall at some point
in a certain month. Some are bank holidays, but not
all. As well as the events below, there will be lots
of local events going on in the town or city where
you are staying. Keep an eye on the local news and
check local or national websites to see what is
happening, as you dont want to miss any of the
parties.
 A.JANUARY

January 25th - Burns night is a celebration of Robbie Burns,
a celebrated Scottish poet. In Scotland people have a special
dinner on Burns Night. Men wear kilts and people listen to
traditional bagpipe music, they dance, read Burns poetry and
share a meal of haggis (a traditional Scottish dish of sheep
heart, liver and lungs) with neeps and tatties (turnips and
potatoes).
January 27th - Holocaust Memorial Day- is a national
commemoration day in the United Kingdom dedicated to the
remembrance of those who suffered in The Holocaust, under
Nazi Persecution, and in subsequent genocides
in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. The theme for
Holocaust Memorial Day 2017 is "How can life go on?
January-Photos

 B.FEBRUARY

February 14th -Saint Valentines Day (also known as Valentines Day)
is celebrated in many countries around the world, although like
England, it is not a public holiday in most of them. The day was first
associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the
High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In
18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers
expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering
confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as valentines).
Valentines Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped
outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th
century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced
greeting cards.
February-Photos

 B.FEBRUARY

Pancake Day- Shrove Tuesday marks the last day before
Lent, traditionally a period of abstinence, associated with
clearing your cupboards of things like sugar, fat and eggs.
It's known as Pancake Day because it represents a good
opportunity to use up such ingredients.
London Fashion Week-There are two London Fashion
Weeks each year the first London Fashion Week is in
February and the second is in September. The September
fashion week is the bigger of the two. London Fashion
Week events are usually reserved for industry insider
only but there are usually other events going on for the
general public (such as exhibitions) to coincide with the
event.
February-Photos

 C.MARCH

March 1st- People in Wales and those of Welsh origin
celebrate the life of their patron saint, St David, and
the Welsh culture on March 1st each year. Many
people pin a daffodil or leek to their clothes, and
some, especially children, wear traditional costumes.
March 17th-Saint Patricks Day, or the Feast of Saint
Patrick, is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated
annually on 17th March, the day that the patron saint
of Ireland, Saint Patrick, died. According to legend,
Saint Patrick used the three-leaved shamrock to
explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans.
March-Photos

March-Photos

 D.APRIL

April 1st- On April Fools Day it is acceptable even
encouraged! to play tricks and practical jokes on people.
Even newspapers, TV and radio shows often feature fake
stories to try and trick people. Any practical jokes must be
played before midday and if you catch someone out, you
must shout April Fools! After noon, the joke is on you.
April 23rd-St George is the patron Saint of England. There
is a legend that he bravely killed a dragon! The Cross of
Saint George is red on a white background and is the
national flag of England. It is not a national holiday in
England (much to the dismay of many English people).
April-Photos

 E.MAY

May 12th-19th National Donut Day
 F.JUNE

The Queens Official Birthday-The Queens real birthday is
on the 21st of April.However it has been a tradition since 1748 for
the state to celebrate the king or queens birthday in June. This is
because in June there is more likely to be nicer weather, so the
Queen can celebrate her birthday with civilians in a more
comfortable climate. A military parade known as Trooping the
Colour is held in London and is attended by the Royal Family.
Summer Solstice-The Summer solstice is the longest day and
shortest night of the year. Developed from a pagan tradition, many
people gather at the ancient monument of Stonehenge in Wiltshire.
People stand inside the monument facing northeast, toward a stone
outside the circle called the Heel Stone to watch the sun rise.
June-Photos

 G.AUGUST

EISTEDDFOOD- The National Eisteddfod is Wales
biggest arts and culture festival. You can listen to
Welsh music, watch dance and theatre performances,
listen to the Welsh language, sample Welsh food and
crafts.
EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL-Edinburgh
Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the
world. It features over 40,000 performances and
more than 2,500. Whilst any type of performance
may participate (e.g. theatre, music and dance) the
festival is most famous for comedy.
August-Photos

 H.OCTOBER

October 31st- HALLOWEEN-Halloween is
a celebration on the night of October 31st. It is most
practiced in the United States and Canada. Children
wear costumes and go to people's homes saying
"Trick or treat!" to ask for candy (sweets in the UK)
and people give it to them. The suggestion is: "Give
me a treat or I will play a trick on you." People often
dress up as ghosts, witches, or other scary things for
Halloween.
October-Photos

 I.NOVEMBER

Throughout November you may notice that lots of
men are growing moustaches. This is because
throughout November, the charity campaign of
Movember encourages men to grow a moustache to
raise funds in support of mens health. November is
affectionately renamed Movember which is a
combination of the words November and
moustache.
November-Photos

 J.DECEMBER

December 25th- Christmas is an annual commemoration
of the birth of Jesus Christ and a widely observed cultural
holiday, celebrated generally on 25th December by nearly
a billion people around the world. Christmas Day is
celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in
countries around the world, including many whose
populations are mostly non-Christian.
December 31st-Like many countries around the world the
UK celebrates the New Year, we do this by hosting parties
with friends and families to await the countdown to the
New Year. In Scotland they call it Hogmanay. We
celebrate by having a party with friends and setting
fireworks off! In many cities there are free celebrations
December-Photos

December-Photos

December-Photos