The Festivals of Britain Cherkashina Ekaterina 7”B” class

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in London on the South Bank of the Thames. There were events in Poplar , Battersea, South Kensington and Glasgow

Festival celebrations took place in Cardiff, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Perth, Bournemouth, York, Aldeburgh, Inverness, Cheltenham, Oxford and elsewhere and there were touring exhibitions by land and sea. The Festival became associated with the post-war Labour government of Clement Attlee and was rapidly demolished by the incoming Conservative administration of Winston Churchill.

Dates of festivals Jan 1 New Year's DayBritain Feb 18–23London Fashion Week London Feb 19–27Jorvik Viking Festival (costumed warriors, battles)York, England Feb 26–March 6 Bath Literature FestivalBath, England April 22 Good FridayEngland & Wales April 24–25 Easter Sunday and Monday Britain April 29 Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton London May 2 Early May Bank Holiday Britain May 12–15Keswick Jazz FestivalKeswick, England May 24–28Chelsea Flower ShowBath, England May 25–June 5 Bath International Music Festival Bath, England May 27– June 12 Bath Fringe Festival  (theater, walks, talks, alternative music)Bath, England May 30 Spring Bank Holiday Dates of festivals

June 3–4 Keswick Beer FestivalKeswick, England June 11 Trooping the Colour (military bands and pageantry, Queen's birthday parade) London June 14–18 Royal Ascot (horse races at Ascot Racecourse) near Windsor, England June 21–July 4 Wimbledon Tennis Championship London June 24–27 Royal Highland Show (Scottish county fair)Edinburgh, Scotland July 6–11 International Eisteddfod (folk songs, dances)Llangollen, North Wales July 8 –16Early Music FestivalYork, England July 28–31 Cambridge Folk Festival (buy tickets early) Cambridge, England Aug 29 Summer Bank Holiday

Sept 2–Nov 7 Blackpool Illuminations (waterfront light festival) Blackpool, England Sept 16–25 York Food Festival York, England Sept 16–24Jane Austen FestivalBath, England Sept 17–22 London Fashion Week London Nov 1 All Saints' Day Britain Nov 5 Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night (fireworks, bonfires with effigy burning of 1605 traitor Guy Fawkes)

Nov 12 Lord Mayor's Show (horse drawn coach parade and fireworks) London Nov 30 St. Andrew's Day Scotland Dec 24–26Christmas holidays Britain Dec 31–Jan 2 Hogmanay (Scottish New Year's celebration)

This list includes major festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout Great Britain. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays — keep it in mind when planning your itinerary. Note that this isn't a complete list; holidays can strike without warning. Many British towns have holiday festivals in late November and early December, with markets, music, and entertainment in the Christmas spirit. Two of these include York's St. Nicholas Fayre and Keswick's Victorian Fayre.

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