Events, Festivals and Exhibitions

Festivals in the UK

Discover amazing world festivals, events and exhibitions
 

Derby Festé Street Festival 2025

derby Derby, United Kingdom

The streets of Derby will resound with dance, music, comedy and contemporary circus this September, as Derby Festé hits the ground running for a thirteenth successive year...

Ilkley Literature Festival, Yorkshire, 2025

Ilkley Ilkley, Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Actors, writers, poets and even a few journos will descend upon the West Yorkshire Victorian spa town of Ilkley in October for the Ilkley Literature Festival. The county might be

BFI London Film Festival, UK

london London, United Kingdom

The 69th BFI London Film Festival (LFF), in partnership with American Express, returns from 8–19 October 2025 with a dazzling line-up of films, premieres, talks and immersive experiences across London

varies

The Yorkshire Dales Cheese Festival 2025

Settle Settle, Yorkshire, United Kingdom

The Yorkshire Dales Cheese Festival held in October is a celebration of Yorkshire cheese and its recent revival. Events include: a 5.5 mile guided walk through the countryside ...

Cheltenham Literature Festival, 2025

cheltenham 109-111 Bath Road, Cheltenham, United Kingdom

Could there be a more appropriate setting for The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival than the historic Regency spa town of Cheltenham? Originally held in the town

Free

Interested in Festivals in the UK?

There are thousands of festivals in the UK ranging from the weird to the mundane. Some of the more famous include the Chelsea Flower Show and the Edinburgh Fringe, but we Brits are prepared to celebrate anything and everything, even watercress.

UK Music Festivals and Carnivals

Music is a key element in many a festival, with festivals specialising in music from rock to contemporary, including Glastonbury, the Isle of Wight Festival and Womad. If in London on the last weekend in August, be sure to head to the Notting Hill Carnival - the biggest party in the capital.

Food Festivals in the UK

Outside of music, food is the most common thing celebrated at UK festivals, from the Ludlow Food Festival to the Malton Food Festival and even the Alresford Watercress Festival. Summer is the best time for foodies to visit the UK, as there are seemingly food events each weekend, catering to all tastes and fads.
Literary Festivals
Another more niche element is the literary of book festival. One of the leading literary events is the Hay Festival. Although you will find literary and book festivals popping up all over the kingdom, including the Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Fringe Festivals

The Edinburgh Fringe held in the Scottish capital in August, is the most notable UK fringe festival, but there are other fringe festivals up and down the land, including the Ventnor Fringe on the Isle of Wight.The above is just a snippet of all the special events in each and every corner of the UK. With so much on offer, make sure you check out our event pages to ensure you include one of the UK’s many festivals on your UK holidays.