 UNITED KINGDOM
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Abergavenny Festival. [July - August] Tel: 01873 857588.
The historic Welsh market town set in the picturesque Usk Valley on the fringe of the Black Mountains. Enjoy days of music, drama, literature, folk, jazz, children's events, workshops, art and photographic exhibitions, town walks, bus tours and exhibitions.
 
Ashton Court Festival. [July] 1, Ninetree Hill, Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3SB. Tel: 0117 904 2275 Fax: 0117 904 2276.
Two outdoor stages featuring the best of local bands with national headliners to finish.
The WKD Bigger Top featuring souly, funky, hip-hop, jazzy bands.
The Colston Hall Global marquee featuring a unique mix of modern and traditional music from around the world. A Performing Arts marquee featuring dance, poetry, comedy and theatre.
East Barnet Festival. [June] East Barnet Community Festival, c/o Homecare Centre. 14 Church Hill Road, East Barnet. Herts/ North London EN4 8TB. England. Tel: 07071 781745
East Barnet Festival is one of the largest community festivals in the London region. Two days of music, dance, arts and sport. North London's largest and liveliest free festival - the East Barnet Festival - now in its eighth year, promises to be bigger and better than ever in 2002. With the weekend of June 29th and 30th as the confirmed dates, now's the time to make a 'not to be missed' note in your diary. Rock and folk bands, singers, dancers, sports fayre, women & girls football, jugglers, family funfair, six-a-side junior soccer, childrens activities, processions, golf tuition, unicyclists, food stalls, flower and horticultural displays, beer tent, complementary therapies tent, craft stalls, you name it and it'll be there.
Bath Fringe Festival. [May-June] Bath Fringe, 103 Walcot Street, BATH Somerset BA1 5BW.
With over 170 events in 40+ venues (and more being added!) Bath Fringe can claim to be the oldest continually running independent Fringe Festival in England, and one of the largest by anyone's standards.
Brighton Festival. [May]
Brighton Festival is a contemporary celebration of all that’s good in British and international performing arts bringing and commissioning events to and for Brighton that cannot be seen elsewhere in the UK and reflecting the thriving creativity of its own artistic community.
City of London Festival. [June] City of London Festival, Bishopsgate Hall, 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4HW. Tel: (0171) 377 0540. Fax: (0171) 377 1972
Opera, orchestral, choral and chamber music, theatre, poetry, jazz and dance.
The Edinburgh International Festival. [August - September] Edinburgh International Festival, 21 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1BW.
Tel: (0131) 473 2001. Fax: (0131) 473 2002
One of the most famous and influential festivals in the world
Fuse Leeds. [May] FUSELEEDS information call +44 (0)113 395 1244.
FUSELEEDS is an international biennial music festival presenting an eclectic programme of jazz, contemporary, rock, folk and classical music. The first FUSELEEEDS took place in March 2004, with the next festival planned for May 2006. FUSELEEDS showcases live performances from some of the top names in contemporary music with a particular focus on exciting and experimental new collaborations and explorations between music and art and music and film.
Henley Festival of Music and the Arts. [July] 14 Friday Street, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1AH. Tel: +44 (0)1491 843404 (box office)- +44 (0)1491 843400 (admin) Fax: +44(0)1491 410482.
Medway Festival of Music Speech and Drama. [October]
The Medway Festival of Music, Speech and Drama is an amateur competitive festival for instrumentalists, singers, actors and speakers of all ages and abilities.
Merseyside International Street Festival. [July-August] Gostins Building, 32-36 Hanover Street, Liverpool L1 4LN. T: +44 (0) 151 709 3334. F: +44 (0) 151 709 4994.
The festival creates platforms for international performance projects, local community tours and cultural collaborations that bring people together, foster mutual respect and encourage a greater degree of understanding and insight into our city's multicultural landscape.
Bishopstock Blues Festival. [May] The UK.
Burnley National Blues Festival. [April]
The Festival Organiser, Burnley Mechanics, Manchester Road. Burnley BB11 1JA.
The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival. [August] 61 Albert Road, Colne, Lancashire. United kingdom. BB8 0BP. Tel: +44 (0)870 909 3399 Fax: +44 (0)1282 661221.
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Bath Literature Festival. [February - March] Bath Festivals Trust, 5/6 Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ. Bath. Festivals Box Office, 2 Church Street, Abbey Green, Bath BA1 1NL. Tel: admin (01225) 462231. Fax: admin (01225) 445551. Tel: box office (01225) 463362. Box office Fax: 01225 310377
Guildford Book Festival. [October] Arts Office, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 5XH. Tel: 01483 254167. Fax: 01483 300803
All types of literature. Writer-in-residence working in Surrey schools. Adult writing workshops. First Novel Award for Surrey authors. Short story competition.
Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts. [June] Programme published March. Aldeburgh Productions, Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Snape, Suffolk IP17 1SP. Administration. Tel: (01728) 687100, Box Office (01728) 687110. Fax (01728) 687120. Artistic Director: Thomas Ades, Associate Artistic Director: John Woolrich
BBC Proms. [July - September] Proms Guide. Tel: 01232 325672. Further information. Tel (0171) 765 5575.
Held in the Royal Albert Hall, London. The world's largest classical music festival with more than seventy concerts. Incredible range of composers and repertoire
Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival. [May] PO Box 226, York YO3 6ZU. Tel: (01904) 645738. Fax: (01904) 612631.
Leicester Comedy Festival. [July] LCB Depot, 31 Rutland Street. Leicester LE1 1RE. Tel: +44 (0) 116 261 6812.
The longest running comedy festival in the UK (est.1994). Attracting 50,000 people to 180+ events in 50 venues across Leicestershire
Liverpool Comedy Festival. [July] Liverpool Comedy Festival
PO Box 1127. Liverpool, L69 3TL.
The first Liverpool Comedy Festival in 2002 took place over 10 days in venues all around the City. There were over 50 shows in 20 different venues as well as the fledgling version of Stand Out - a competition for 14 to 18 years olds.
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Dance Umbrella. [October - November] Dance Umbrella, 20 Chancellors Street, London W6 9RN. Tel: 0181 741 5881 Fax: (0181) 741 7902.
Contemporary dance from around the world. UK and International artists
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York Millennium Mystery Plays. [June] YMMP, PO Box 510, York YO30 5YT. Tel: 01904 635444. Fax: 01904 612631
York Minster plays host to the York Mystery Players in the summer of the Millennium. Produced by Royal Shakespeare Company director Gregory Doran and featuring over 200 local actors and musicians
Leeds International Film Festival. [November] Tel: +44(0)113 2478398
London Australian Film Festival. [March] Cinema Department. Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS.
The Barbican’s popular London Australian Film Festival, is an eagerly awaited annual landmark on the UK film calendar. Throughout its history, the heart of the Festival has been its showcase of the latest Australian feature films providing UK audiences with a unique overview of Australian cinema.
London Film Festival. [October-November]
The Times bfi London Film Festival screens on average 280 films from 60 countries, presenting the very best of new film from the full spectrum of world cinema.
In addition to an impressive roster of film premieres, many of which are introduced by the film's director, producer or stars, the extensive schedule of Festival activities include prestigious Opening and Closing Night Galas, industry and public forums, education events, lectures and celebrity interviews.
London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. [May]
A record-breaking two weeks of screening the cream of local and international lesbian and gay cinema.
Norwich International Animation Festival. [October] Film Arts Norwich, 70b Swan Yard, King Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1PG. England. Tel: +44 (0)1603 756231. Fax: +44 (0)1603 615728
Norwich International Animation Festival presents a white-hot programme of seminars, debates, retrospectives and special film programmes, alongside the very best new animation from around the world.
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Shrewsbury Flower Show. [August] The Secretary, Shropshire Horticultural Society; Quarry Lodge, Shrewsbury. SY1 1RN. Tel: 01743 234050 (General Enquiries) Tel: 01743 234058 (Credit Card Sales) Fax: 01743 233555.
Shrewsbury Flower Show is recognised and admired not only as Britain's best two-day summer show but also one of the finest events of its kind in the world. Each August for more than a century the Show has been held in the picturesque setting of Shrewsbury's beautiful 29-acre Quarry Park, with its magnificent sunken gardens, known as The Dingle, providing a colourful centrepiece which brings gasps of admiration and delight from up to 75,000 visitors to the Show each year. The beauty of the natural park makes it a show within a show, a fitting location for one of the top competitive and decorative horticultural displays staged anywhere. The show has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's longest running horticultural show. The first show was held in Shrewsbury’s Quarry Park in July 1875.
Southport Flower Show. [August] The Lady Pilkington Centre; Victoria Park, Rotten Row, Southport, PR8 2BZ. Tel: 01704 547147. Fax: 01704 500750.
Hailed 'the garden by the sea', Southport's jewel in the crown has always been its annual flower show, which has a long and proud history of displaying the finest horticulture in the north. Southport Flower Show, the largest independent flower show in the country, had its seeds sown in 1924. Originally staged by the local council, the show was privatised in 1986 and continues to flourish under the management of the Southport Flower Show company.
Billingham International Folklore. [August]
From small beginnings - only Austria, Estonia and Hungary were represented at the first festival, it hosts 11 groups with over 400 artists from abroad and presents the best, world of folklore dance and song has to offer.
The Cambridge Folk Festival. [August]
One of the premier music events in Europe and one of the longest running and most famous folk festivals in the world. It has become hugely popular and a regular sell out attracting ten thousand people, many of whom return year after year.
Holmfirth Folk Festival. [May] Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. Contact:Linda Rice: Tel: +44 (0)1484 686792
An annual event since May 1978. The Holme Valley with its moors,mills and the picturesque town of Holmfirth, famous for weavers cottages, interesting alleys and ginnels and 'The Last of the Summer Wine' provide an ideal setting for the celebration of music and traditional dance.
Abergavenny Food Festival. [September]
Abergavenny Food Festival
PO Box 49, Abergavenny, NP7 5XZ Wales. Tel/Fax: 01873 851 643. September are the dates for this year's award-winning Abergavenny Food Festival (Greatest Event in Wales 2003 - Wales Tourist Board). The festival continues to grow and diversify attracting nearly twenty-five thousand people.
Animated Encounters. [April] Encounters Festivals. Watershed Media Centre, 1 Canon’s Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX. Tel: +44 (0) 117 915 0185. Fax: +44 (0) 117 930 9967.
The range and diversity of the films on show is a testament to the truly amazing talents of the directors whose work is featured.
Bewdley Beer Festival. [August] St George's Hall. Load Street Carpark, Bewdley. Tel: recorded info and voicemail) 01299 888177
The Cambridge Food and Drink Festival. [October] The Alliance Française, 15 Norfolk Street, Cambridge. CB1 2LD
Quality ingredients, put together with expertise and art by a cook, result in conviviality, delight, gusto and gruntlement. So it is our hope that the Festival will provide all sorts of opportunities to enjoy, share, taste, learn, savour. Hence this brochure, full of dinners, demonstrations, tastings, talks and countryside trails.We hope everyone will find something here to enhance (or even re-kindle) the pleasures of the table.
Chelmsford and Mid-Essex CAMRA 7th Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival. [February]
The Triangle Club, Essex County Council, Duke Street, Chelmsford (5 mins from Chelmsford Railway Station)
Open Thu 6-11pm; Fri; 12 noon-3pm + 6-11pm; all day Sat 12 noon-11 pm. Admission: Lunchtimes: card-carrying CAMRA members free, non-members £1. Evenings: card-carrying CAMRA members free, non-members £2. 50+ beers with emphasis on winter brews; also cider & Belgian beers. Souvenir glass. Food available all sessions.
Great British Beer Festival. [August] Campaign for Real Ale. 230 Hatfield Road. St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 4LW. Tel: 01727-867201. Fax: 01727-867670
The Great British Beer Festival is a celebration of beer from around the UK and around the world. It is Britain's biggest beer festival and attracts around 45,000 beer drinkers.
The Keswick Beer Festival. [June] Tel: 017687 73200 (or 0044 17687 73200) from outside of the UK)
Kent Beer Festival. [July] Tel:/Faxx: 0044 01227 463478
Newark Beer Festival. [May]
The Newark branch of the Campaign for Real Ale will be filling their tented arena with over one hundred traditionally crafted beers, together with a selection of real cider and perry for visitors to sample.
Organic Food & Wine Fair. [July] Creativity Events, Garden Organic, Ryton (Near Coventry), Warwickshire, UK. Tel: 01934 813 407. Fax: 01934 813 407
Garden Organic (formerly the HDRA) host this gathering of carefully selected organic food & drink producers with talks and demonstrations.
Peterborough Beer Festival. [August] Campaign for Real Ale, Peterborough & District Branch. 49 St Margarets Road, Fletton, Peterborough, PE2 9EA. Tel: 0870 334 0320
The Festival is held in massive marquees on the river embankment in Peterborough.
The site is only a few minutes walk from Peterborough Railway Station and from the bus and coach stations. The address is The Embankment (Behind the Key Theatre), Bishops Road, Peterborough PE1 1EF
Soil Association Organic Food Festival. [September] Creativity Events, Bristol Harbourside, Bristol, UK. Tel: 01934 813 407. Fax: 01934 813 407.
The largest celebration of organic food in Europe with over 300 organic producers represented plus a celebrity chef packed demo kitchen, a wide programme of talks and tastings plus the Fringe food themed performance, entertainment & art.
Soil Association Organic Food Festival. [November] Creativity Events, The Old Fruitmarket, Merchant City, Glasgow. Scotland. Tel: 01934 813 407. Fax: 01934 813 407.
New for 2006, the first Scottish Organic Food Festival brings together the best of the region’s organic produce with demos, talks, tastings, kid’s activities and much more.
York Festival of Food and Drink. [September] York Hospitality Association, c/o 7 Scarcroft Road, York YO23 1ND. Tel: ++44 01904 466687.
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Birmingham International Jazz Festival. [July] PO Box 944. Birmingham B16 8UT. England. Call the ticket hotline on: Tel: 0121 454 7020. Fax: 0121 454 9996.
Cheltenham International Jazz Festival. [April] Cheltenham Town Hall, Imperial Square, Cheltenham, Glos GL50 1QA. Tel: administration (01242) 237377. Box office (01242) 227979. Jazz Mailing list (01594) 541070.
Coventry Jazz Festival. [May] CV One Ltd, 1 Castle Yard, off Hay Lane, Coventry CV1 5RF. Tel: 024 7660 7020. Fax: 024 7660 7001.
Jazz on the Streets Midsummer Festival. [July] Tel: 01932 340718.
Jazz on the Streets Midsummer Festival; One-week of live music at 16 venues around Soho and the West End of London.
HMV Birmingham International Jazz Festival. [July] PO Box 944. Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands B16 8UT. Tel: 0044 (0) 1214547020 Fax = 0044 (0)1214549996
Festival is now in it's 16th year. The event takes place in over 200 venues- bars, clubs, restaurants, shopping centres, and even on the street. Over 90% of the performances are free to the public.
Lichfield Real Ale, Jazz & Blues Festival. [June] Staffs, Stafordshire.[contact: Brian Pretty, Dept RAJB, LDAA, Donegal House, Bore Street, Lichfield, WS13 6NE. Tel: (01543) 262223. Fax: (01543) 417308]
Manchester Jazz Festival.[July] 226 Ducie House,
Ducie Street, Manchester, M1 2JW. Tel: 0161 228 0662.
50 bands, at 9 venues, with events at all times of the day and week, indoors and out.
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Reading Festival. [August] Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshire.[contact: Mean Fiddler Information Hotline (Mon-Sat 10am-6pm) Tel: 0181 963 0940]
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Bangladesh Festival. [July] 309A Aberdeen House, 22 Highbury Grove, London N5 2DQ.
Tel: 0171 354 3030. Fax 0171 354 8404
Bangladeshi music, dance, theatre, poetry, film, photography, textiles, crafts, cuisine
Rise Festival. [July] Events for London team. 4th floor. Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA. rise hotline 020 7983 6554
rise fax: 020 7983 4706.
Surdhwani's Spring Raga Festival [March] Wolverhampton, West Midlands. For further details, please contact Mrs Maitreyee Sarcar - HF, Company Secretary, Surdhwani, 3 Sherington Drive, Goldthorn Park, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV4 5DX, UK. Tel: (01902) 658 793, Fax: (01902) 830 278, Mobile: 07815 107 194,.
Surdhwani will present an Instrumental Medley by Tarang through SAMC in March 2006 as part of Spring Raga Festival. Surdhwani usually organises three Festivals each year, Spring, Summer & Autumn on Indian classical Music and Dance.
BALLOONING
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. [August] Bristol Balloon Fiestas Limited. St. Johns Street. Bedminster, Bristol. BS3 4NH. England. United Kingdom. Tel: 0117 966 8716.
World centre for ballooning, Bristol has become home to Europe's largest hot air balloon festival, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. Founded 27 years ago, the Bristol Balloon Fiesta has a fascinating history. It all began back in 1978 when Don Cameron, owner of the World's largest balloon manufacturer, Cameron Balloons, decided to create an event that would draw together balloonists from around the world.
CRAZY GOLF
World Crazy Golf Championship. [September] British Minigolf Association27 Ashenden Walk, Tunbridge WellsKent TN2 3HR
CHEESE ROLLING
The Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling Festival. [May]
Held on the last weekend in May each year Between Gloucester, Stroud and Cheltenham in the Cotswolds. It is thought that this pagan festival began hundreds of years ago - a celebration of the onset of summer. Other theories have it relating to age-old fertility rights, the hope of a successful harvest and even as a safeguard of the Commoner's rights for the people of Cooper's Hill.
Stilton Cheese Rolling Festival. [May] Stilton Community Association. Tel: +0044 01733 241206
Cheese Rolling has become an annual event in Stilton and every Mayday hundreds of villagers and visitors make their way to the main street to watch the teams battling for the honour of being called the 'Stilton Cheese Rolling Champions'.
MEDIEVAL RE-ENACTMENT
England's Medieval
Festival.. [August] Herstmonceux Castle,near Hailsham in East Sussex.
Britain's largest three day celebration of the Middle Ages! Held annually over the August Bank Holiday Weekend since 1992. Authentic Mounted Jousting, Mounted Skill-at-Arms Tournament, Medieval Side-Saddle Display, Longbow Competition, Have-A-Go-Archery, Archery Displays, Spectacular Grand Parades, Fire-Eaters, Puppeteers, Jesters, Strolling Minstrels, Europe's largest Medieval Traders Row, 100's of fabulous Craft Stalls, Living History Village, Hog Roast, historic Walled Gardens, Pony Rides, Teas and Kid's Kingdom.
SCIENCE
Newcastle Science Festival. [March]
With more than 50 different events, the festival certainly offers something for everyone.
You will find events taking place in venues around the city, including the Life Science Centre, Discovery Museum, the Hancock Museum, Segedunum Roman Fort, the Sage Gateshead, Baltic, University of Newcastle and Northumbria University. Enjoy live shows and demonstrations from popular scientists and TV personalities. There is also a lively programme of debates, lectures and performances exploring the latest science issues.
STRAW BEARS
Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival. [January] Tel: 01733 204348.
In Whittlesea, from when no one quite knows, it was the custom on the Tuesday following Plough Monday (the 1st Monday after Twelfth Night) to dress one of the confraternity of the plough in straw and call him a 'Straw Bear'. A newspaper of 1882 reports that "... he was then taken around the town to entertain by his frantic and clumsy gestures the good folk who had on the previous day subscribed to the rustics, a spread of beer, tobacco and beef".
The bear was described as having great lengths of tightly twisted straw bands prepared and wound up the arms, legs and body of the man or boy who was unfortunate enough to have been chosen. Two sticks fastened to his shoulders met a point over his head and the straw wound round upon them to form a cone above the "Bear's" head. The face was quite covered and he could hardly see. A tail was provided and a strong chain fastened around the armpits. He was made to dance in front of houses and gifts of money or of beer and food for later consumption was expected. It seems that he was considered important, as straw was carefully selected each year, from the best available, the harvesters saying, "That'll do for the Bear".
The custom was revived in 1980 by the Whittlesea Society, and for the first time in seventy years a 'Straw Bear' was seen on the streets accompanied by his attendant keeper, musicians and dancers, about 30 in all. Various public houses were visited around the town as convenient places for the 'Bear' and dancers to perform in front of an audience - with much needed refreshment available!
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