What’s On this Bank Holiday Weekend

It may not feel like it, but it is still summer, and one of the biggest weekends of the year is upon us. Whether it’s sunny or not the August Bank Holiday Weekend is always exciting and there’s tonnes of events happening wherever you are in the UK and whatever you’re into.

1) READING & LEEDS: The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a huge draw, with headliners Guns N Roses sure to please the crowd, and other heavyweights including Arcade Fire, Dizzee Rascal and Queens of the Stone Age blasting out their anthems. There’s also the eagerly anticipated return of The Libertines and Blink 182, and a whole range of other acts including British Sea Power and Roots Manuva.

2) MANCHESTER: Right on our doorstep we have Manchester Pride kicking off today; this huge annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life is taking over the Village with a whole host of events and performers including Kelis headlining on the Sunday, and fringe events also happening across the city. Pride gets bigger every year but this is the biggest yet and promises to be a really hot ticket.

3) LONDON: London hosts the world famous Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday, a spectacular event that has to be seen to be believed. The biggest event of its kind in Europe, the West of London plays host to street parades and dancers from all over the world, as well as hundreds of Caribbean food stalls and sound systems stretching over 20 miles, bringing in over 1 million visitors.

4) LIVERPOOL: Liverpool will also have the sound of music blaring out into the streets this weekend, with the Matthew Street Music Festival taking place right across the city on Sunday and Monday. This awesome festival has hundreds of tribute bands playing everything from Prince to The Doors, and a range of other groups from rock and pop to jazz, blues and soul. It’s all free as well so get there early to catch it all!

If you don’t fancy hustle and bustle and blaring music there’s plenty of fun to be had away from the crowds and out in the fresh air.

5) LAKE DISTRICT: Why not head to the Windermere in the Lake District and try your hand at geocaching? If you’ve had a look at some of the Garmin GPS Handhelds on our site then you’ll be familiar with this fun pursuit but if not, it is basically treasure hunting using maps and co-ordinates to find hidden items people have placed. Grab yourself a GPS and head down there! Lake District Visitors Centre, Brockhole, Windermere.

6) NORTH EAST: If you live in the North East area, and fancy something a bit different, try Nordic Walking, a specially designed walking technique that uses longer poles to enhance your natural walking experience. Learn the basics on a beautiful 3 mile walk up the Hareshaw Linn valley, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), to a spectacular waterfall. There are two sessions on Saturday in Bellingham, Northumberland.

7) SCOTLAND: In Scotland the Bruce Festival is taking place until the end of the month, where you can celebrate the life, myth and legend of King Robert the Bruce in the ancient capital of Scotland, Dunfermline. There’s a host of events and star performances in this historic city.

WALES: If you’re after a real taste of nature, the Denbigh Flower Show is situated in the beautiful historic market town of Denbigh North Wales, and has all kinds of fun for the whole family with horse jumping; pottery classes; live music; food stalls; punch and judy show; snake show performance; stilt walking; display of vintage cars and lots more.

9) CORNWALL: For all you fish lovers out there, down in Cornwall the Newlyn Fish Festival takes place in Cornwall on Monday and features a wide selection of seafood, cooking demonstrations, fish auctions, open vessels and craft stalls together with a full programme of music and harbour entertainments including gig racing, helicopters, The Penlee Lifeboat, great music and much more!

10) SUSSEX: Feeling like looking back into our past and reliving a historic event? Try England’s Medieval Festival where a huge battle is re-enacted at Herstmonceux Castle, Hailsam in the Sussex Countryside. Over 1000 Knights, Bowmen and Men-at-Arms will lay siege to the Castle – England’s largest medieval battle with full cannon support. This will be a spectacular day out and promises to be a really unique experience that the whole family can enjoy.

So whatever you fancy this bank holiday weekend the UK has a great deal to offer, so get out there and keep Loving Outdoors!

Tom (LO Team)