UK events: July 2017
> Wimbledon Championships
Wimbledon
Monday, 3 July to Sunday, 16 July
Getting into the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club requires quite a bit of preparation. Seats on Centre and Number One courts are distributed by ballot the preceding year, although enthusiasts who queue on the day may gain entry to the outer courts.
There are around 500 tickets each for Centre Court (from £56 on the opening days) and Courts One (from £45) and Two (from £41), and around 3,000 more for ground admission. You can also turn up later in the day and pay a reasonable rate for seats vacated by spectators who have left early.
Find out more here
> Jane Austen Week in Lyme Hall, with live performances and music
Cheshire
17 to 23 July
To mark the 200th anniversary of the passing of this literary genius, who shared the same publisher as our own Regency hero Thomas Legh, come to Lyme and immerse yourself in Regency costumes and music. Lyme Hall is a glorious house, surrounded by gardens, moorland, and deer park.
> Scottish Highland Games
All over Scotland
The Scottish Highland Games is one of the most popular sporting events in Scotland with visitors and residents alike.
*For most of the Gatherings, you just need to turn up on the day and pay for entry.
If tickets are required, full details will be available on the official Games’ websites.
> RSC Summer Season Play: Venus & Adonis
Swan Theatre Stratford upon Avon
The Swan Theatre is a theatre belonging to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and the birthplace of William Shakespeare. The RSC’S Artistic Director Gregory Doran revives his unique version of Shakespeare’s kaleidoscopic poem using narration, music, and puppetry. It’s Venus and Adonis performed by a remarkable cast of table puppets – a small wonder.
Find out more about Venus & Adonis here
Find out more about the RSC’s summer schedule here
> The Wales National Air show
Swansea
1 to 2 July
The free Wales Airshow will be returning to Swansea Bay on Saturday, 1 July to Sunday, 2 July 2017. Breathtaking aerobatic displays, state-of-the-art military aircraft, and vintage planes from the past thrilled over 200,000 visitors in Swansea Bay last summer.
Find out more here
> Pride in London Parade
Goes through Central London (check route on the website)
Saturday, 8 July
This year’s event boasts hundreds of floats and walking groups from across the LGBT+ spectrum, which will march through the heart of London. The day will culminate in a big party in Trafalgar Square, with a line-up of pop-tastic entertainment.
Find out more here
> Alice’s Day-Alice in Wonderland Event
Oxford
Saturday, 1 July
Rediscover the charm of this enduring classic with a fun-packed day of events each year on 1 July in Oxford
Alice’s Day is an annual celebration of the publication of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ in 1865, which marked a turning point in children’s literature.
This one-day event on 1 July is coordinated by Oxford’s Story Museum and offers a day full of events inspired by the classic story, including tea-parties, croquet, storytelling, workshops, and much more.
Venues all across the city of Oxford will put on Alice-themed events and activities to bring the book to life and encourage people of all ages to step into Wonderland.
Find out more here
> Brazilica Festival 2017
Liverpool
14 to 16 July
Brazilica is a unique festival in the UK celebrating Brazilian arts and culture. In July each year, the festival brings artists from the UK, Europe, and Brazil to Liverpool. Over 800 performers take part in the night-time carnival parade through the city centre, featuring glittering costumes, floats, and the irresistible sounds of samba.
Throughout the day, bands perform on the city centre mainstage and in the Brazilian marketplace you can sample food and drink from across the country. The Brazilica fringe festival showcases films, exhibitions, workshops, and performances in the run up to the main carnival day.
Find out more here
> The Great British Food Festival
Castle Howard, York
29 to 30 July
The Great British Food Festival comes to Castle Howard. It’s a fun foodie day out for the whole family, open from 10:00 to 17:00.
Top local and regional chefs showing you what they can do and lots of foodie fun: man vs food, cake off, tastings, and talks. With top local bands and artists there’s something for everyone to sing along to, as well as artisan producers selling stunning foodie treats. You can also take the chance to get back to nature and join in a leisurely food foraging walk.
Find out more here
> Whitstable Oyster Festival
Whitstable, Kent
22 to 24 July
Whitstable Oyster Festival heads to a new home on Tankerton Slopes. Although significantly different to previous years, visitors and residents alike can still expect an eclectic programme of events for all ages based on the themes of community, heritage, and environment.
Find out more here
> The Penzance Literary Festival
Penzance, Cornwall
4 to 8 July
The Penzance Literary Festival is a festival for everyone who enjoys words – the written word, the spoken word, the recited word, and the sung word too. This four-day festival, which will run in the Cornish seaside town, is now in its seventh year, having grown to become a major event in the West Country literary calendar.
Find out more here
> Bristol Shakespeare Festival
Bristol
Until end of July
The Bristol Shakespeare Festival, running since 2004, is passionate about bringing the freshest, most exciting productions of Shakespeare’s plays to some of Bristol’s most beautiful and unusual spaces every summer during the month of July. In previous years the very best national touring companies, including the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and Shakespeare’s Globe, have taken part alongside other exceptional companies, schools, youth groups, special educational needs and disability arts groups.
Find out more here