UK events: September 2017
The Tour of Britain
9 September
Cotswolds
Line the route, clap, and cheer as the top elite cyclists race across the Cotswolds countryside to finish in Regency Cheltenham on 9 September.
Make a weekend of it and watch the Tour of Britain cyclists speed through the Cotswolds countryside, visiting the iconic towns and villages including Charlbury, Bourton-on-the-Water, Moreton-in-Marsh, and Winchcombe before descending down Cleeve Hill and speeding into Cheltenham for the finish along Cheltenham’s classic promenade.
Flags will be flying high, the route and towns decorated as you would expect to welcome the cyclists and visitors to the area. There will be many local events throughout the weekend so why not stay, get into the cycling spirit, and enjoy a great Cotswolds welcome.
The Faversham Hop Festival
2 and 3 September
Faversham, Kent
The Faversham Hop Festival is a unique family event that commemorates the golden days of hop-picking with two days of live music, dancing, great food, and hops, hops, hops!
Don a festive hop garland in the beautiful market town of Faversham where the town centre will be filled with revellers. There will be live music across three stages, with plenty more fun around the town. The family fun area provides entertainment and rides for our younger visitors, with market stalls to browse as well as exhibitions and activities celebrating the heritage of the 800-year-old hop.
Proms in the Park
9 September
Hyde Park, London
Some top class musical entertainment – it doesn’t get much better than this on an early September evening in London’s Hyde Park.
Proms in the Park is classical music minus the pomp. Grab a bunch of mates, pack a picnic, and head to Hyde Park in London for an evening of live performances.
However, it’s not all about conventional classics; over the years the show has hosted the likes of Queen’s Brian May, The Jacksons and Kylie Minogue. And if you think that’s cool, wait until the final hour, when a live video link-up with the Albert Hall signals the start of flag-waving and patriotic songs.
Largs Viking Festival
2 to 10 September
Largs North Ayrshire, Scotland
On the anniversary of the Battle of Largs meet King Alexander of Scotland, King Haakon of Norway, and living history installations in a 13th century village that’s come to life.
There are craft demonstrations, a Scottish food fayre, and on-stage entertainment. The festival culminates with a Viking Festival of Fire with a torch-lit procession, a Viking skirmish, the burning of a symbolic Viking longship and a firework display on the last Saturday. And no Viking festival can be complete without some owl magic…
Bristol Festival of Puppetry
1 to 10 September
Tobacco Factory Theatres, Watershed and various central Bristol locations
The fifth Bristol Festival of Puppetry has arrived, a biennial celebration of all things animated on stage and screen. This ten-day international event showcases the very best in cutting edge puppetry from Bristol, the UK and around the world, and has become an eagerly awaited fixture in the city’s cultural calendar.
The producers have explored the outer reaches of this art-form to discover the widest possible range of work that could be termed ‘puppetry’. They offer a bold and eclectic programme encompassing film and performance, the traditional and experimental, featuring puppet creations of all sizes and a huge diversity of styles and techniques. They also offer opportunities for professional practitioners and amateur enthusiasts to engage in debate, networking, masterclasses, and more.
Women, Work & War
1 August to 24 September
Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills
Women, Work & War honours the vital role women played in the First World War. As men headed abroad to fight, over one million British women joined the workforce.
Discover the variety of roles women took on in Leeds during this time and the stories of women working in the city’s munitions manufacturing which began in Armley and expanded to the Barnbow site in east Leeds.
Listen to people describe the Barnbow munitions workers, share the smells of the Barnbow factory, learn about the lives lost in the 1916 factory explosion, and be inspired to create Leeds greatest ‘Shero’ (or even to find out what a ‘Shero’ is)…
The exhibition is free with normal museum admission. A programme of special events inspired by Women, Work & War will run alongside this exhibition.
V & A Friday Late
Last Friday in every month
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The original contemporary late-night event. Friday Late is free and celebrates all aspects of contemporary visual culture and design in society, bringing audiences face-to-face with leading and emerging artists and designers through live performance, film, installation, debate, DJs, and late-night exhibition openings.
Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On
1 September, then illuminations run until 5 November
Blackpool, Lancashire
The world-famous Illuminations need little introduction, attracting some 3 million visitors every year.
As well as the miles of traditional festoons and tableaux along the promenade, there are now extraordinary 3D projection shows on the front of the Blackpool Tower building every night during Illuminations season.
The Liverpool Comedy Festival
15 September to October 1
Taking place in over 20 venues across Liverpool
Each and every year the team strives to deliver first class entertainment with the biggest and best line-ups, featuring a string of familiar faces alongside new and up-and-coming talent from the world of comedy. Taking place in over 20 venues across the city with over 100 shows, the festival will fill your yearly laughter quota for two weeks in September to October.