This is a community curated list of festivals in the UK!
You can submit new festivals by hitting the Create button above or at the bottom of the table.
Men dance through village with reindeer antlers, passing historic spots and pubs. | West Midlands | Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire | Early September | Folk dance ritual | First recorded in 1640's but is believed to have started on St Bartholomew's Day in 1226 | Small group performs ritual | Traditional garb including antlers; stops include pubs and church. | C4923 | ||
Councillors throw buns off the roof to commemorate special and royal celebrations in ceremonial garb. | South East England | Abingdon, Oxfordshire | Royal Events (e.g. coronations) | Civic royal tradition but also special occassions | Around 400 years old | Councillors throw; public catch — unclear if this is only residents of the council though | Only happens during royal milestones. | chloclayd | ||
Massive town-wide football game with few rules and goals miles apart. | East Midlands | Ashbourne, Derbyshire | Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday | Medieval street sport | Centuries old | Local participation only | Whole town involved; very physical, even brutal. | Katy&Luna | ||
Town-wide, rule-free football match with one giant ball. | West Midlands | Atherstone, Warwickshire | Shrove Tuesday | Medieval street sport | 12th century origin, 2014 marked the 815th; historically between Leicestershire and Warwickshire | Locals only; very rough and physical | Windows boarded up; historic chaos. | Droppin It Low Since Ninety Fo and gee🖤 / libby / Hannah Mee | ||
Raising and climbing one of the tallest maypoles in the UK. | Yorkshire | Barwick-in-Elmet, West Yorkshire | Every 3 years, Spring Bank Holiday | May Day ceremony | Over 200 years old | Villagers handle maypole logistics | Parade, maypole raising, climbing the pole. | archaeOLIgy | ||
Fire festival with drumming, dancing, and rituals at reconstructed Iron Age site. | South East England | Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire | April 30 | Pagan fire ritual | Modern revival in archaeological setting | Tickets required | Fires, maypole, ancient dress, live performances and crafts. | Bel the book nerd | ||
Celtic fire celebration with theatrical performances, drumming, and fire dancing; as well as a 40ft wickerman. | Scotland | Edinburgh | April 30 (Beltane Eve) | Fire ritual, seasonal | Inspired by ancient Gaelic Beltane | Ticketed; performed by Beltane Fire Society | Symbolic battle between Winter and Summer; nudity, fire, dance. | Pugz | ||
Man covered in burrs and flowers paraded around town for good luck. | Scotland | South Queensferry, Edinburgh | 2nd Friday of August | Ritual procession | Officially started in 1687 but possibly pagan origin | Local man chosen as Buryman | Slow parade while giving blessings. | lil chris | ||
Children and families roll chocolate eggs down a hill. | North West England | Preston, Lancashire | Easter | Local Easter custom | Dating back to 1867 | Children-focused community event | Often ends in egg-eating; very gentle, silly tradition. | Lucy | ||
Locals make and display themed scarecrows throughout town. | North West England | Clitheroe, Lancashire | Summer | Community creativity festival | Recent origin | Open to public display | Often judged with prizes; very charming. | Jax Oscar | ||
Competitors try to throw each other using traditional Cornish techniques and jackets. | South West England | Cornwall | Summer (varies) | Folk sport | Ancient Celtic origin | Open matches; traditional dress required | White jackets, belt holds; scoring by clean throws. | Katherine Sidnell | ||
Traditional games incl. shin-kicking, followed by torchlight procession and bands. | South West England | Chipping Campden, Cotswolds | End of May (Friday before Spring BH) | Revival of historic games | 1612; founded by Robert Dover | Open to public competitors | Shin-kicking championship + piped music + fireworks. | cat | ||
Dickensian cosplay, lantern parade, public art takeover, crochet decorations, and band performances. | North West England | Ulverston, Cumbria | Winter (varies) | Community folk festival | Local traditions + creative expansions | Public participation | Shop windows painted, benches yarnbombed. | Dollz ‘n’ Pop | ||
Married couples prove their happiness to win a flitch (side) of bacon. | East England | Great Dunmow, Essex | Leap Years (next: 2028) | Mock trial / folk custom | 900 years old, mentioned by Chaucer | Judged by bachelors and maidens | Prize is literal bacon; ancient and funny. | phoebs | ||
Celebration of mining and working-class solidarity with parades and brass bands. | North East England | Durham | July | Labour/social history festival | Started in 1871, focused on trade unionism and international solidarity | Public; unions organise | One of the largest socialist gatherings in UK; political speeches. | megzymeg97 | ||
Mock-hunted man paraded, “shot,” revived, and tossed in the sea. | South West England | Combe Martin, North Devon | Spring Bank Holiday | Re-enactment/ritual play | 17th-century satire | Villagers act roles | Costumed parades, drumming, pubs en route. | pocketlulu | ||
Celebrates city’s connection to eel fishing; includes eel parade and eel-throwing competitions. | East England | Ely, Cambridgeshire | May (Early May Bank Holiday) | Food/heritage festival | Medieval roots | Public festival | Eel mascot; stalls, games, eel-cooking contests. | cekb618 | ||
People dance through the streets in formal dress, accompanied by brass bands; houses and businesses decorated in flowers. | South West England | Helston, Cornwall | 8th May (usually) | Community dance parade | 19th-century Cornish tradition | Town-wide participation | Dancers enter shops and houses in formation. | Katherine Sidnell | ||
Celebrations for Beltane and Summer Solstice with fire, music, ritual, and spirituality. | South West England | Glastonbury, Somerset | May 1st & June 21st | Pagan/spiritual festival | Ancient roots; revived by modern pagans | Public celebration | Rituals at Glastonbury Tor led by the Glastonbury Order of Druids; sunrise gatherings. | Pixie | ||
Arts and music festival culminating in “Mazey Day” with parades and large-scale community art. | South West England | Penzance, Cornwall | June (Summer Solstice) | Solstice festival | Revived in 1991, inspired by older midsummer feasts | Community-wide | Mazey Day: school children parade with giant sculptures. | Meg Pryor | ||
Two villages battle over bottles in a violent, rugby-like contest. | East Midlands | Hallaton, Leicestershire | Easter Monday | Village contest | 18th-century origins | Locals only — rival teams from Hallaton and the neighbouring village of Medbourne will face each other | Involves ale, chaos, and rivalry. | Mandy Melbourne | ||
Hundreds try to move a leather tube (“hood”) to one of four pubs. | Yorkshire/Humber | Haxey, North Lincolnshire | January 6 (Twelfth Night) | Medieval folk sport | Over 700 years old | Local men form teams | Chaotic, muddy push across town; “no rules” atmosphere. | Torri | ||
Local solstice fire lighting and Morris dancing atop the hill. | South East England | Highdown Hill, West Sussex | June 21 (Summer Solstice) | Local seasonal custom | Grew organically from local gatherings | Community participation | Firelight at sunset, Morris dancers, hilltop views. | chrispylasaga | ||
Athletic events like caber toss, tug-of-war, dancing and so much more. | Scotland | Cowal | Summer | Traditional Scottish games and a celeberation of Scottish Highland and Celtic culture | 11th-century origin | Open competition | Tossing the caber, family activities, bagpipes, food & drink. | kitkatydjb | ||
Folk music, Morris dancing, and community celebration. | Yorkshire | Holmfirth, West Yorkshire | May | Music and folk culture festival | Modern tradition | Public events and concerts | Local and national folk acts perform. | Shahira | ||
Teams throw custard pies at each other in a scored competition. | South East England | Coxheath, Kent | Summer (July) | Comedy contest | Started in 1967 as fun community event | Team registration | Points for accuracy; bonus for creative hits. | Cora | ||
Person dressed as Jack Frost fights Green Man to decide if spring will come. | UK (likely England) | Marsden, West Yorkshire | First Saturday in February | Seasonal symbolic ritual | Likely modern; inspired by pagan imagery | Local volunteers or actors | If Green Man wins, spring arrives; theatrical fight. | Lilly 🫀 | ||
Celebration with green man character; parades and music. | South West England | Bristol | May Day | May Day folk ritual | Revived in recent decades | Open to all | Parades and leafy costumes. | raich | ||
Parade with figure covered in greenery, with strong local and global majority involvement. | South East England | Hastings, East Sussex | Early May (May Day) | May Day / seasonal ritual | Revived from 19th-century May Day customs | Community-led, inclusive | Green man paraded, then "slain" to bring in summer. | LivingasMaureen | ||
Green man parade celebrating spring; connected to chimney sweep traditions. | South East England | Whitstable, Kent | Early May | May Day folk ritual | Shares roots with Hastings/Rochester versions | Public procession | Similar to Rochester’s Sweeps Festival. | TheMushroomBabes | ||
Teams race decorated metal beds through town and river. | Yorkshire | Knaresborough, North Yorkshire | June | Parade + athletic race | 1966-present; fundraiser | Open to teams, judged + timed | Best costume prizes + river crossing. | Zeno (Beanie) | ||
Guy Fawkes Night with torches, costumes, fireworks, and effigies. | South East England | Lewes, East Sussex | 5th November | Fire festival, historical reenactment | 1600s; Gunpowder Plot + Protestant martyrs | Public; organised by Bonfire Societies | Six Bonfire Societies; burning crosses; huge fireworks. | Sneakcret | ||
Annual parade for new Lord Mayor with floats, bands, Gog & Magog giants. | Greater London | London | Second Saturday in November | Civic pageant | 1215 – one of the oldest parades in the world | Public; open-air procession | City pageantry + mythology of Gog and Magog. | kitty♠️ | ||
Decorated horse skull taken door-to-door for song battles and blessings. | Wales | South Wales (multiple towns) | Late Dec – early Jan (Winter) | Winter folk ritual | Pagan/Celtic; revived in 20th century | Local groups perform; open to spectators | Cloaked horse skull; call-and-response singing. | Yxi the Pixie / Lauren | ||
Lantern processions, guising, and fire celebration marking the solstice and rebirth of the sun. | South West England | Penzance, Cornwall | December 21 (Winter Solstice) | Winter fire/folk ritual | Inspired by older Cornish customs | Community; dress up encouraged | Processions, masks, fire rituals, and misrule characters. | Meg Pryor | ||
Lanterns floated down the canal in night parade based on moonraking folktale. | Yorkshire | Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire | February | Light and folklore festival | Based on smuggling legend | Community makes lanterns | Magical canal procession. | Adjective Noun 44 | ||
Contestants eat raw stinging nettles by the stem. | South West England | Marshwood, Dorset | June (as part of food fest) | Extreme food contest | Started in 1986 | Must strip leaves from stems | Winner eats most in 1 hour. | bigscott | ||
Parade and display of 70–100-year-old steam tractors and equipment. | East England | Norfolk | Summer (varies) | Agricultural heritage show | Early 20th century | Vehicle owners and public attendees | Steam vehicle jams are expected! | Countryside_Emma | ||
Men run through the streets carrying flaming tar barrels on their shoulders. | South West England | Ottery St Mary, Devon | 5th November (Bonfire Night) | Fire festival | Centuries old; linked to Bonfire Night | Locals carry barrels | Spectacle of flaming barrels through town. | 🇬🇧🇮🇩 / kt96 | ||
Choir sings from Magdalen Tower at dawn; crowds gather in streets below. | South East England | Oxford, Oxfordshire | 1st May | Seasonal college ritual | 500+ year tradition at Oxford University | Public spectators | Morris dancing, music, sunrise celebration. | C4923 | ||
Teams race decorated prams between pubs, drinking at each stop. | South East England | Pagham, West Sussex | Boxing Day (26th December) | Pub race, comedy contest | Post-WWII fundraising tradition | Open to anyone with a pram team | Costumes, drinking, and charity fundraising. | rsc0103 | ||
Contestants shoot dried peas at a target using a blowpipe. | East England | Witcham, Cambridgeshire | July | Accuracy contest | 1971; world championship title | All ages welcome; serious competition | Lasers allowed for sighting; tiny village event. | lte19.8 and Violetposy | ||
Public conker contest; recent invention but draws from classic schoolyard games. | Greater London | Peckham, London | Autumn (Oct–Nov) | Modern folk revival | Started in 2017 | Public event | Embraces nostalgic tradition with a modern twist. | Thomas Holland | ||
Community stones beach ridge back into place to protect harbor. | South West England | North Devon (Appledore) | Spring (varies) | Coastal folk tradition | Centuries old tradition | Open to locals and visitors | Followed by beer and music; also Green Man festival nearby. | Soph | ||
Fun run parody based on a historic contract dispute. | East England | Suffolk | Summer (varies) | Comic folklore contest | Loosely inspired by folk tale | Open to public | Obstacle-style running in bogs/marshes. | rjbn1802 | ||
Celebrates forced rhubarb harvest; includes food stalls, demos, and rhubarb-themed art. | Yorkshire | Wakefield area, West Yorkshire | February | Food festival | Linked to Yorkshire’s “Rhubarb Triangle” | Public celebration | Cooking demos, rhubarb crafts, mascot called "Rhubarb Triangle Man". | Asgeir Gungnir | ||
Celtic fire festivals marking seasonal change; theatrical with music, drums, costumes, fire displays. | Scotland | Edinburgh | Oct 31 (Samhuinn), April 30 (Beltane) | Celtic pagan ritual | Revived 1980s-90s; ancient roots | Tickets required; performed by fire society | Processions, symbolic battles, and elaborate costumes. | The Happy Diplodorkus | ||
Residents create themed scarecrows and display them around the village. | West Midlands | Warwickshire village | Spring/Summer (varies) | Creative community showcase | Modern village tradition | Anyone can make a scarecrow | Pop culture themes; whole village decorated. | lorelai098 | ||
Giant town-wide football-style game with few rules and a single ball. | North East England | Sedgefield, County Durham | Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) | Medieval street sport | Centuries old, origins unclear | Local-only play; rough and chaotic | Entire town involved; ball often ends in pub or river. | Stephen Douglass | ||
Huge illuminated floats parade at night with costumes and performances. | South West England | Various towns, Somerset | November | Light parade carnival | 1600s origins, linked to Gunpowder Plot | Open viewing; some float crews | One of Europe’s largest illuminated carnivals. | Kate Bond | ||
Contestants skim stones across water for distance. | Scotland | Easdale Island, Scotland | September | Niche sporting contest | Started 1983 | All ages and skill levels welcome | World championship status; picturesque setting. | kepler | ||
Druids, pagans, and the public gather to celebrate the solstice sunrise. | South West England | Stonehenge, Wiltshire | 21st June (Summer Solstice) | Ancient religious gathering | Neolithic; revived in modern pagan traditions | Free, open to all | Sunrise through Heel Stone, drumming, chanting. | Beff | ||
Celebration of chimney sweeps’ only holiday; combined with Jack in the Green and Dickensian themes. | South East England | Rochester, Kent | Early May (May Day) | Historical/seasonal hybrid | Sweeps’ day + revived May Day customs | Open to public | Music, parades, Jack in the Green, Dickens cosplay. | Sarah Thomas | ||
Community gathering for children and families with bears, picnics, and costume contests. | South East England | Bicester, Oxfordshire | Summer (varies) | Family-friendly festival | Based on 20th-century children’s song | Open to families, esp. with children | Best-dressed bear and biggest bear contests. | Francesca McMahon - Author | ||
Teenagers hike 35-55 miles across moor unsupported over two days. | South West England | Dartmoor, Devon | May | Endurance youth challenge | 1960s military origin | Teams of 6 aged 14-19 | Gruelling but empowering; map + compass required. | The_Great_Potato | ||
Runners race up and down a steep hill carrying a sack of wool. | South West England | Tetbury, Gloucestershire | May (Late Spring Bank Holiday) | Strength/endurance competition | 17th-century tradition | Open to public | Prizes for fastest, best dressed, etc. | Jamie-Lee / holly_finch | ||
Medieval football game played across the whole town, no rules, ball must reach specific goal points. | North West England | Workington, Cumbria | Easter, Ascension Day, Whit Monday | Medieval street sport | Centuries old | Local teams: Uppies vs Downies | Brutal, chaotic game involving whole town. | abi | ||
People dress up and push each other in wheelbarrows from pub to pub, drinking pints. | West Midlands | Suddley, Warwickshire | Summer | Pub crawl race | Local tradition | Anyone can join with team + costume | Fancy dress + pint at every checkpoint. | Ellienorshellstrop | ||
People sing to apple trees, offer cider, hang toast, and make noise to scare off spirits and bless crops. | West Midlands | Herefordshire | Winter (Jan) | Orchard blessing ritual | Pagan roots; revived rural tradition | Community event | Torches, music, toast hanging, cider blessings. | Luce | ||
Floral mosaics made from petals and seeds arranged around wells. | East Midlands | Derbyshire (various towns) | Spring-Summer (varies) | Religious/nature-based | Pagan-Christian fusion tradition | Anyone can contribute or view | Princess Diana tribute once went viral. | Laura | ||
Dozens of brass bands parade and compete in local villages. | North West England | Saddleworth, Oldham | Friday after Whit Sunday | Musical contest | 19th-century Methodist roots | Open to bands and public viewing | Style, precision, and costume judged. | Alastair & softboi_420 | ||
Gathering of goths for music, markets, and socialising. | North East England | Whitby, North Yorkshire | April & October | Subculture event | Started in 1994 | Open to public; goth attire encouraged | Held near Dracula sites; outfits are a big part. | James | ||
Competitors carry heavy sacks of coal over a distance. | Yorkshire | Gawthorpe, West Yorkshire | Easter Monday | Strength/endurance competition | Started in 1963 | Must carry 50kg (men), 20kg (women) | Uphill course; prizes for time. | Cheryl Lumsden | ||
Households create scarecrows based on a theme and display them throughout the village. | North West England | Wray, Lancashire | Week around May Day | Creative community showcase | Started in 1990s | Whole village contributes | Elaborate, themed scarecrows; judged competition. | AftabGujral | ||
Participants gather at dawn to pay ancient feudal dues with silver coins. | West Midlands | Warwickshire (TBC town) | November 11 | Feudal legal ritual | Over 1,000 years old | Invite-only ritual | Held at a cross at sunrise; followed by breakfast. | Department of Reinvention | ||
Medieval mystery plays performed around the city. | Yorkshire | York, North Yorkshire | Every 4 years (recently July) | Historical theatre | 14th-century religious pageants | Performed by local guilds | Cycle of biblical plays across city locations. | raich |