Brighton Festival 2026
Coming Up!Brighton (citywide), BN1
2 May 2026 - 24 May 2026
England's largest curated arts festival — theatre, dance, and spectacle across Brighton for three weeks in May.
Art & Exhibitions, Theatre, Music
From £15.00
Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition 2026
Coming Up!Pilton Working Men's Club, Pilton, Somerset BA4 4BY
9 May 2026
Glastonbury's annual hunt for the next big thing — unsigned acts competing for a main-stage slot and a £5,000 prize.
Music
From £10.00
Sheffield DocFest 2026
Showroom Cinema, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX
10 Jun 2026 - 15 Jun 2026
The UK's most important documentary festival — 150 films, filmmaker Q&As, and the future of non-fiction storytelling in Sheffield.
Film
From £10.00
The Ashes 2026 — England vs Australia
Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood Road, London NW8 8QN
8 Jul 2026 - 18 Aug 2026
Cricket's greatest rivalry — five days, five grounds, and the oldest trophy in sport. The Ashes is summer distilled into a Test match.
Sports & Fitness
From £75.00
The Great Yorkshire Show 2026
Great Yorkshire Showground, Railway Road, Harrogate HG2 8NZ
14 Jul 2026 - 16 Jul 2026
England's greatest agricultural show — champion livestock, Yorkshire food producers, and the real working countryside celebrated in Harrogate.
Food & Drink, Festivals & Fairs
From £30.00
BBC Proms 2026
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP
17 Jul 2026 - 12 Sep 2026
Eight weeks of world-class music at the Albert Hall — standing tickets from £8 make this the most accessible classical festival on earth.
Music
From £8.00
UK Black Pride 2026
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London E20 2ST
9 Aug 2026
Europe's largest Pride event for LGBTQ+ people of colour — a powerful, joyful celebration of intersectional identity. Free and all welcome.
LGBTQ, Community
Free
Great North Run 2026
Central Motorway, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1
13 Sep 2026
The world's largest half marathon — 60,000 runners, legendary crowd support, and a coastal finish. Newcastle to South Shields.
Sports & Fitness
From £52.00
Tar Barrel Rolling — Ottery St Mary 2026
Ottery St Mary, Devon EX11 1AA
5 Nov 2026
Men carry flaming tar barrels through packed streets on their backs — the most thrilling, terrifying Bonfire Night tradition in England.
Quirky & Unusual, Community
Free
Pantomime Season 2026-27
Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst Street, Birmingham B5 4TB
21 Nov 2026 - 17 Jan 2027
Oh yes it is! Britain's beloved theatrical tradition — slapstick, dames, and the joyful chaos of live pantomime across the country.
Theatre, Kids & Family
From £25.00