Lifestyle
Edinburgh
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2nd – 16th August
Various locations
It goes without saying that the Fringe is the ultimate summer festival in the Scottish capital. Every year taking over the city for three uproarious weeks of comedy and creative arts. Never anything less than unforgettable, the Fringe welcomes some of the heaviest hitters in the comedy world as well as those looking to make a name for themselves early in their careers. You could witness one of the all time greats live and in the flesh just as easily as you could accidentally discover the next big thing. A bucket list festival to hit, for sure.
Follow @edfringe
Edinburgh International Festival
2nd – 25th August
Various locations across Edinburgh
The one that started it all. An unparalleled celebration of theatre, opera, music and dance spread out across one of the grandest old cities in Europe. Since 1947(!) EIF has been entertaining, educating and enlightening the masses with jaw dropping examples of artistic expression from around the globe and world class opera, theatre and dance performances. And don’t just stop with the performances and the exhibits, take in a talk or a screening or conversation with several of the artists themselves as they make themselves available over the course of three incredible, culture-filled weeks in the capital.
Follow @edintfest
Edinburgh Art Festival
9th – 25th August
Various locations across Edinburgh
Galleries and venues across Edinburgh will come together to celebrate the Arts throughout August, and not just at the Fringe. EAF is the UK’s largest annual festival of visual art, always becoming more ambitious by the year. Artists from both the UK and abroad are exhibited and spotlighted across two wildly creative weeks in August. Not only that, but locals are encouraged to explore culture, community, the city itself and self expression through the various works on display around the city, celebrating the historical significance of the Scottish capital. Both well renowned and respected creatives and artistic starlets will be highlighted across the fortnight, so you are able to take in the past, present and future all in one festival.
Follow @edartfest
Glasgow
TRNSMT Festival
12th, 13th, 14th July
Glasgow Green, Glasgow
Now in its seventh year, TRNSMT continues to be a staple of the UK festival season, taking over Glasgow Green for three hedonistic days in July. Headliners Liam Gallagher, Gerry Cinnamon and Calvin Harris will grab the… well…headlines…but for us, it’s all about getting down the front for Sugababes and Natasha Bedingfield and belting out some early noughties bangers. An undefeated vibe.
Follow @trnsmtfest
Summer nights at the bandstand
23rd Jul – 10th Aug
Kelvingrove Bandstand & Amphitheatre, Glasgow
The heart of the city’s West End will be beating all summer, with 14 nights of legendary acts taking to the stage of the Kelvingrove Bandstand. ‘Summer Nights…’ is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and judging by the line up, is doing so in style. The likes of Johnny Marr, Future Islands, Ocean Colour Scene and Echo and The Bunnymen will be lighting up the amphitheatre across July and August. Oh, and Bananarama are closing out the festivities on 10th August, so you can buy a ticket and remember just how hard ‘Robert De Niro’s Waiting’ still bangs.
Follow @summernightskgb
Foodies Festival
19th – 11th August
Rouken Glen Park, Glasgow
Michelin Star chefs and Masterchef winners are on order all weekend long in early August as the Foodies Festival comes to town. Rolling through Glasgow between 9th-11th August, FF is a street food, fine dining and music-filled three days and nights at Rouken Glen Park. Artisan markets and firepit cooking are also prominently featured this year, while some of the finest chefs in the UK will be demonstrating their skills in live ‘cookery theatres’. Countless cuisines, condiments, cocktails and more are going to be on offer, so snag some tickets before they sell out.
Follow @foodiesfestival
Liverpool
In the park festival
11th, 12th, 13th July
Sefton Park, Liverpool
Hot on the heels of the hugely successful, sold out four night spectacular that was ‘On The Waterfront’, In The Park promises to launch a new festival tradition in Liverpool, with 40,000 gig goers expected to descend on Sefton Park each day for an event boasting Catfish and The Bottlemen, Jamie Webster and Cream Classical & Kaleidoscope Orchestra as its three headliners. Full line ups are to be announced in the very near future but, off the headline acts alone, you know it’s going to be a special three nights.
Follow @intheparkpresents
Boxpark events
All Summer
Boxpark Liverpool
BOXPARK is now open in the city and with it comes a whole series of awesome events. There’s Monday night comedy, Tuesday evening quizzes, tribute acts, cinema screenings, football showings, Bandeoke, live music, lip sync battles, workouts and more. Clear your diary and check out their website for the full schedule.
Visit boxpark.co.uk/liverpool/
Beyond Van Gogh
27th June – 24th July
Exhibition Centre, Liverpool
With over 300 masterpieces given a new lease on life outside of their frames, Beyond Van Gogh is an immersive artistic experience like no other. The great man’s art appears and disappears, flowing across multiple surfaces, heightening senses and enthralling all who take it in. The exhibition has already been seen by over five million people across the US and Canada and now Merseyside will be given a month-long opportunity to see what all the fuss is about. Luckily, Vinny’s long lost ear isn’t floating around as part of proceedings.
Follow @beyondvangoghuk
Leeds
Opera North’s Staycation Festival
Throughout June and July
Various locations across Leeds
If your holiday plans are more Leeds than Lanzarote this summer, you can still escape to sunnier climes with Opera North’s Staycation Festival. From top chefs sharing their memories of holiday cuisine to a carefully curated selection of films shot overseas and food to match, this is the perfect opportunity to traverse the globe without breaking the bank.
Throughout the summer months, the festival will celebrate different dishes encountered while travelling, with leading chefs and food writers such as Marco Pierre White and Bee Wilson, sharing their memories of unforgettable holiday food during a series of ‘In conversation with’ sessions. As they chat, attendees will get the chance to enjoy a 3 course meal inspired by their reminiscences and prepared by the team at Kino, Opera North’s award winning restaurant in the heart of Leeds.
A series of film screenings in the Howard Assembly Room over a long weekend at the start of July will put people in the holiday spirit by whisking them away to locations across the world. The selection includes something for everyone, with choices including family favourite Ratatouille as well as Thelma & Louise on Independence Day and a screening of all three Before films on one day. To transport audiences to the film’s location, a live music set will be performed before the evening showings and a mouthwatering menu offering dishes from the relevant country will be available in Kino. More information and tickets to the events are available via operanorth.co.uk.
Follow @operanorth
Axiologik Legacy Ride
7th July
Roundhay Park, Leeds & Yorkshire Dales
On any given weekend, just a quarter of an hour’s drive out of Leeds you’ll undoubtedly find yourself stuck behind a Lycra-clad roadie, struggling up a hill. For these intrepid peddlers, The Dales are the undisputed capital of cycling. With its sweeping landscapes and cosy coffee stops for refuelling rides, there’s no wonder the Brownlee brothers decided to settle on the farmland half way up a climb which featured on Stage One of the Tour De Yorkshire.
This summer, amateur cyclists will have the chance to retrace the tyre tracks of legends, by taking part in a Sportive to raise money for The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research at Leeds Hospital. Local enthusiasts are invited to test their leg strength against 230km, 120km or 70km route options, which all start and finish in Roundhay Park on the 7th July.
Follow @struggleevents
Charles & Diana: The Reunion Tour
21st June
Slung Low, The Warehouse, Leeds
By Tracy Collins and Russell Lucas
The double act that defined a decade reunites for your pleasure. Join Charles and Di for a musical cruise through the cultural commonwealth of the eighties as they revisit that time when life was tough but the soundtrack was brave. With music from Ultravox to Madness, Billy Idol to Yazoo, Charles and Di will take you on a journey back to that decade of decadence and woe. So, charge your cocktails one more time, throw on some pastels, and backcomb one’s hair. Yes, the world’s greatest pop duo is back!
Follow @slung_low
Brighton & Hove
Brighton Pride
3rd-4th August
Various locations across Brighton
Brighton Pride is one of the UK’s largest and most popular LGBTQ+ festivals, attracting visitors from across the globe. This year, taking place from 3-4 August, the event will kick off as always with a spectacular parade through the city, with the theme this year being JOY.
A 2-day music festival Fabuloso takes over Preston Park with headliners this year including Girls Aloud and Mika alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Billy Porter. And the infamous village party in Kemptown sees the roads around St James Street closed off with stages and venues hosting live performances, drag artists, cabarets, DJs and more. There are lots of other events and parties scattered throughout the city across the weekend including cabaret, comedy, live music and even a pride dog show. Brighton Pride raises money for the Brighton Rainbow Fund and Pride Social Impact Fund.
Follow @brightonprideofficial
On the beach
19th-21st July, 26th-28th July
Brighton Beach, Brighton
Get ready for two huge weekends of music as On The Beach explodes into the city in July, offering a series of big name acts across a range of genres. Set against the backdrop of the iconic Brighton Beach, you could practically hear the crashing waves (if it weren’t for the thumping bass).
Kicking off on the first Friday is a headline set from Bicep, followed by Underworld on the Saturday, supported by a line up of special guest DJs including 2 Many DJs and Eats Everything. To round off the first weekend, The Kooks will take to the stage, supported by Seagirls and Maximo Park. Fans of drum and bass can get their fill at a high-energy set headlined by Subfocus, followed by a birthday celebration for the legendary Carl Cox. Finally, The Libertines will bring the event to a close, supported by The Charlatans and other indie favourites.
Follow @onthebeachuk
Brighton Comedy Garden
3rd-7th July
Preston Park, Brighton
Some of the biggest names in comedy are set to take over Preston Park for this year’s Brighton Comedy Garden.
From 3rd to 7th July, the south coast’s biggest comedy festival will see comedy legends and rising stars, including Dara O’Brian, Harry Hill, Josh Widdicombe, Sara Pascoe, Simon Amstell and Fern Brady perform in the Big Top.
Over the 5 nights, the Comedy Garden will also play host to an array of top street food traders with everything from Caribbean fusion to Lebanese, plant-based dishes and fresh fish. Plus, there’ll be a range of craft beers, wines, ciders and plenty of low and no alcohol drinks on offer.
Follow @brightoncomedygarden
Pier to pier swim
23rd June
West Pier – Palace Pier, Brighton
On 23rd June, the historic Pier to Pier swim returns to Brighton. Now in its 88th year, one of the UK’s oldest open water swimming races has taken place annually since 1936, with only a very few exceptions during wartime and due to rough seas.
Hosted by England’s oldest swimming club, Brighton Swimming Club, the Pier to Pier race sees participants swim around 1 kilometre against the tide for an intense physical challenge. In the past, participants used to dive off the West Pier to start the race, but since its closure in 1971, swimmers start from right next to the old pier and swim out to the Palace Pier.
The event is open to all adults, as well as children registered at swimming clubs. All swimmers receive a medal to commemorate their swim, some very well deserved snacks at the end, as well as full lifeguard and medical support throughout.
Follow @bscmembers
Birmingham
Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival
19th – 28th Jul
Various locations
Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival celebrates its 40th year this year, with music events taking place across 115 venues in the West Midlands and over 230 performances expected. Shows include jazz and blues performances, talks, workshops and film showings, almost all free admission! For the full programme and to find out more, visit birminghamjazzfestival.com.
Birmingham Restaurant Festival
1st – 31st August
Various locations across Birmingham
By any marker one of the MOST important events in the Brummagem calendar given the city’s love for food and, moreover, exquisite food. The list of restaurants taking part in the Festival (Aug 1 to 31) reads like a who’s who of the very best of our town. Every year, restaurants participating create a great value, set dinner menu for diners to enjoy as a showcase of the fantastic restaurants across the city — a city that was crowned the Most Exciting Foodie Destination in 2022 by the Good Food Guide. Purnell’s, Plates by Purnell’s, Chapter, Trentina, Dishoom, Tattu, Primitivo, Isaac’s and Chung Ying are all involved and if those names mean not a lot to you, well, trust us, that’s a jaw-dropping line-up and it’s nowhere near complete. More places are added by the week and this promises to be the standout celebration since their first fest in 2022.
Follow @birminghamrestaurantfestival
Mostly Jazz & Moseley Folk Festival
12th-14th Jul
Moseley Park, Birmingham
I don’t know about you but my Glastonbury days are numbered. Festivals now, for me, are all about chilled toe tapping, clean toilets and home by midnight — none of that other madness. These two crackers are run by the same brilliant Brum team and land in Moseley’s private park on July 12 to 14 (Mostly Jazz) and August 30 to September 1 (Moseley Folk). Whether you care for Jazz or Folk is by-the by. Both are family-friendly and firm fixtures in the very make-up of Brum’s summer fabric. The atmosphere at these two is warm and wonderful and underpins everything that’s beautiful about Birmingham. Predominantly the people. The headline acts are incredible, as always.
Follow @mostly_jazz
Centenary Square Summer Series
23rd-26th August
Centenary Square, Birmingham
Good grief this one will raise the proverbial roof. The Streets, Jungle, Cian Ducrot and Ocean Colour Scene will all play Centenary Square Summer Series, on the Bank Holiday weekend of August 23 to 26. The outdoor concert series promises to transform Birmingham’s iconic Centenary Square into a hub of live music, bookended by headline artists from this great city. Kicking off the series on the Friday are multi-award-winning and Birmingham born, Brum built, The Streets. Since their breakthrough in 2002 with the Mercury Prize-nominated ‘Original Pirate Material,’ frontman Mike Skinner has established himself as a prominent voice that resonates with society, but nowhere more so than Birmingham. With a supporting cast including Brum’s SANITY, an Erdington based rapper and MC, the opening night of the Centenary Square Summer Series features a lineup that promises to set the tone for the entire series. Ocean Colour Scene being, possibly, the sing-along to end sing-alongs, when they take to the stage.
Follow @centenarysquaresummerseries
Manchester
Sounds of the city
Various dates throughout July
Castlefield bowl, Manchester
The 8,000-capacity outdoor arena has become a firm favourite with Mancunian music fans over the last few years, delivering a non-stop procession of legendary acts from generations past and present. This summer’s upcoming Sounds of the City is no different, with complicated skater boy enthusiast Avril Lavigne opening proceedings on 3rd July, followed by brooding American indie stalwarts The National, Irish icons The Saw Doctors, Tom Grennan, Jungle, Britpop favourites Manic Street Preachers and Suede and a suitably spectacular curtain closing night with Hacienda Classical on 13th July. Tickets: seetickets.com
Liam Gallagher Definitely Maybe 30 Years
15th, 16th, 27th, 28th July
Co-op Live, Manchester
The swaggering Oasis icon will be reliving his former band’s finest hour in full across four unmissable nights at the newly opened Co-op Live Arena. The younger Gallagher brother will be blasting through classics such as ‘Live Forever’, ‘Supersonic’, and ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ while some of the lesser aired bangers such as ‘Up In The Sky’ and ‘Digsy’s Dinner’ will also be brought back to life in spectacular fashion. Now, where did we put that parka?
Follow @thecooplive
Festa Italiana
24th-26th August
Cathedral Gardens, Manchester
Entering into its seventh year, Festa Italiana, the brainchild of Salvi’s owner Maurizio Cecco, is promising to be the tastiest, carb-filled festival of the summer yet again. Bringing together the city’s longstanding, thriving Italian community with a collection of its finest vendors, Festa Italiana now regularly attracts over 40,000 visitors in a single August weekend, and when you’ve got a freshly baked Neapolitan pizza in one hand and an ice cold Aperol Spritz in the other, with the sun shining down on you, it’s not hard to see why, is it?
Follow @festaitalianamcr
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