Holiday Attractions & Events

Despite the unpredictable weather this summer, Eastbourne is attracting thousands more visitors into the town as website hits increase nearly two-fold and Holiday Guide requests rise by 50%.

Two popular National Forest projects have beaten hundreds of organisations across the UK to take top honours in the 2008 National Lottery Awards. Get Active in the Forest, based at Rosliston Forestry Centre, and the Armed Forces Memorial, both situated in The National Forest at the heart of the Midlands, won two out of the seven categories, and were presented with their awards – and a £2,000 cash prize - at this year’s star-studded National Lottery Awards, broadcast live on BBC1 on Saturday 30 August.

The Royal Academy of Music is boldly bringing a selection of superb musicians to this year’s Regent Street Festival 2008: A Great British Experience. In one of the most-anticipated annual free outdoor events, Regent Street will be closed to traffic and welcoming people from all over the world. String and brass ensembles and singers from the Royal Academy of Music will entertain the public along Regent Street throughout Sunday 7 September 2008.

Enjoy a real ‘Summer Holiday’ at Eastbourne Bandstand this week as Jimmy Jermain brings the sounds of Cliff Richard to the unique seafront venue later today. Audiences can look forward to a Tribute concert charting the success of the famous singer, Cliff Richard, whose popular hits including the likes of Living Doll, The Young Ones and Millennium Prayer span six decades.

A new photographic competition has been launched on regentstreetonline.com which is encourages the public to capture ‘What’s Great About Britain To You?’. The competition has been launched in celebration of this year’s Regent Street Festival 2008: A Great British Experience. Calling all happy snappers, enthusiastic amateurs and even professionals who would like to enter a competition, regentstreetonline.com challenges anyone to capture in a photograph the ‘Great British Experience’.

The 6th Annual World Belly Board championships in Chapel Porth in Cornwall this month see Juniors (under 60’s) and seniors compete for various titles. With the sea at its’ warmest and the beaches delightfully empty it’s the turn of the “grandad-olescents” age-group to turn their noses up at the heated wet suits favoured by the younger brigade and don their 1950’s apparel as they hit the surfing bays of Cornwall.

Futuroscope is inviting guests to discover the cuisine of tomorrow, as well as futuristic attractions, with their own molecular cuisine restaurant, Le Cristal. Chef Noel Gutrin has created sophisticated and astounding recipes that give food a totally new texture and taste and which put molecular cuisine on the map.

After a sensational sell out inaugural year in 2007, Lapland UK is again bringing its magic to Kent this Christmas. This year’s location will be the beautiful Bewl Water Estate which will be transformed into a winter wonderland from the 10th November until 24th December 2008.

The Factory Theatre is to perform its cutting edge version of Hamlet on Regent Street at five separate locations throughout the day on Sunday 7 September 2008. The famous play by William Shakespeare will be performed by a cast of up to 25 actors who will encourage the audience to bring props for the actors to use.

Veuve Clicquot will be sponsoring Polo on the Beach at Watergate Bay on September 9th, offering spectators the chance to enjoy the jet set event absolutely free. Staying next to the beach won’t cost the earth, either – the four star Beachcombers Apartments are literally a stone’s throw away from the beautiful bay and are available for four nights for the price of three from 5th – 25th September.

Chester Racecourse, the country’s oldest racecourse yesterday hosted the launch of Heritage Open Days 2008, Britain’s biggest and most diverse celebration of architecture, history and culture. Over 3,500 places across the country are opening their doors for free as part of Heritage Open Days which takes place between 11th and 14th September 2008.

Halloween offers the perfect excuse to get together with friends and celebrate everything spooky. Paranormal specialists Haunting Breaks’ suggestions and facts should ensure that this Halloween is your best yet.

September is your last chance to see Salisbury Cathedral’s 750th anniversary exhibition. Taking place in the Cloisters at the Cathedral, the fascinating exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the history of this iconic building. There is also an accompanying timeline which relates to key episodes to other major events in British history. The exhibition is free and open until September 30, 2008.

Skyros, Greece, is hosting a half-marathon on Saturday 13 September. Runners will start in Atsitsa Bay and, winding through the hills, surrounded by spectacular forests and sea views, will end up in Skyros' main square for the medal ceremony. The event has been described by a journalist from Runner's World magazine as 'the best I've experienced outside of London and New York!'.

Keira Knightley who stars in the fascinating new film, The Duchess, shows Bath off to the world as some of the locations used to film the blockbuster include the Assembly Rooms and the Royal Crescent in the heart of the World Heritage City.

When The Beatles became interested in Indian religion it not only had a profound effect on their music, but influenced both the look, sound and outlook of Western culture as a whole. To celebrate the huge impact the country had on the Fab Four, the Beatles Story, Liverpool will be celebrating all things Indian throughout September during our ‘Beatles in India Month’.

Record crowds delighted exhibitors and organisers at the National Forest Wood Fair on Bank Holiday Monday. Over 3,300 people from all over the Midlands flocked to this, the fourth annual Wood Fair, and enjoyed a fine day to celebrate trees, timber and woodland, in the spectacular National Forest setting of Beacon Hill Country Park in Leicestershire.

43 years after being banned by the Israeli government, Paul McCartney has announced his ‘Friendship First’ concert in Israel. Following months of feverish speculation the wait is finally over as music’s most revered star announces that he will be playing in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday 25th September 2008, for the first time ever.

From September 13 to October 12 more than one million blooms will cascade into colour at Commonwealth Park in the heart of Canberra, Australia. Inspired by the films that have shaped our nation, visitors will see a lavish wedding dress from Muriel’s Wedding, Australia’s favourite foot-slapping penguin from Happy Feet, the spectacular bus from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Babe’s lovable sheep-herding pig and many more – all emerging from the beautiful garden beds.

A colony of leafcutter ants, arguably some of the hardest working members of the Animal Kingdom, is now laboring away in a new habitat at the Children's Zoo. The insect house, Spineless Marvels, is home to the industrious ants. Native to Central and South America, they never seem to rest in their quest for more leaf material for their underground fungus gardens.

Shropshire born potter, Ralph Jandrell will be joining over 70 potters and ceramicists from the UK and abroad for the aptly named ‘Potfest’ this September at the Shrewsbury Agricultural Market. Ralph, who works from his workshop at the Coalport China Museum has exhibited his ceramic pieces at other Potfests that have been held in the UK, as far afield as Perth in Scotland.

Delaware’s Hagley Museum and Library will feature more than fifty artisans at its annual Craft Fair on Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19. Visitors may browse through the fine crafts and wares created by premier artists of the Mid-Atlantic region.

The Delaware Museum of Natural History’s Wine & Dinosaurs festival returns on Sunday, September 14, 2008 from noon-4 p.m., featuring specialty wines and beers from around the world. All proceeds from this indoor/outdoor event benefit the museum and its mission to excite and inform people about the natural world through exploration and discovery.

On Saturday, August 30th, Miami Seaquarium will host an Adopt-A-Pet day in partnership with the Humane Society of Greater Miami to give orphan dogs an opportunity to find a new home. From noon to 3pm park guests will be able to Adopt-A-Pet at Miami Seaquarium, as well as acquire information on how to be a new pet owner.

San Diego Zoo guests got an extra thrill Tuesday, August 19, as a female Masai giraffe gave birth to a baby girl while on exhibit. The baby, as yet unnamed, weighed in at 145 pounds, and stood at 62 inches tall by Wednesday morning when veterinary staff did an exam.

Fireworks, circus performers and street art combine to entertain families at the 2008 Mayor’s Thames Festival. Boris Johnson’s first Mayor’s Thames Festival promises to be a real treat for families with circus performers, street art and music filling London for the weekend party.

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and The Shropshire Guild of Contemporary Craft are again bringing together some of the West Midlands’ finest craftsmen and women for their annual flagship exhibition, ‘Gorgeous’, over the weekend of 29 and 30 November at Enginuity, Coalbrookdale. For the first time this year, the makers will also be joined by many of the region’s top food and drink producers in association with Heart of England Fine Foods.

A Cornish beach famous for its extreme sports is preparing for the arrival of over 20 thoroughbred polo ponies next month, as Veuve Clicquot Polo on the Beach returns to Watergate Bay on Tuesday 9th September.

Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, Surrey, with 265 acres of vines, is the largest single estate vineyard in the UK. Denbies Vine & Dine Grape picking day is the only experience of its kind in the UK and since its introduction in 2006 has attracted visitors from all over the country.