Looking for an event to feature? Here’s our pick of events coming up in May. As ever, please check individual websites for the latest details.
Discover more…
There’s plenty more to experience, for details on the full range of events check out each destination’s What’s On pages:
Take a stroll in May…
Visitors to Lincolnshire’s very own ‘lost’ gardens can join owner Ursula Cholmeley, or Head Gardener Tim Metcalfe Kemp, for a tour of the historic Easton Walled Gardens on Fridays in May. The garden was abandoned to nature for 50 years before being restored over the last two decades and the special tours will offer an insight into the history and workings of the gardens. They are available on 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 May. No booking required. Normal admission applies (£12 adults, £5 children, 4-16 years).
Flying high after a decade
East Yorkshire will host the 10th anniversary Bridlington Kite Festival this month featuring some of Europe’s top flyers – and the world’s largest teddy bear inflatable. Kites of all descriptions, sizes and colours will be back in the air for two days of aerial displays over Sewerby Fields, adding a splash of colour to the coastline above the popular seaside resort of Bridlington. Celebrating a decade of success the free two-day festival returns on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May 2025.
A spring foodie treat at Burghley
Celebrating local food and drink producers, Burghley House’s cobbled Chestnut and Stable Courtyards will once again be filled with stalls as its popular Spring Fine Food Market returns, 3-5 May. With free entry and car parking, and the backdrop of the magnificent Elizabethan house, there will be a wide range of exhibitors serving up dishes from around the world, and a host of produce on sale.
A day in the life of a Regency Lady
Jane Austen Wednesdays, part of Reading’s celebrations of its connections to the famous author, have already got off to a strong start, after the first of a series of six talks and workshops, marking the 250th anniversary of her birth, sold out. But Austen fans can still immerse themselves in the daily life of a regency lady, such as Austen’s Lizzie Bennet or Emma, at the second event, on 14 May, at Reading Museum. Tickets, which must be booked, are £12 each.
VE Day celebrations remembered in Hull
Hull History Centre is marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two with a film showing archive footage of celebrations in the city. There will also be a display of original photographs and documents from the time, plus free screenings, taking place on 3 May. Among other events are a VE Day 80 exhibition at Hull Minster, 6-18 May, while key city centre buildings will also be lit in the evenings 6 – 8 May.
A Right Royal Heist
An exhibition inspired by objects taken from Lincoln Cathedral during the English Reformation opens this month. A Right Royal Heist will be staged at the Cathedral from 3 May until the end of July. Local artists are bringing the items back to life at the exhibition through digital illustration, ceramics, painting and textiles, and admission to the exhibition is included in the cathedral entrance fee.
The Ace of Space… for a Lemmy statue
Stoke-on-Trent’s “forever” link with rock star Lemmy will be marked on Friday 9 May, in the so-called Mother Town of The Potteries, Burslem. 2025 sees Stoke-on-Trent celebrate 100 years of city status as well as rock giants Motörhead hitting the historic 50-year milestone, and both anniversaries will come together when a statue of Ian Fraser Kilmister (“Lemmy”) is unveiled in his Potteries birthplace. Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell will also be there.
Be a sport at Burghley
Countryside sports will take pride of place in the grounds of England’s greatest Elizabethan house when the popular Living Heritage Game and Country Fair returns to Burghley House this spring Bank Holiday weekend. Along with the chance to try out sports such as clay shooting, archery, and fishing, there are dog events plus popular show features including craft village, food show, falconry, and vintage vehicles. Tickets for the event on 25 and 26 May 2025 cost £18 adults and £6 children, plus booking fee.
It’s game on at Ghostly Manor
Dubbed the UK’s number one family theme park – and home of the country’s only Peppa Pig World – Hampshire’s Paultons Park is set to open its latest attraction, described as the world’s first “gameplay theatre”. Promising an immersive experience Ghostly Manor, which is due to open on 17 May 2025, will be fully interactive and family-friendly featuring spooky scenes, themed backdrops, special effects and large projections.
