Looking for an event to feature? Here’s our pick of the best 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:
Staffordshire’s biggest party is back
More than 30 events have been lined up to help celebrate the 9th annual Staffordshire Day. This year sees celebrations run from the traditional county day itself, 1 May, until Bank Holiday Monday, 6 May, featuring a packed programme of events – many of them free. The date for Staffordshire Day was chosen to mark the creation of the world-famous Wedgwood pottery company in 1759.
An epic day out
New for 2024, the Lincoln Festival of History aims to take visitors on a journey back in time. The city-wide event (4-6 May) features have-a-go activities, living-history re-enactments and displays. Among attractions will be a Maker’s and Antique’s Market; a chance to discover Medieval, Victorian, Roman and Viking history at Lincoln Castle – plus Lincoln Long Wool sheep at Lincoln Cathedral, which will also host children’s historical crafts.
Walk this way…
Following on from last year’s successful inaugural Reading Walks Festival, the 2024 event will see almost 50 guided walks take place 11-19 May – including following in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims. As well as three taster walks along St James Way – the English leg of the famous Camino de Santiago – other walks feature Jane Austen’s Reading and the area’s brewing industry. Each walk also links to either bus or train routes.
Munch away on this festival feast…
There is only one place to be for watercress lovers each May… Hampshire’s ‘Capital of Watercress’. With its colour-washed houses, Alresford has earned its nickname by being at the heart of the UK’s watercress industry, a crop that has been grown commercially in the county since the 19th century. This year’s Alresford Watercress Festival on 19 May, will feature the usual food and drink stalls, as well as the annual watercress eating contest.
Seaside spectacle
This month Race the Waves is back to Bridlington with vintage vehicles thundering across the beach (10-12 May). It’s one of East Yorkshire’s most popular events where vintage cars and motorbikes race along the sands. A tribute to when Yorkshire beaches were the earliest proving grounds for UK land speed record attempts, vehicles perform ‘spirited drag-races’ in pairs over a 200-yard course.
Explore the great outdoors
Returning 11-27 May 2024, the Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival aims to showcase everything the area has to offer, from walking to horse riding, and cycling to fishing. Celebrating the great outdoors, and the landscapes of this Outstanding Area of Natural Beauty, the Festival also aims to inspire visitors to try new outdoor experiences, as well as traditional countryside activities. There are more than 150 events and activities across the Festival.
Hampshire is Streets Ahead
The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu will turn the clock back this month when it opens a new permanent display transporting visitors to a bygone era from the 1950s to the 1970s. From 25 May, the new Streets Ahead display will feature shop displays packed with items from the Collections, many on show to the public for the first time, along with the cars and bikes that were once part of everyday life.
Still time to step into spring…
It’s no surprise that The Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival is always popular, with most walks free to join and suiting various abilities and interests. This year’s event runs until 6 May and again showcases the area’s beauty, as well as throws the spotlight on the area’s market towns of Biddulph, Cheadle and Leek, brought to life by knowledgeable walk leaders.
Let’s go fly a kite
There’s a chance to see some of the world’s largest inflatables and kites at the annual free entry Bridlington Kite Festival on 18 and 19 May. This year, the East Yorkshire event will see new kites, food and drink stalls and entertainment, along with displays and have-a-go sessions, all adding a splash of colour to the clifftops above the resort.
Trinity Live offers a taste of Hull
Trinity Market is Hull’s oldest indoor market packed with local, independent traders, and after a major refurbishment in 2017, a vibrant home to street food in the city. And each Thursday evening the market also turns into a music venue for the free-entry Trinity Live, which gives a platform to many local bands and performers, served up with food, bars and shopping.
Have a laugh in Stoke-on-Trent
Mr & Mrs Jones Comedy are working in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent Council and the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery to deliver the city’s first ever comedy festival. The inaugural Stoke-on-Trent Comedy Festival will be hosted in the Forum Theatre at the Potteries Museum on 10 and 11 May, with a number of solo shows from recognised comedians as well as local talent.
