Date announced
Folk tradition · Northern Ireland
Derry Halloween
Derry~Londonderry, County Londonderry
The walled city stages a huge Halloween festival with a carnival parade and fireworks.
28 October – 1 November 2026
THE LESS ORDINARY SIDE OF BRITAIN
Well, that’s
a different
day out.
Chasing cheese down a cliff. Snorkelling through a bog. Rolling burning barrels down the high street. Here’s where Britain’s strangest traditions happen, when they’re on, and how to get there.
145 events · 97 dates in the diary · 4 nations
DATES IN THE DIARY
Coming up next.
Date announced
Folk tradition · England
Whitby Goth Weekend
Whitby, North Yorkshire
Twice a year Whitby fills with goths, steampunks and Victorian finery for gigs and markets.
30 October – 1 November 2026
Traditional date
Fire tradition · England
Lewes Bonfire Night
Lewes, East Sussex
Bonfire societies parade burning crosses, tar barrels and effigies through the county town.
5 November 2026
Date announced
Fire tradition · England
Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels
Ottery St Mary, Devon
Local barrel rollers carry burning barrels through the town.
5 November 2026
Traditional date
Folk tradition · England
Turning the Devil’s Stone
Shebbear, Devon
Bell-ringers lever over a huge boulder in Shebbear to keep the Devil underneath for a year.
5 November 2026
Date announced
Fire tradition · England
Battle Bonfire
Battle, East Sussex
A day-long bonfire celebration ending with a torchlit procession and fire on Abbey Green.
7 November 2026
FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
What’s your kind of unusual?
BRING YOUR OWN COURAGE
Don’t just watch — have a go.
Usually October
Folk tradition · England
Nottingham Goose Fair
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
A historic travelling funfair fills the Forest Recreation Ground with rides and stalls.
Late September into early October; next dates unconfirmed
Date announced
Folk tradition · England
Whitby Goth Weekend
Whitby, North Yorkshire
Twice a year Whitby fills with goths, steampunks and Victorian finery for gigs and markets.
30 October – 1 November 2026
Date announced
Unusual race · Wales
Real Ale Wobble
Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys
A mountain bike ride through mid-Wales hills where finishers swap beer tokens for real ale.
14 November 2026
PLAN A TRIP AROUND A THEME
Round-up guides.
FIELD
NOTE
01
NOTE
01
CURIOUS, WITH A BIT OF COMMON SENSE
Know what you’re going to.
Some events invite you to have a go. Others belong to local people, with visitors welcome to watch. Our guides say which is which, link to the organisers and flag anything still to be confirmed — so you don’t book a hotel for a bog that’s been drained.
How we put the guides together ↗