| Aug | Name of Event | Type of Event | Sub Category | Region | Event Details | Location | Website |
| 2nd - 6th | Great British Beer Festival | Festival | Drink | London | The Great British Beer Festival, Britain's biggest beer festival, once again brings together a wide range of real ales, ciders, perries and international beers | Earls Court, London | gbbf.camra.org.uk/home |
| 3rd - 4th | A Grand Medieval Joust | Special Event | Cornwall | A magnificent medieval joust where fighting knights do battle in a live action show. Revel in the drama of clashing knights on horseback and cheer on your favourite. Be entertained by the court jester for plenty of laughs too | Pendennis Castle, St. Just, Penzance | www.english-heritage.org.uk | |
| 3rd - 7th | Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show | Sporting Event | Horse Show | Ireland | A highlight of the Irish summer, this festival is a celebration of Ireland's enduring relationship with the horse - from show horses to show jumpers | RDS Complex, Ballsbridge, Dublin |
www.dublinhorseshow.com |
| 4th - 7th | The Big Chill Festival | Festival | Music, Art and Dance | Herefordshire | More laid-back and intimate than Glastonbury this multimedia festival bills itself as a celebration of music, art, dance and film but, above all, of life | Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire | www.bigchill.net |
| 4th - 7th | Belfast Taste and Music Fest | Festival | Food and Music | Northern Ireland | Some of Northern Ireland's finest chefs celebrate great local food in the largest al fresco restaurant in town | The Great Lawn Botanic Gardens, Belfast | website |
| 5th - 7th | The Festival of British Eventing | Sporting Event | Horse Show | Gloucestershire | A celebration of equestrian achievement, this event encompasses dressage, show-jumping and culminates with the Show Jumping Championship Final and the Cross Country Championship. There is also a huge range of tradestands selling all things equine as well as crafts, local products, country clothing, gifts and art | Gatcombe Park, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire |
www.gatcombe-horse.co.uk |
| 5th - 29th | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | Festival | Arts | Scotland | The Edinburgh Fringe is the world's largest arts festival. It is an exuberant celebration of every kind of performing art from dance and theatre to mime, street theatre and comedy | Edinburgh, Scotland | www.edfringe.com |
| 6th - 7th | The Wiltshire Game & Country Fair | Fair | Game and County Show | Wiltshire | As well as two main show arenas offering all day entertainment there is the Falconry Village, the Craft Village, complete with a working demonstration area, and the Food Glorious Food show with cookery demonstrations, beer and cider tastings | Bowood House, Nr Calne, Wiltshire | website |
| 6th - 13th | Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week | Sporting Event | Sailing | Isle of Wight | The world’s oldest, largest, most famous and most fun annual yachting regatta is a fusion of many exciting elements, with its great mix of competitive sailing and social activities | Cowes, Isle of Wight | www.aamcowesweek.co.uk |
| 6th - 13th | Three Choirs Festival | Festival | Music | Worcestershire | An international classical music festival presented in August each year by rotation in the cathedral cities of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester. Choral and orchestral music at its exhilarating and uplifting best, in a quintessentially English setting with varied and inspiring programmes performed by world-class artists and ensembles | Worcester | www.3choirs.org |
| 6th - 14th | Henri Lloyd Falmouth Week | Sporting Event | Sailing | Cornwall | Henri Lloyd Falmouth Week has developed into the largest regatta in the South West, rivalled only by Cowes Week. It provides a racing schedule to challenge the most competitive sailors, yet retains a ‘fun and friendly’ feel which also attracts families and the less experienced. Activity on the water is matched by a lively Shoreside programme of daytime and evening entertainment, culminating in a magnificent firework display over the Harbour |
Falmouth, Cornwall | www.falmouthweek.co.uk |
| 7th | Bowland Beast Cycle Challenge | Sporting Event | Cycling | Lancashire | This event features 2 challenging distances – 160km or 100km – neither are for the faint hearted! Whether you know the area or not, you are in for a treat in one of the most scenic and low traffic areas in England. You will conquer many challenging climbs and descents that are renowned throughout cycling. The road routes are signed and marshalled with full support vehicles. Entrants will be given a timing chip so all times can be recorded and published. |
Rolls Royce Sports Ground, Barnoldswick | www.bowlandbeast.com |
| 7th | Herefordshire Country Fair | Show | Country Show | Herefordshire | A traditional Country Fair with arena events running throughout the day plus trade stands and craft stalls | Whitfield Court, Ross-on-Wye | website |
| 7th - 9th | Pure London | Exhibition | Fashion | London | Pure London is the leading fashion trade event in the UK. Over 12,000 visitors come to Pure each season, not only to source brands, but also place orders. Taking place in August, the show is perfectly timed for seasonal buying | Olympia Grand Hall, London | www.purelondon.com |
| 8th - 14th | 93rd PGA Championship | Sporting Event | Golf | USA | The PGA Championship features one of the strongest fields in golf and is considered one of the most important sporting events in the world | Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Georgia | website |
| 10th - 23rd | Rossini Opera Festival | Festival | Opera | Italy | The Pesaro opera festival - as it is known to many performers after its host town, which is Giacomo Rossini's birthplace - was set up to raise global awareness of some of his lesser known operas. Many of which have since become part of the standard operatic repertoire | Pesaro, Italy | www.rossinioperafestival.it |
| 10th Aug - 18th Sept | Lucerne Festival | Festival | Opera | Switzerland | The festival will explore the phenomenon of the night in music. It will focus on composers who are visionaries and dreamers and on the mystics and masters of dark sounds as well as “nocturnal” genres such as the serenade or nocturne The Pesaro opera festival - as it is known to many performers after its host town, which is Giacomo Rossini's birthplace - was set up to raise global awareness of some of his lesser known operas. Many of which have since become part of the standard operatic repertoire |
Lucerne, Switzerland | www.lucernefestival.ch |
| 11th | Ballater Highland Games | Sporting Event | Highland Games | Scotland | Enjoy the spectacle of the finest athletes and strongmen competing for seven heavy events - the Light and Heavy Hammer, Light and Heavy Stone, Tossing the Caber, Weight for Distance, and Throwing the Weight over the Bar | Monaltrie Park, Ballater, Deeside | website |
| 11th - 14th | Bristol International Balloon Fiesta | Special Event | Ballooning | Avon | Highlights of this superb hot-air balloon festival include the mass ascents of 120 balloons at dawn and dusk, the Special Shapes Rodeo with its strangely or comically shaped balloons, the Night Glows, which combine lit-up balloons and fireworks with a musical soundtrack and 'Heaven', a special area providing carnivalesque entertainments | Bristol, Avon | website |
| 11th - 14th | Standon Calling | Festival | Music and the Arts | Hertfordshire | A proper three-day party, with the opportunity to see artists in a more intimate festival setting than anywhere else plus a swimming pool to cool off in or lounge around during the day. There’s nothing like it at any other festival in the UK | Standon, Hertfordshire | www.standon-calling.com |
| 12th | Tom Jones | Concert | Music | Suffolk | Tom Jones is one of Britain’s best-known singers and has enjoyed an extraordinary career spanning six decades | Newmarket Racecourses, Newmarket, Suffolk | website |
| 12th - 14th | Brecon Jazz Festival | Festival | Music, Art and Dance | Wales | One of the world's foremost jazz festivals, the Brecon Jazz Festival has long attracted some of the best international talent in the field | Brecon, Powys, Wales | website |
| 12th - 14th | Vintage Goodwood | Festival | Music and Fashion | West Sussex | Vintage at Goodwood offers a range of musical styles with a nostalgic journey through the music and fashions of the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, and a celebration of the richness of British cultural history. The Festival also explores the design legacy of these formative decades, and is a fabulous opportunity to dress up and indulge in a glorious extravaganza of nostalgia | Goodwood, near Chichester | www.vintageatgoodwood.com |
| 12th - 14th | Croissant Neuf Summer Party | Festival | Music, Art and Dance | Wales | An award-winning independent, family-friendly festival with something for all the family from music, dance and sports to toys and games for the children | Near Usk, Monmouthshire | www.partyneuf.co.uk |
| 12th Aug - 4th Sep | Edinburgh International Festival | Festival | Music and the Arts | Scotland | The festival focuses on the performing arts and brings together a profusion of classical music, theatre, opera and dance talent from around the world to Scotland's capital | Edinburgh, Scotland | www.eif.co.uk |
| 13th - 14th | Christchurch Regatta and Carnival | Special Event | Music and Rowing | Dorset | There is music throughout the weekend and a rowing regatta on the River Stour on the Friday. The event culminates in a parade on the Saturday evening, with marching bands, the crowning of the Carnival Queen and Princess and is rounded off with a Grand Firework display | Christchurch, Dorset | website |
| 13th - 14th | UCI World Cup XCO 6 | Sporting Event | Mountain Biking | Czech Republic | MTB race | Nové Město na Moravě, Vysočina Region, Czech Republic | www.uci.ch |
| 14th | ITU World Cup Triathlon | Sporting Event | Triathlon | Hungary | From a diving start from a pontoon swim 2 laps (2x750m) in Tolnai Lake in Sajószöged. At the end of the first lap athletes have to come out on the pontoon and dive back for the second lap. The flat and technical bike course consists of 8.3 km from the river to the race center then 7 laps of 4.9 km with 11 corners in each lap. Finally the run course is 4 laps of 2.5 km in the center of Tiszaújváros |
Tiszaújváros, Hungary | www.triathlon.org |
| 14th - 20th | Fowey Royal Regatta | Sporting Event | Sailing | Cornwall | As well as sailing (including a quirky raft race and the Falmouth Working Boats race) the regatta features a display by the Red Arrows, swimming races and water polo, a torchlit competition for the best decorated boat, carnival processions, live music, children's entertainment, a giant Cornish pasty ceremony, crab-catching and fireworks over the harbour | Fowey, Cornwall | www.foweyroyalregatta.co.uk |
| 18th - 21st | Southport Flower Show | Exhibition | Horticulture | Lancashire | Southport Flower Show is the UK's most entertaining, inspirational and friendliest independent flower show with 200+ trade stands and an expanded food village. This year's show theme is Vintage, which will see creative traders, exhibitors and guests taking influence from design classics from the 50's, 60's and 70's | Victoria Park, Southport | website |
| 18th - 28th | Les Azuriales Opera | Festival | Opera | France | Operas are sung in their original language, with English and French subtitles, and most performances are accompanied by just a piano rather than an orchestra. After some performances the artists join the audience for an al fresco dinner in the villa gardens | Belle EpoqueVilla Ephrussi de Rothschild, Cap Ferrat, Côte d'Azur, France | www.azurialopera.com |
| 19th - 21st | Rewind The 80's Festival | Festival | Music | Oxfordshire | Festival Fun includes Live Karaoke, the Silent Disco, the Funfair, Kidzone, fireworks, the Big Sing, the Groovy Movie Picture House and the Friday Night Welcome Party | Temple Island Meadows, Henley-on-Thames | www.rewindfestival.com |
| 19th - 24th | Torbay Week | Sporting Event | Sailing | Devon | Torbay Week has fast proved to be one of the best regattas on the South Coast with great racing for a wide variety of sailing vessels, along with tons of after-sail fun at Torbay's sailing and yachting clubs. The four sailing clubs of Torbay combine resources for Torbay Week which means that we can manage up to six courses in Tor Bay in order to cater for all types of yachts and dinghies |
Torbay, Devon | www.torbayweek.co.uk |
| 20th - 21st | UCI World Cup XCO/DHI 7/4X 5 | Sporting Event | Mountain Biking | Italy | MTB race | Val di Sole, Pellizzano, Province of Trento, Italy | www.uci.ch |
| 20th | Gaelforce West | Sporting Event | Adveture race | Ireland | Gaelforce West is the largest one day adventure race of its kind in the world. It is a multi-sport adventure race involving cycling, running, hiking and kayaking. This is not a triathlon, a marathon or a fun run it is an adventure race! |
Westport, County Mayo | www.gaelforceevents.com |
| 25th - 27th | Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta | Sporting Event | Rowing and Sailing | Devon | A water-based extravaganza of rowing, displays of historic craft, river tug-of-war, yacht racing and traditional passage races plus a rowing regatta for local crews. The regatta also features air displays, two stunning firework displays, while the town is transformed by a funfair, music, dancing, and market stalls and a shopping village | Dartmouth, South Devon | www.dartmouthregatta.co.uk |
| 26th - 28th | Belgian Grand Prix | Grand Prix | Motor Racing | Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium | website | |
| 27th | Carnegie Challenge Cup Final | Sporting Event | Rugby League | London | This annual encounter sees Europe's best rugby league players battling it out for championship status. It is one of the most prestigious fixtures in British sport combining adrenalin-fuelled excitement with sporting pageantry | Wembley Stadium, London | www.therfl.co.uk |
| 27th - 28th | Egham Royal Show | Show | Agricultural | Surrey | The aim of the show is to mix the agricultural and horticultural themes of yesteryear with the style of attractions that will appeal to younger visitors. Attractions include Punch and Judy shows in their own tent, horticulture and craft marquees, the Kids Tent with entertainment for the children, auto jumble stand, children's rides and bar and food choices in the community marquee. Visitors can also enjoy steam and traction engine displays, a vintage car display and the ever popular dog show | Mrs Caddey's Feld, off Whitehall lane, Egham, Surrey | www.eghamroyalshow.org.uk |
| 27th - 28th | National Club Relay Championships | Sporting Event | Triathlon | Nottinghamshire | The event is not so much about the swim, bike, run elements but obviously these are very important. We like to think this whole weekend of fun is triathlon's answer to the Glastonbury Music Festival. There's the headline stage and this weekend is also about the après triathlon | Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham | www.onestepbeyond.org.uk |
| 27th - 29th | Cheshire Game & Country Fair | Fair | Game and County Show | Cheshire | The show will retain all of its core attractions with the two main show arenas offering a full programme of events varying from Scurry Racing to Falconry and co-ordinated Gundog displays. Away from the main arenas there are many other display arenas including the Falconry Village, the Craft Village complete with a working demonstration area and the Food Glorious Food show, complete with Cookery Demonstrations. A special feature of the show is the 7th English Open Chainsaw Carving Competition with around 30 of the world’s top chainsaw carvers competing | Cheshire Showground, Tabley, Nr Knutsford | website |
| 28th - 29th | Burghley Fine Food Market | Festival | Food | Lincolnshire | A celebration of local produce in association with Tastes of Lincolnshire. Come and meet more than 20 local producers of cheese, bread, vegetables and meat | Burghley House, Stamford, Lincolnshire | www.burghley.co.uk |
| 28th - 29th | Siege! | Special Event | Warwickshire | Experience the atmosphere and drama of Kenilworth Castle under Norman attack. Witness the opposing forces prepare for battle, with encampments outside and inside the castle, armour displays and an awe inspiring trebuchet in action | Kenilworth Castle, Kenilworth | www.english-heritage.org.uk | |
| 29th Aug - 11th Sep | US Open Tennis | Sporting Event | Tennis | USA | Grand Slam Event - the final tournament of 2011 | Flushing Meadows, New York | www.usopen.org |
| 31st | La Tomatina | Special Event | Spain | There are no winners in Spain's unique battle of the tomatoes but all of the 40,000 or so revellers come away happy at the end of the one hour fight. The La Tomatina fiesta itself lasts a week, comprising a host of other events including parades, live music, dancing, food stalls, a paella-cooking contest and fireworks | Buñol, near Valencia, Spain | www.latomatina.es | |
| 31st Aug - 4th Sep | UCI XCO/DHI/4X World Championships | Sporting Event | Mountain Biking | Switzerland | The race |
Champéry, Switzerland | www.uci.ch |
| 31st Aug - 10th Sep | International Venice Film Festival | Festival | Film | Italy | The oldest film festival in the world, Venice is a cineaste's dream. The Golden Lion award is awarded to the best film screened at the festival and is one of the most prestigious in international cinema | Palazzo del Cinema, Venice, Italy | www.labiennale.org/en |