| Sep | Name of Event | Type of Event | Sub Category | Region | Event Details | Location | Website |
| 1st - 4th | Burghley Horse Trials | Sporting Event | Equestrian | Lincolnshire | The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials consist of a Dressage phase, Cross-country and Show Jumping. It is a rigorous test of all round horsemanship | Burghley House, Stamford, Lincolnshire | www.burghley-horse.co.uk |
| 2nd - 4th | Chatsworth Country Fair | Fair | Country Show | Derbyshire | For a true taste of the very best the countryside has to offer, there's nowhere quite like the annual Country Fair at Chatsworth. Sample some superb local produce, find some exquisite crafts and spend a weekend enjoying a whole host of family activities, displays and performances. The Country Fair is one of England's most spectacular annual outdoor events and it attracts large crowds from all over the country. Massed pipe and military bands, demonstrations and parades, hot air balloons, parachuting and over 300 varied trade stands and rural crafts make this a memorable event with something for everyone | Chatsworth House, Baslow, Derbyshire | www.chatsworth.org |
| 2nd - 4th | The Baby Show | Exhibition | Babies and Pregnancy | Manchester | If you're pregnant, or have a new baby then a visit to The Baby Shows is essential! The shows are packed with absolutely everything you and your bump or baby need including amazing shopping, exclusive offers and vital expert advice. As well as the industry's biggest names taking part you will also find lots of new and innovative products brought to you by a range of smaller exhibitors that you won’t find on the High Street | Manchester Central, Manchester | www.thebabyshow.co.uk |
| 3rd | Braemar Gathering | Sporting Event | Highland Games | Scotland | Come and watch athletes from around the world compete in 'heavy' and 'track' events, including a tug-of-war by teams from the armed forces, a Services relay race, caber-tossing, stone-putting, sprinting, hammer-throwing and a hill race run up Morrone. There's also Highland dancing and massed pipe bands | Royal Deeside, Scotland | www.braemargathering.org |
| 3rd | Ascot Festival of Food Raceday | Festival | Food | Berkshire | Racegoers are able to race and shop, purchasing locally produced items from county suppliers. Over 30 stands will be located around the Parade Ring selling cheeses, speciality breads, cakes, ciders, real ales, pasta, preserves, flowers, game and much more. Don’t miss the cookery demonstration by Steve Golding - Ascot’s Executive Head Chief | Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Berkshire | www.ascot.co.uk |
| 3rd - 4th | Organic Food Festival | Festival | Food | Avon | The Organic Food Festival is a celebration of all that sustainable food and farming is and can be. With over 150 quality stall holders, livestock, including the Sheep Show, top chefs showing you what to do with all the great produce you can buy, fun demos in the health and beauty marquee, great music to chill to and loads of fantastic street food to enjoy | Bristol Harbourside, Cannons Way, Anchor Road, Bristol | website |
| 3rd - 25th | Fiestas de Otoño | Festival | Sport and Food | Spain | A three week celebration of sherry, horse-riding and flamenco, this is a joyous celebration of the wine harvest in Jerez de la Frontera, one of Spain's main sherry-producing towns | Jerez de la Frontera, Spain | website |
| 4th | Midlands XC MTB Series 4 | Sporting Event | Mountain Biking | Shropshire | Something special was required for the series finale and the venue that topped the polls is Eastridge Woods in Shropshire. A proper old school course, it promises to be a perch on the saddle tip climb up, saddle in your stomach back down affair | Eastridge Woods, Minsterley, Shrewsbury | www.xcracer.com |
| 7th - 10th | St Leger Festival | Sporting Event | Horse Racing | South Yorkshire | The St Leger Stakes is a flat race for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is the world's oldest Classic race and the only one staged by a racecourse in the north of England. During the festival marquees are erected by the winning post, on the lawns of the former paddock area and by the centre of the course, offering champagne and food | Town Moor, Doncester, South Yorkshire | website |
| 8th - 11th | Bestival | Festival | Music | Isle of Wight | The self-described 'boutique music festival' focuses on pioneering music and on discovery from its Bollywood Cocktail Bar, mass fancy dress party and Hidden Disco to its 'boutique campsite' with bivouacs, tipis, yurts and Podpads | Robin Hill Country Park, near Newport, Isle of Wight | www.bestival.net |
| 8th - 11th | Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials | Sporting Event | Equestrian | Oxfordshire | The first two days of the event see dressage tests in the main arena followed by cross-country races running around the parkland and the trials culminate with a show-jumping finale. Other activities include pony club and riding club competitions and equine displays in the main arena | Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire | www.blenheim-horse.co.uk |
| 9th - 11th | Italian Grand Prix | Sporting Event | Grand Prix | Italy | Autodromo Nazionale, Monza, Italy | website | |
| 9th - 11th | Ludlow Food Festival | Festival | Food | Shropshire | The festival showcases more than 130 small independent food and drink producers from the Welsh Marches (border regions) offering everything from rare breeds of meat and gourmet sausages to real ale, cider and perry | Ludlow, Shropshire | www.foodfestival.co.uk |
| 9th Sep - 23 Oct | Rugby World Cup 2011 | Sporting Event | Rugby Union | New Zealand | New Zealand | www.rugbyworldcup.com | |
| 10th | Irish Field St Leger | Sporting Event | Horse Racing | Ireland | The Irish racing season ends on a high note with this classic Group 1 race modelled on the English St Leger Stakes | The Curragh Racecourse, County Kildare, Ireland | www.curragh.ie |
| 10th | Last Night of the Proms | Concert | Music | London | The Last Night of the Proms brings together the various themes of the Proms season. It has a light-hearted feel beginning with popular classics and moving on to patriotic British works | Royal Albert Hall, London | www.bbc.co.uk/proms |
| 10th - 11th | Hell Up North | Sporting Event | Running | Cheshire | The Brooks HellRunner is over multi-terrain and varying underfoot conditions. There will be everything from running tracks and trails to water-filled areas and plenty of steep hills. Expect to get very wet as it will be nature at its toughest. The course will be marked but do not expect to see mile or kilometre markers. All you need to know is that the course will be probably more than 10 and less than 12 miles in length |
Delamere Forest Park, Linmere, Northwich, Cheshire | www.hellrunner.co.uk |
| 10th - 11th | Sandringham Game & Country Fair | Fair | Game and County Show | Norfolk | This show has evolved over the years to become one of the most prestigious Game and Country Shows of the year. Away from the arenas there are many other display areas such as the Falconry Village, the Craft Village complete with a working demonstration area and The Food Glorious Food show, complete with Cookery Demonstrations | Sandringham Park, Sandringham, Norfolk | website |
| 11th | Pedal for Scotland | Sporting Event | Cycling | Scotland | There are three levels of freshnlo Pedal for Scotland - a 51 mile ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh, a 100 mile ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh and a short off-road family ride with fun and activities at Glasgow Green. The popularity of the ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh is the combination of a great route that uses a mixture of closed roads, quiet back roads and cycle paths and the fact that it takes in Scotland's two largest cities via stunning countryside. It's the perfect challenge for both regular cyclists and those who haven't cycled in a while. The 100 miles ride is better suited to keen regular road cyclists but if you have ridden the Challenge Ride in previous years, and finished in less than 3 hours, then this could be a natural progression. The Family Ride is aimed at young children, families and newcomers and is a 3 mile circuit on off-road paths through the park at Glasgow Green | Glasgow/Edinburgh, Scotland | www.pedalforscotland.org |
| 11th | Robin Hood Festival of Running | Sporting Event | Running | Nottinghamshire | The Robin Hood Marathon runs alongside the half marathon and for the first 12.5 miles follows the same scenic route then the full marathon runners split off from the half marathon runners and run along the promenade path by the River Trent and under Trent Bridge before passing over Lady Bay Bridge, leaving the city and into Nottinghamshire. The route then takes in the National Water Sports Centre and Holme Pierrepont Hall before returning along the Trent cycle path to County Hall and passes over the old toll bridge and onto the tree lined Victoria Embankment to the finish. There is also a mini marathon event for fun runners covering 2.6 miles starting and finishing at the Victoria Embankment. The fun run is open to all ages and abilities whether you've just started running or you just want to soak up the carnival atmosphere with friends and family. The Marathon Relay Challenge is an opportunity for a team of 5 runners to take part in the Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running full marathon race. It is open to teams of 5 runners running 5-6 miles each | Victoria Embankment, Nottingham | website |
| 11th - 18th | Tour of Britain | Sporting Event | Cycling | Great Britain | The Tour of Britain is the UK's biggest professional cycle race and a centrepiece of the British sporting calendar, attracting over a million spectators to the roadside. The Tour of Britain is an eight-day event allowing it to visit many parts of the UK | Nationwide | www.tourofbritain.com |
| 16th - 18th | Goodwood Revival | Sporting Event | Motoring | West Sussex | The Goodwood Revival really is a magical step back in time, a unique chance to revel in the glamour and allure of motor racing in the romantic time capsule of the golden era of motor racing at one of the world’s most authentic circuits. The Revival is the world’s most popular historic motor race meeting and the only event of its kind to be staged entirely in the nostalgic time capsule of the 1940s, 50s and 60s that relives the glory days of Goodwood Motor Circuit | Goodwood Park, West Sussex | www.goodwood.co.uk |
| 16th - 18th | Harrogate Autumn Flower Show | Exhibition | Horticulture | North Yorkshire | Nurseries from all over the country compete for the NEHS Best in Show trophy. Vibrant autumn colours dominate with many exhibitors specialising in seasonal favourites. Giant vegetables are displayed with fiercely fought competitions for outsize leeks, onions and green beans | Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, North Yorkshire | www.flowershow.org.uk |
| 16th - 19th | Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt | Festival | Wine | Germany | At this, the largest wine festival in the world, you will have the opportunity to enjoy over 150 different wines from 50 different places. You can sample the wine in large wine halls or at 36 historical 'Schubkärkchler' - small, simple wine stalls with scrubbed wooden tables where you can try the local wines accompanied by delicious traditional sausages | Bad Dürkheim, Germany | website |
| 17th - 18th | Abergavenny Food Festival | Festival | Food | Wales | The festival includes special areas dedicated to cheese, local wines and fish and local restaurants offer samples of 'street food' in the Market Hall. There are talks, debates, book signings, masterclasses and cookery demonstrations, tutored tastings, events for children, walks, appearances by foodie celebrities, live music in the castle and craft stalls | Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, South Wales | website |
| 17th - 18th | The Royal County of Berkshire Show | Show | Agricultural | Berkshire | This show celebrates the region's farming and rural communities. Livestock shows are the highlights of the event with grand parades of champion cattle. There are also agricultural and countryside stands, a countryside pageant, a show garden, coaching parades, heavy horse displays. As well as the regular top-flight showing classes, equestrian enthusiasts will be able to enjoy National jumping classes in the main arena. The spectacular mass balloon ascent will ensure that the Show ends on a high note on both Saturday and Sunday evenings | Newbury Showground, Thatcham, Berkshire | www.newburyshow.co.uk |
| 17th Sep - 3rd Oct | Munich Oktoberfest | Festival | Beer | Germany | The world's biggest beer and folk festival brings an astonishing six million visitors to the Bavarian city every year. The event opens on Saturday with a midday ceremony in the Schottenhamel tent when the city's Lord Mayor taps the first keg of beer and shares its contents around. There is a parade of landlords and breweries with decorated carriages and floats and horse-drawn drays, a Böllerschießen (handheld canon salute) in front of the Bavaria statue plus rollercoasters, fairground rides and sideshows | Theresienwiese, Munich, Germany | www.oktoberfest.de/en |
| 18th | BUPA Great North Run | Sporting Event | Running | North East | Run over 13.1 miles, this is the world's largest half marathon attracting over 52,000 participants. It is the largest sporting participation event in Britain. The run is about ordinary people who come from all over the world to participate and raise money for a wide range of charities | Newcastle, Gateshead and South Shields | www.greatrun.org |
| 18th | English Half Marathon | Sporting Event | Running | Cheshire | The race will start from Victoria Park in Warrington before heading out to the communities to the south of Warrington prior to returning back to Victoria Park for the finish | Victoria Park, Warrington | www.english-half.co.uk |
| 18th | Palace to Palace 2011 | Sporting Event | Cycling | London | Palace to Palace is The Prince’s Trust’s annual sponsored 45-mile bike ride which sees cyclists riding from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle. The route goes along the River Thames and through three Royal Parks | London to Windsor | www.princes-trust.org.uk |
| 21st - 25th | Galway International Oyster Festival | Festival | Food | Ireland | On offer are oysters, seafood chowder, smoked salmon, Guinness, wine tastings and the Guinness World Oyster Opening Championship. The Official Opening features a parade, musical bands, vintage cars and crowning of the 'oyster pearl'. In addition, there is plenty of live music - with the focus on traditional Irish song and dance - best-dressed competitions, a Mardi Gras party with jazz, and a black-tie Gala ball | Galway, Ireland | www.galwayoysterfest.com |
| 22nd - 25th | 100 Percent Design 2011 | Exhibition | Design | London | The UK's leading contemporary interiors event attracting key manufacturers and star designers from the UK and overseas. There is no other show that connects the worlds of architecture and design with innovative, contemporary interior products, creativity and an exciting mix of new and established talent | Earls Court, London | www.eco.co.uk |
| 23rd - 24th | British XC Series Round 5 | Sporting Event | Mountain Biking | Devon | The race |
Newnham Park, Plympton, Plymouth | www.britishxc.co.uk |
| 23rd - 25th | Singapore Grand Prix | Grand Prix | Motor Racing | Singapore | Singapore | website | |
| 24th | Musicmania November | Festival | Music | London | Whether you are a collector of a band or artist, or simply want to pick up some great music at affordable prices, Musicmania gives you the best route to success | Olympia 2 | www.vip-24.com/olympia.htm |
| 24th - 25th | ITU World Duathlon Championships | Sporting Event | Duathlon | Spain | An international event that will bring the region to athletes across the world. The circuits through will focus on the sports complex Las Mestas. The run will pass near the Stadium of El Molinón and Isabel la Católica Park and the cycling track, whilst taking in those same points, extends along the Paseo de la Playa de San Lorenzo, an integrated circuit in the heart of the city. The importance and relevance of this event has been taken into account when designing the various circuits so that fans and visitors to the city can enjoy a historical sporting event |
Gijón, Spain | www.duathlongijon.org |
| 24th - 25th | Alnwick Food Festival | Festival | Food | Northumberland | There will be plenty of chances to sample what the region has to offer and opportunities to buy it. Cookery demonstrations, talks, food and drinks trails, wine-tasting sessions, a chocolate-making experience, special recipes, offers and surprises are all on the festival menu. Street entertainment will keep the children amused and they will also be able to take part in their very own event, the Alnwick Children's Food Festival at the Alnwick Garden. The Alnwick Beer Festival will run alongside the food festival in the Town Hall in Alnwick Market Place |
Alnwick, Northumberland | www.alnwickfoodfestival.co.uk |
| 24th - 25th | The Hertfordshire Country Show | Fair | Country Show | Hertfordshire | There are two main show arenas offering all day entertainment supported by a whole array of smaller country sports arenas and attractions. Around the show arenas you will find the shopping areas, approximately 150 exhibitors offering a vast array of country clothing, accessories and equipment, handcrafted items, food and drink | Hertfordshire Showground, Dunstable Road, Redbourn, Hertfordshire | website |
| 24th - 25th | Malvern Autumn Show | Exhibition | Horticulture | Worcestershire | A celebration of the best of nature’s harvest, the Malvern Autumn Show, boasts a delectable mix of autumn flowers, harvest produce, native livestock, great shopping and family fun | The Malvern Showground, Worcestershire | website |
| 24th - 25th | Great British Cheese Festival | Festival | Food | South Wales | The festival features Britain's biggest cheese market (with nearly 200 stalls and over 450 British and Irish cheeses to sample and buy) and also on offer are masterclasses, workshops and demonstrations. Accompany the cheeses with whisky, beer, cider, perry and wine tastings, and a wealth of other products, from gourmet breads to prize-winning pies | Cardiff Castle, South Wales | www.thecheeseweb.com |
| 24th - 25th | Mold Food and Drink Festival | Festival | Food and Drink | North Wales | The festival features demonstrations by celebrity chefs, local cooking competitions, farm shops and farmers' markets, honey, olives, oils, and more - the remit goes beyond the purely Welsh to include cuisine from far and wide. Local entertainers keep the mood lively and the crowds entertained throughout the weekend | Mold, Clwyd, North Wales | www.moldfoodfestival.co.uk |
| 25th | Newnham 60 Mountain Bike Enduro | Sporting Event | Mountain Biking | Devon | The race |
Newnham Park, Plympton, Plymouth | www.newnham60.co.uk |
| 26th | Metropolitan Opera Opening Night | Festival | Opera | USA | The opening of the 2011-2012 season at the Metropolitan Opera is a glamorous night, rich with the promise of a star-studded winter of world-class opera | Lincoln Centre, New York | www.metoperafamily.org |
| 28th Sep - 2nd Oct | Henley Literary Festival | Festival | Literature | Oxfordshire | The festival brings together Britain's leading literary lights for 100 literary events. The speakers are drawn from the fields of politics and current affairs, fiction, biography, history, lifestyle, sport, poetry and children's literature | Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire | website |
| 29th Sep - 2nd Oct | Alfred Dunhill Links Championship | Sporting Event | Golf | Scotland | Four days of pro-am golf are played on three different links courses, all centred on St Andrews. A fantastic opportunity to see the top professionals and celebrities in the world of sport, film and industry up close | St Andrews, Fife, Scotland | www.alfreddunhilllinks.com |
| 29th Sep - 2nd Oct | Osberton International Horse Trials | Sporting Event | Equestrian | Nottinghamshire | Osberton International Horse Trials is one of the most popular events and incorporates the Lycetts British Eventing Young Horse Championships. The cross country course will be run over stunning parkland which provides great spectator viewing | Osberton Estate, Worksop | www.britisheventing.com |
| 30th Sep - 1st Oct | Ascot Beer Festival | Festival | Beer | Berkshire | Combine your race-going with a CAMRA real ale festival. Ascot hosts the Annual Beer Festival in association with CAMRA and Fuller's. The Festival will showcase over 200 varieties of beer, cider and perry. The prestigious title of Beer of the Festival is awarded by racegoers over the course of the weekend | Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Berkshire | www.ascot.co.uk |
| 30th Sep - 2nd Oct | A Place in the Sun Live | Exhibition | Property | West Midlands | A Place in the Sun Live is the overseas property show from the hit Channel 4 television show and it’s the best place to visit to get all the information you need about buying your dream home overseas. As well as advice from experts across the field there are thousands of properties for sale from hundreds of agents around the globe | NEC, Birmingham | www.aplaceinthesun.com |
| 30th Sep - 2nd Oct | The National Wedding Show | Exhibition | Bridal | London | A visit to the National Wedding Show is an absolute must for all those planning their perfect wedding. Whether you’re planning a traditional fairytale wedding or a modern cutting edge and contemporary affair, with over 300 wedding experts and inspirational features, The National Wedding Show is a unique and glamorous wedding shopping experience with thousands of ideas to plan your perfect day A visit to the National Wedding Show is an absolute must for all those planning their perfect wedding. Whether you’re planning a traditional princess fairytale wedding or are a modern bride seeking more of a cutting edge and contemporary affair, with over 300 wedding experts and inspirational features, The National Wedding Show is the show for you; a unique and glamorous wedding shopping experience with thousands of ideas to plan your perfect day. A visit to the National Wedding Show is an absolute must for all those planning their perfect wedding. Whether you’re planning a traditional princess fairytale wedding or are a modern bride seeking more of a cutting edge and contemporary affair, with over 300 wedding experts and inspirational features, The National Wedding Show is the show for you; a unique and glamorous wedding shopping experience with thousands of ideas to plan your perfect day. A visit to the National Wedding Show is an absolute must for all those planning their perfect wedding. Whether you’re planning a traditional princess fairytale wedding or are a modern bride seeking more of a cutting edge and contemporary affair, with over 300 wedding experts and inspirational features, The National Wedding Show is the show for you; a unique and glamorous wedding shopping experience with thousands of ideas to plan your perfect day. |
Earls Court, London | website |