Festivals in the UK

Scotland celebrates New Year, with bagpipe music and dancing in the street ow the night. At midnight, there are fireworks and everyone sings ,,Auld lang syne''. Scottish families go friend and relations to continue the celebrations!
25 January Scotland celebrate Burns Night. Robert Burns is Scotland's national poet and Scottish people have a big dinner every year to celebrate his birthday. The dinner begins with the sound of bagpipes and the 'haggis', Scotland's national dish, a kind of sausage made from the heart and other organs of a sheep. Then everyone reads poems and sings song written by the great 'Rabbie Burns' himself.
Nearly every weekend in summer there are highland games somewhere in Scotland, but the biggest games are at Cowal. People from all over the world come to watch or take part. Over 3000 bagpipers and drummers play all day and there is a wonderful atmosphere. There are highland dancing competitions as well as events like throwing the hammer or 'tossing the caber' - throwing a large tree as far as possible. All the athletes wear traditional kilts.



Edinburgh International Science Festival
11th - 22nd April 2003
Science? Festival? Two words that don\'t normally go together, but what a combination they make.
Twelve days of non-stop events - shows, workshops, presentations, hands-on activities, exhibitions and tours - designed to inspire, stimulate and entertain.
Come to the Science Festival in Edinburgh and do something you\'ve never done before:
- climb up a 4 metre high nose
- hear the confessions of a psychic
- dig up a life-size dinosaur
- take part in The Filthiest Show on Earth
- meet your scientific heroes and heroines
Whether you want to be excited, challenged or simply amused, the Science Festival has something for you.
Scottish International Children\'s Festival
26th May - 4th June 2003
Created and produced by imaginate - promoting and developing performing arts for children across Scotland.
The Bank of Scotland Children\'s International Theatre Festival is Britain\'s biggest performing arts festival for children and young people. Theatre shows by the world\'s leading theatre companies for children. A spell-binding feast of entertainment, enough to capture the imagination of any 3 to 12 year old.
Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival
25th July - 3rd August 2003
Longest running jazz festival in the UK. Concert halls, theatres, clubs, pubs, open air events, featuring all styles of jazz from international artistes. 50,000 attendees.
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
1st - 23rd August 2003
Scotland\'s stunning annual outdoor military spectacular set against the magnificent backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. Featuring Pipes & Drums, Massed Military Bands, display teams, dancers and acts from around the world.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
3rd - 25th August 2003
The Edinburgh Fringe is unique, breaking its own record every year as the largest arts festival on the planet (Guinness Book of Records). Each year it brings thousands of performances of hundreds of shows in nearly 200 venues across Scotland\'s capital city.
Edinburgh International Book Festival
9th - 25th August 2003
Edinburgh International Book Festival is the world\'s biggest book festival. We present an wide and varied programme for both adults and children including discussions, readings, lectures, debates and workshops, all in one of Edinburgh\'s most beautiful spaces, Charlotte Square Gardens.
Edinburgh International Festival
10th - 30th August 2003
The Edinburgh International Festival 2003 runs from 10 - 30 August.
Each year the Edinburgh International Festival stages one of the greatest celebrations of the arts, attracting audiences from around the world to the city\'s thrilling atmosphere. The festivities offer a unique opportunity to experience the excitement of live performance by internationally renowned artists as well as the joy of discovering new and unfamiliar works.
Edinburgh International Film Festival
13rd - 24th August 2003
Love the movies? Then prepare to fall in love with the Film Festival. If it\'s worth watching, we\'ll be showing it. You can be the first to see an amazing range of movie premieres.
Edinburgh\'s Hogmanay
29th December 2003 - 1st January 2004
Hogmanay is the Scottish New Year, celebrated on 31st December every year. Never being slow to spot a good excuse for a party, the night involves a celebratory drink or two, fireworks and the kissing of complete strangers not necessarily in that order.
Edinburgh\'s Hogmany is a four day free for all celebrating the new year. Visitors enjoy 4 days of fabulous events throughout the city including well loved favourites such as the Torchlight Procession and the world famous Royal Bank Street Party, as well as many new events.
Mousehole Christmas Lights
Christmas Illuminations
Mousehole Xmas Illuminations Mousehole is a fishing village in West Cornwall with a most beautiful harbour. In late September the village begins preparation for their famous Christmas Lights, raising money for charity for nearly 40 years. Switching them on from the Saturday in the Middle of December, usually with Mousehole Male Voice Choir and a Brass Band present,# until the Friday at the end of the first week of the New Year A spectacular and dazzling Display of Illuminations from Dancing Reindeer to Santa Claus, to Christmas Pudding complete with sprigs of holly. A church with music playing. A cross with two angels. A huge lit Happy Xmas, switching to Happy New Year every few seconds. A dolphin spouting water. A multi coloured serpent bobbing in the water. A cracker, a pudding, multi lights festooned along the harbour walls. There is even a Star Gazzy Pie in lights, a dish unique to Mousehole, prepared in the Ship Inn, ate on 23rd December- Tom Bawcock\'s Eve.
Long ago Winter storms had prevented the fishing boats putting to sea. In a lull in the bad weather one of their number Tom Bawcock managed to catch enough fish to prevent the village from starving. A pie of many fishes was made from the catch -Star Gazzy Pie. Nowadays people travel many miles from all over Cornwall and furthur afield to see \'The Lights\' Not only are the houses and cottages decorated but even the boats bobbing in the Harbour. There are even helicopter flights from Penzance to see the spectacle.
Star Gazy Pie Recipe For those of you keen to make your own.
Ingredients: Pasty, 5 or 6 cornish pilchards, 2 or 3 boiled eggs (sliced). Seasoning. Parsley.
Method: Prepare Pastry. Put fish whole, but cleaned in a pie dish. Add sliced eggs and seasoning. Lay pastry over, pushing pichards heads through. Cook in hot oven until golden brown. Place sprig of parsely in each fishes mouth. Serve piping hot.
\"The Lights are on individual time switches and come on around 5.00 pm and go off at midnight. These times are kept to as closely as possible , but do vary very slightly due to the timeswitches accuracy. Part of the delight of watching the spectacle is not knowing which will be lit next. On December the 19th they turn off all the lights at 8.00pm and then back on again at 9.00pm. The cross and angels remain lit however. This is done as a memorium to the crew of the lost Penlee Lifeboat\". Cornwall Christmas Mousehole Illuminations. There are lots of places to stay in West Cornwall Bed and Breakfast.
Arrive early or very late , many many people visit each year. Have a bite to eat or a drink whilst browsing the gift shops, waiting for the sun to set behind the hill. On a still afternoon the smoke from countless coal fires hangs low in the air. Waves tumbling against the harbour wall and timber baulks closing the entrance to the Winter storms. Seagulls flying overhead to nest on St Clements Isle. Don\'t miss Newlyn Xmas Lights