York, the UK’s Festival City

The city of York certainly knows exactly how to attract interest.  In addition to their annual Viking (February), Roman (June) and Early Music Festivals (July), they are also staging a mouth watering Chocolate Festival between 6th and 9th April.  Over the 4 day period you’ll come across a chocolate market, local artisan chocolate makers, a new chocolate attraction and plenty of chocolate tastings and workshops.

And if your clients are steam buffs, they’ll certainly want to be in York for Railfest, a celebration of the railway industry in early June.  It will include an awe-inspiring collection of locomotive legends and record breakers, visiting steam locomotives and rolling stock and plenty of activity from the modern railway industry.

The Cotswolds Olimpicks

In June 1612, Robert Dover opened the first Cotswolds OLIMPICKS in my home town of Chipping Campden. Honouring the ancient Games of Greece, then as now the sports included singlestick, wrestling, jumping in sacks, dancing and of course, shin kicking. My 400th anniversary tour celebrates this landmark event alongside some typically English pastimes like visiting stately homes and gardens, taking in a performance at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and other nice touches. If you can’t make it to the summer OLYMPICS, why not use the June Cotswolds OLIMPICKS as the pretext for a thoroughly enjoyable Cotswolds and London tour.

Alice in Wonderland

For families travelling to the UK in late June/early July they’ll get a real kick out of the annual Alice’s Day.  Taking place in the university city of Oxford they will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first reading of Alice in Wonderland.  If your clients would like to spend a couple of days meeting the Queen of Hearts, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, The Mad Hatter and the Dormouse (if he bothers to wake up), this is something not to be missed.  If your client’s daughter has long golden tresses, suggest they buy her a blue dress so that she can join in the fun!

What the Dickens?

Talking of dressing up, how about taking part in one of the two annual Dickens Festivals?  They take place June and December in the cathedral city of Rochester and to avoid standing out like a sore thumb, you have to attend in costume.  2012 is a special year because we are celebrating Charles Dickens 200th anniversary and any itinerary has to include his birthplace in the waterfront city of Portsmouth.  While in this neck of the woods, you should also add Winchester and its close associations with Jane Austen and the nearby Highclere Castle, the location for the filming of Downton Abbey.

Frontstage Backstage

2012 is also a banner year for theatre lovers as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre masterminds the World Shakespeare Festival.  It starts on the Bard’s Birthday on 23rd April and runs through until November.  The lead time for a spring tour is too short but you could talk to the theatre fund-raiser about a customised London and Stratford tour for October or early November.

Calling all garden lovers

If gardens are your area of special interest, don’t forget that for just 4 days in May, you can offer your garden loving clients a tour that incorporates Floriade in Holland with the Chelsea Flower Show in London. You can do the same in early July by offering the Hampton Court Flower Show in tandem with Floriade. The next opportunity will come in May and July 2022.  Can you wait that long?

Medieval Mystery Plays

And finally, for those interested in Faith Tourism, the cathedral city of Gloucester will be staging their Mystery Plays in November 2012 with Chester doing the same in the spring of 2013.  Dating back to medieval times they were used to teach the Gospel to a largely illiterate populace. Come and see the Bible brought to life as part of a tour that’s filled with some of the many and varied special tours that are available in our ancient cathedrals.

And finally...