Longer Days, Snowdrops and Loads to Do
Between New Year's and Good Friday there is not a single Bank Holiday in the UK. People compensate by finding their own ways of having fun - and February is just crammed with festivals and special events.UK Climate Averages for February
A bit dryer and about twice as much sunshine as January - not to mention significantly longer days - make up for the fact that the temperature is about the same - still wintry and windy. Here are the 30 year averages, to 2000, from the UK Met Office to help you decide what to pack:England
- High - 44°F (6.9°C)
- Low - 34°F (1C)
- Average daily hours of sunshine - 2.41
- Average monthly rainfall - 2.36" (60.1mm)
- High - 41°F (5.2°C)
- Low - 32°F (-0.1°C)
- Average daily hours of sunshine - 2.075
- Average monthly rainfall - 4.86" (123.6mm)
- High - 44°F (6.6°C)
- Low - 34°F (1.1°C)
- Average daily hours of sunshine - 2.26
- Average monthly rainfall - 4.48" (114mm)
Daylight Hours
All over the UK, the hours between sunrise and sunset grow by about two hours. More time to spend sightseeing out of doors!February Highlights
It's Chinese New Year Dancing dragons, unicorns and lions, firecrackers and fireworks displays, martial arts demonstrations and all kinds of Chinese nibbles - Cities and towns all over the UK welcome the Chinese New Year. In 2008, The Year of the Rat, find events here:- Liverpool One of the oldest Chinese communities in Europe. Feb. 7 at the Chinese Arch on Nelson Street, from 11 a.m.
- Coventry Lower Precinct Coventry and Warwickshire Chinese Community Association host events between 10a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Feb.10
- Southhampton Civic Center Traditional Dian Jim ceremony at the civic center and parade from 12:30 to 3 p.m., Chinese Market at Bargate, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Feb. 10.
- Chatham, Kent A small town but a big party. The third largest Chinese festival in the UK. Feb 9 And Feb 12. Parades, drummers, dancers, lots more.
- Trafalgar Square, London Events kick off with a grand parade along the Strand, Charing Cross Road and Shaftsbury Avenue, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by Trafalgar Square festivities from noon to 6 p.m., Feb. 10.
Culture and Heritage
- Darwin Day and The Shrewsbury Darwin Festival Throughout February, Shrewsbury celebrates its famous native son with events, walks, lectures and workshops such as the Evolution Game and Monsters in Your Garden with a mini-beast safari. Toast the great man on Darwin Day, Feb. 12.
- Bath Literature Festival best novelists and poets from the UK and abroad. Annual event at the end of February (Feb. 23 to Mar. 2 2008)
- Jorvik Viking Festival Jorvik Viking Centre, York, England. Annual Viking celebration and the best way to get a hands-on experience of what it would have been like to be a Viking. Feb.13-17.
- Fort William Mountain Festival Winter mountaineering workshops, talks, events, photography, writing competition, mountain art and culture. Feb. 15-23.
- Cornish Hurling An ancient game now only played in St. Ives on Feast Monday (Feb. 4, 2008) and St. Columb Major on Shrove Tuesday (Feb. 5. 2008) . The mayor throws a silver ball from a town wall. It is passed in a rough and tumble scrum through the village and whoever has possession at noon receives a traditional reward of five shillings from the mayor.
- Annual Charity Pancake Tossing Race Broad Street, Reading, 12:30 p.m. Shrove Tuesday (Feb. 5, 2008).
- Olney Pancake Race , Market place, Olney, Buckinghamshire, Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 5 2008.
Sports
- Scottish National Badminton Championships Beginning of Feb. (in Perth in 2008)
- English Badminton Nationals Beginning of Feb. (Manchester in 2008)
- Scottish Point-to-Point Race Meetings Steeplechase racing by amateur riders over three miles on courses set on farmland. In 2008 - Kelso(Friarshaugh), Feb. 2; Crossford (Overton Racecourse), Feb. 14; Longtown (Netherby Park), Feb. 23.
- Paxton House Cross Country Run Club and individual runners, from 13 years up. Feb. 3, Berwick upon Tweed.
- Six Nations Rugby International Matches between England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy and France, through February and early March. UK events at Murrayfield, Edinburgh; Twickenham, London; and Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
- Ski Touring Surgery Courses National Outdoor Training Centre, Aviemore, Scotland, Feb.9-10.
Music and Performing Arts
- Cheltenham Folk Festival Traditional music, street artists, workshops, foodstalls. Annual event at town hall and other venues. Feb. 15-17, 2008.
- Glasgow Film Festival Feb. 14-24, 2008
- Leicester Comedy Festival UK's longest running comedy festival. Annual event. Feb. 8-17 2008
- Inverness Music Festival Competitive instrumental and vocal music event for all ages with gala concerts. Inverness, Scotland, Feb. 18 to Mar. 6.
- Abertawe Festival for Young Musicians Competitive and non competitive instrumental music festival at the Guildhall in Swansea and other venues. Jan.31 to Feb.5, 2008
- Bradford International Film Festival The National Media Museum, Bradford, Yorks., end of February to mid March.
- Showzam Blackpool's half-term festival of circus, magic and new variety. Feb. 8-24, 2008.
Food and Drink
- Bristol Slow Food Market, Corn Street, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bristol, First Sunday of the month.
- CAMRA Beer Festivals Tewksbury and Chesterfield kick off a month of beer festivals all over the UK. Check the Campaign for Real Ales website for all 13.
- Kingussie Food on Film Festival Film, food and music are all part of the party between Feb. 1-3 at Kingussie on the edge of the Cairngorms in Scotland.
- Rye Bay Scallop Festival The Sussex town celebrates its catch of the finest scallops in the UK. Feb. 15-24.
- Whisky Live The Royal Horticultural Halls, London, Feb. 29 to Mar. 1. Two days of tastings, tutorials, mixology master classes, experiments matching whisky with food.
- Dine Around Edinburgh Sample seasonal Scottish cuisine on discount, fixed price menus around Edinburgh, continues through the end of February.
