Have a high old time in glorious July
JULY is the pinnacle of summer and to help you make the most of it, KATIE ROWE has rounded up a selection of fantastic festivals taking place around England.
POMMERY DORSET SEAFOOD FESTIVAL
HERE’S your chance to soak up sea views while slurping oysters and champagne in glorious Dorset.
The Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival offers a heady combination of fine wine, fabulous seafood, family entertainment and food stalls on Weymouth’s pretty-as-a-picture harbour on July 9 and 10.
You’ll also get the chance to watch celebrity chefs in action and to bid at fresh-fish auctions. More than 80 stalls will be stacked with tempting local produce, including seafood dishes such as paella, saffron-infused crab bisque and swordfish kebabs.
SUNDERLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW
PACK a picnic, head to the beach and enjoy a dazzling display of aerial acrobatics from July 22 to 24.
Sunderland International Airshow is Europe’s largest free air display, showcasing everything from deathdefying wing-walkers and classic fighter battle re-enactments to synchronised aerobatic stunts by the RAF’s Red Arrows.
Join the crowds along the wide-open coastline at Seaburn and Roker to catch a glimpse of a majestic Second World War Spitfire or Hurricane.
There’s also plenty to enjoy at ground level, including a fair, flight simulators, dog shows and a range of family-friendly attractions such as trampolines, zorbing and zip wires.
THE RHS FLOWER SHOW, TATTON PARK, CHESHIRE
JOIN Northern England’s greatest garden party from July 20 to 24. Get inspiration, see live bands perform among the flowers and pick up something special from the floral marquees.
Be sure to visit all four zones: Grow, Feast, Inspire and Escape, each with its own special atmosphere, and then lose yourself in the spectacular show gardens. Look out for the huge BFG sculpture, created especially to celebrate the big-screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s story.
The show will be swarming with greenfingered experts, including Monty Don and Carol Klein, so make sure you pick up some top tips at one of their talks. Then enjoy a bite to eat at the Tatton Deli, or try a little wine-tasting at the pop-up vineyard.
SIDMOUTH FOLK WEEK, DEVON
CELEBRATE the rich seafaring heritage of Sidmouth with a week-long programme of folk music, ceilidhs, storytelling and clog-dancing along Devon’s Jurassic Coast. This charming seaside festival sees flute and accordion-armed locals parade the streets as a party atmosphere envelops the entire town.
More than 700 multinational music and dance events will be held between July 29 and August 5 at venues ranging from the beach to local pubs.