Britain is a nation that loves a good celebration. While many people know about Glastonbury or Notting Hill Carnival, the UK is also home to a wonderfully eccentric collection of lesser-known festivals that showcase the country’s love of tradition, community, and the slightly absurd. From chasing cheese down impossibly steep hills to snorkelling through muddy bogs, these unique British festivals are rooted in centuries of history, local pride, and a distinctly British refusal to let common sense get in the way of a good time.
Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake — Gloucestershire, England
What Is It?
Every Spring Bank Holiday (late May), thousands of spectators gather at Cooper’s Hill near Brockworth in Gloucestershire to watch fearless competitors hurl themselves down a near-vertical hillside in pursuit of a nine-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. The hill has a gradient of roughly 1:2, making it almost impossible to stay on your feet. Tumbles, somersaults, and spectacular wipeouts are all part of the spectacle.
Origins
The first written evidence of cheese rolling at Cooper’s Hill appears in a message to the Gloucester town crier in 1826, but even then it was described as an old tradition. Many historians believe the event is at least 600 years old. There are two main theories about its origins. The first suggests it evolved from a requirement to maintain grazing rights on the common — indeed, on occasions when the race has been canceled, a cheese has still been rolled down the hill to preserve those rights. The second theory points to pagan origins, where rolling burning objects down a hill may have symbolized the birth of the new year after winter.
What to Expect
The event features several downhill races for both men and women, as well as an uphill race for children. Competitors come from around the world — past winners have hailed from Australia, Japan, the United States, and beyond. First aid teams are always on standby, as injuries are common. The winner of each race takes home the cheese.
The event was officially canceled in 2010 due to safety concerns, but locals simply carried on regardless.
World Bog Snorkelling Championships — Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales
What Is It?
Each August, competitors in snorkels, diving masks, and flippers descend upon the Waen Rhydd peat bog near Llanwrtyd Wells in Powys, Wales, to complete two lengths of a 60-yard water-filled trench cut through a murky peat bog. The catch? Conventional swimming strokes are banned — you must rely entirely on flipper power.
Origins
The idea for bog snorkelling was first conceived in 1976 over a pint at the local pub — as many great British ideas are. The formal championship was established in 1985 and has been held every August since, barring cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The event was created partly to bring tourism to Llanwrtyd Wells, a small town that had lost much of its visitor trade after its heyday as a spa town in the Victorian era.
Records and Achievements
The men’s world record stands at 1 minute 12.34 seconds, set by Neil Rutter, while the women’s record is 1 minute 22.56 seconds, set by Kirsty Johnson in 2014. Lonely Planet named the championship one of the top 50 “must-do” experiences in the world in 2014.
What to Expect
The event attracts around 150 competitors from countries including Australia, Germany, France, the USA, and Japan. In addition to the main championship, there is also a Bog Snorkelling Triathlon (featuring a run, cycle, and bog snorkel) and even Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling. Fancy dress is encouraged, and the atmosphere is joyfully chaotic. Proceeds go to a local charity each year.
Up Helly Aa — Lerwick, Shetland
What Is It?
Up Helly Aa is a spectacular fire festival held annually on the last Tuesday of January in Lerwick, the capital of Shetland. Up to a thousand costumed participants (known as “guizers”) march through the streets in a torchlit procession, culminating in the ceremonial burning of a full-size replica Viking longship. The night continues with music, dancing, and celebrations in halls across the town.
Origins
Despite its Viking themes, Up Helly Aa is not an ancient Norse tradition but a Victorian invention. Its roots lie in the 19th-century practice of “tar-barrelling,” in which young men rolled burning barrels of tar through the narrow streets of Lerwick. This dangerous custom was banned in 1874 after causing damage and injuries.
Around 1870, a group of intellectually minded young men began to reshape the celebrations, introducing the name “Up Helly Aa” (roughly meaning “end of the holy days” in Old Norse), moving the event to late January, and incorporating elaborate disguises known as “guizing.” The first torch procession took place in 1881, and Viking themes were introduced in the late 1880s. The role of the “Guizer Jarl” — the chief guizer who leads the procession — was not established until 1906.
Shetland’s deep Scandinavian heritage made the Viking framework a natural choice — the islands belonged to Norway for centuries, and Norse cultural memory persists in place names and folklore.
What to Expect
The modern festival involves months of preparation. The Guizer Jarl and his squad spend the year crafting their Viking costumes and building the galley. On the night itself, the torchlit procession winds through Lerwick’s streets before the galley is set ablaze on the seafront. Celebrations continue until dawn in halls throughout the town, featuring traditional music, comedy sketches, and dancing.
Since 2023, restrictions on women participating in the Lerwick festival squads have been removed, and in 2024, women participated in the Jarl Squad for the first time.
Burning the Clocks — Brighton, England
What Is It?
Burning the Clocks is Brighton’s answer to the winter solstice, held each year on December 21st. A procession of around 2,000 participants carrying handmade paper and willow lanterns winds through the city streets before arriving at the beach, where the lanterns are placed onto a large bonfire. The event concludes with fire performances and a fireworks display over the sea.
Origins
The festival was first held in 1994, created by Same Sky, the largest community arts charity in the South East of England. It was conceived as a non-commercial alternative to Christmas celebrations — a way of marking the shortest day of the year through community creativity and participation rather than consumerism. The Same Sky organization describes the event as about sharing thoughts and wishes in a format that can be enjoyed by people of all faiths and backgrounds.
The Lanterns
Participants build their lanterns from willow canes and white tissue paper in workshops held throughout December. Makers are encouraged to build their hopes, wishes, and reflections on the passing year into their creations. Over the decades, the lanterns have evolved from simple designs into elaborate sculptures of dragons, mythical creatures, and fantastical figures. All materials used are biodegradable, reflecting the festival’s environmental ethos.
What to Expect
The procession attracts over 20,000 spectators and is accompanied by local bands, creating a carnival atmosphere. The moment when the lanterns are placed onto the beach bonfire — symbolically letting go of the past and welcoming the future — is the emotional climax of the evening. The event is free to attend, making it accessible to the whole community.
Lewes Bonfire Night — East Sussex, England
What Is It?
While the rest of England marks November 5th with a bonfire and some fireworks, the town of Lewes in East Sussex takes things to an entirely different level. Up to 80,000 people descend on this small Sussex town for what is widely considered the largest and most elaborate Guy Fawkes Night celebration in the country, featuring multiple torchlit processions, elaborate costumes, enormous bonfires, and spectacular fireworks displays.
Origins
Lewes’s intense bonfire traditions have roots in both the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and the town’s own history of religious persecution. Between 1555 and 1557, seventeen Protestant martyrs were burned at the stake in the town during the Marian persecutions. The memory of these martyrs remains central to the celebrations.
The bonfire tradition gained renewed vigor after the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829 and the restoration of Catholic bishops in England in 1850, which provoked an enormous public backlash. The first formal bonfire societies — Cliffe and Lewes Borough — were founded in 1853, and most of the other societies followed later in the century. Today, Lewes has seven bonfire societies, each with its own territory, traditions, and fire site.
What to Expect
On November 5th, each society processes through its own area before the groups converge for a joint parade through the town center. The marchers wear historical costumes, carry flaming torches, and roll burning tar barrels through the streets. The processions pause at the town’s war memorial, where 17 flaming crosses are raised in memory of the martyrs. Each society then marches to its own fire site on the outskirts of town, where enormous bonfires are lit and effigies of contemporary figures are burned, accompanied by fireworks displays.
The atmosphere is intense, exhilarating, and not for the faint-hearted. The tradition reflects what has been called a Sussex culture of radicalism and anti-authoritarianism.
Jack in the Green — Hastings, East Sussex
What Is It?
Every May Bank Holiday Monday, the streets of Hastings Old Town come alive with a riot of green as the Jack in the Green festival celebrates the arrival of summer. A towering figure covered entirely in greenery — the “Jack” — processes through the town accompanied by musicians, Morris dancers, drummers, and attendants known as “Bogies,” who are disguised in green rags, vegetation, and face paint. The procession ends on the West Hill, where Jack is ceremonially “slain” to release the spirit of summer.
Origins
The custom has its roots in English May Day celebrations of the 17th and 18th centuries. Various guilds competed to create elaborate garlands to welcome summer. By the 18th century, chimney sweeps’ garlands had grown so large they completely covered the wearer, creating the distinctive walking tower of greenery known as Jack in the Green. The first written reference appears in 1770, describing a London May Day procession.
The tradition declined in the late 19th century as chimney sweep numbers fell and Victorian sensibilities frowned upon the revelry. By the 1900s, the custom had completely died out.
Revival
The Jack in the Green was revived in Whitstable, Kent in 1976, with Rochester following in 1980 and Hastings in 1983. The Hastings revival was led by local teacher Keith Leech and the Mad Jacks Morris Dancers, and the festival has since grown into one of the largest gatherings of Morris dancers in the country.
The Green Man Connection
Jack in the Green is often linked to the ancient figure of the Green Man, whose foliage-covered face appears carved in wood and stone in medieval churches and cathedrals across Britain. However, folklorists debate whether there is a genuine historical connection or whether the association is a more recent invention. Regardless, the festival powerfully evokes the spirit of renewal and the joy of summer’s arrival.
Why These Festivals Matter
These unique celebrations reveal something essential about British culture: a deep attachment to local tradition, a love of community participation, and an enduring sense of humor that delights in the eccentric and the absurd. Whether rooted in medieval custom, Victorian invention, or 1970s revival, each of these festivals brings its community together in a shared act of celebration that connects the present to the past.
From the fire-lit streets of Lerwick to the muddy trenches of Llanwrtyd Wells, these festivals offer visitors an authentic glimpse into the heart of British life. If you are planning a trip to the UK, consider timing your visit to coincide with one of these remarkable events. Just remember: if you are chasing cheese down Cooper’s Hill, do not expect to stay on your feet.
