Boat Race (February)
The annual rowing contest between the ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge, held over the four-and-a-half-mile stretch of the Thames between Mortlake and Putney.

Chelsea Flower Show (May)
An annual array of colour and inventiveness by growers from across the country, organised by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Brighton Festival (May 6th-28th)
This is one of the most important festivals held in Britain each year after the Edinburgh festival.

LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) (June-July)
Theatre companies from across the globe perform new and traditional works in venues across London.

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (June-August)
The annual exhibition of paintings, sculptures, drawings and architectural models b many of Britain's leading artists, held at Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly.

Swan Upping (July)
In the third week of July each year all the cygnets between London Bridge and Henley are rounded up and marked, to show whether they belong to one of two City companies, the Vintner and Dyers, or to HM The Queen. This event has been taking place since medieval times.

The Proms (July-September)
London's great music festival, organised and broadcast annually by the BBC from the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, featuring a mainly classical repertoire of establishes, experimental and specially commissioned works, but also occasionally including works from other traditions.

Notting Hill Carnival (last weekend in August)
Rooted in West Indian Culture, this weekend of entertainments is the largest street carnival in Europe.

Tattoo Spectacular (August-September)
The Edinburgh military tatoo takes place every August and September, and is known the throughout the world. For 90 minutes on five or six nights a week, 600 people perform under floodlight. They are surrounded on three sides by an audience of 9,000. On the fourth side is the castle itself which provides an exciting setting for the evening's performance of military music, marching and other spectacular display.

The name tattoo has an interesting origin. Traditionally soldiers were told to return to the living-quarters each night by a beat of the drum which sounded like 'tat-too'. After this time the pubs would serve them no more whisky.On the final night of the display the sky is filled with the bright colour of exploding fireworks.

Edinburgh Festival (August-September)
At the same time as the tattoo, you can go to the famous Edinburgh Festival. Since it started in 1947, the festival has had the aim of bringing to Scotland's capital the finest performers and productions from all over the world.