An area of rough moorland and woodland covering 185 acres, Beacon Fell Country Park is in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Designated a Country Park in 1969, it was the first in England to be recognised by the Countryside Agency. Leave the urban stresses of Preston behind and get back to nature.
Available :
Daily
Preston Grasshoppers RFC celebrates Guy Fawkes night with a blazing bonfire and a dramatic fireworks display set to music. Hot food and drinks are available to warm spectators inside and out.
Available :
Nov 2013 (annual)
The Preston Riversway Festival is a spectacular weekend of fun and entertainment in the town's Marina. Tall ships join the shanty singers, brass bands, morris dancers, a fairground and galleon battle re-enactments for a complete maritime experience.
Available :
Jul 2013 (annual)
Located beneath two stands of the oldest, continuously-used League ground in the world, the National Football Museum is aptly housed at Preston North End Football Club's Deepdale Stadium. While the first game at Deepdale was played in 1878, the National Football Museum - the world's first major football museum - is a relative newcomer to the "beautiful game," opening in June 2001, but it houses over 1000 exhibits at time (with a further 25,000 in storage).
Available :
Daily; not Mon
Trax's unique and dynamic 140-acre site on Preston's Ribble-side is the largest off-road facility in the UK. It boasts a variety of circuits that have been purpose-built for the activities of quad biking, motocross, karting, supermoto, rally driving, 4x4 driving and paintballing. First opened at the end of the 1990s, it has proved a big hit, with a proven track-record of adrenalin-pumping excitement.
Available :
Daily
One of Preston's many institutions that benefitted from the generosity of wealthy lawyer Edmund Robert Harris, the Harris Museum of Art Gallery is housed within the specially-built magnificent architecture of Preston's only Grade I listed neo-classical building, with its imposing columned frontage. Contained within is a standing exhibition about The Story of Preston, alongside permanent collections of paintings, sculpture, textiles, costume, glass and ceramics, as well as temporary exhibitions, events and activities.
Available :
Daily
One of the highlights of Preston's cultural calendar, the Preston Arts Festival features a jam-packed schedule of activities. Enjoy events from art, poetry and exhibitions to musical and street art performances and workshops held throughout the city.
Available :
Oct 2013 (annual)
Take a trip to the past, courtesy of the Museum of Lancashire, housed in Preston's Old Court House. Visitors can turn back the clock to the 1940s and walk down a reconstructed street, taking cover in an Anderson shelter from the falling bombs when the air-raid siren sounds. Or, further back still, experience trench life as a First World War soldier. For a quieter life, sit in a Victorian schoolroom and realise how much more entertaining learning can be in museums such as this.
Available :
Daily; not Thu or Sun
Every Tuesday and Thursday the Victorian open market site in Preston is transformed into one of the region's largest and most popular car boot and flea markets.
Available :
Tue and Thu only
The Preston Mela celebrates South Asian culture in all its forms at Avenham Park. Over 10,000 people enjoy the colourful celebrations, which include fashion shows, kite-making, henna painting, dance and music performances from top artists.
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Jun 2013 (annual)
The Egg Rolling held in Avenham Park is an Easter Monday tradition in Preston. Pace eggs - made of chocolate or hard-boiled and decorated with various colours - are rolled down the hill amidst great excitement.
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Apr 2013 (annual)
Laid out by Edward Milner during the 1860s, Avenham Park and the adjacent Miller Park are his best-surviving bequests to the city. A traditional picturesque Victorian park, Avenham is created from a natural amphitheatre overlooking the River Ribble and is a popular facility for outdoor pursuits.
Available :
Daily
When you get tired of the wildlife at the Pleasure Beach, Blackpool's award-winning zoo offers a whole range of alternatives including lions, tigers, elephants, gorillas, reptiles, exotic birds and even creepy crawlies.
Available :
Daily
Historic Lancaster Castle invites children of all ages to dress up in their spookiest costumes for special Halloween Tours of the grounds. Adults needn't feel left out - there are special tours for grown-ups later on too.
Available :
Oct 2013 (annual)
Leafy Stanley Park, away from the buzz of Blackpool's seafront, is an award-winning horticultural and wildlife centre with Italian Gardens and a boating lake. Kids can let off steam in the playground or play a game of pitch and putt.
Available :
Daily
England's favourite light show takes place every year along Blackpool's six-mile promenade. From humble beginnings featuring just eight arc lamps, the show now stages and presents colour, light and movement, even breathtaking displays using real fire and water.
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Aug - Nov 2013 (annual)
The annual British National Dance Championships take place at Blackpool's Winter Gardens. Expect sparks to fly as the expert Latin and ballroom dancers, resplendent in ruffles and slick-backed hair, battle it out.
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Nov 2013 (annual)
Each January, pigeon fanciers from across the country flock to Blackpool's Winter Gardens for the pigeon Show of the Year, hosted by the Royal Pigeon Racing Association. A gala evening follows the Saturday show and promises live entertainment.
Available :
Jan 2014 (annual)
With its stunning crystal domes, Blackpool's Winter Garden is a Victorian masterpiece. It is home to Europe's second largest theatre, an Opera House and the breath-taking Empress Ballroom.
Available :
Daily
Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, Blackpool's well-loved landmark towers over the pleasure beach. The tower incorporates family attractions including the famous Ballroom, a circus and an aquarium. Lifts whiz passengers to the Tower Top every five minutes for stunning panoramic views.
Available :
Daily
Dr Who fans will find themselves at home in this museum dedicated to the TV Time Lord. The exhibition features original props and costumes from the hit sci-fi series covering an incredible 40 years, which saw the Doctor save the world from destruction countless times.
Available :
Daily
Not to be mistaken as part of the Madame Tussauds group, Blackpool's own homage to human likeness in wax, Louis Tussaud's Waxworks, boasts 150 figures from politics, sport and royalty. Don't miss the ever-popular thriller, the Chamber of Horrors.
Available :
Daily
Enjoy the permanent heatwave at the Sandcastle Waterworld on Blackpool's Promenade. Whiz down the Thunder Falls water chutes and experience the giant Typhoon Lagoon at 29°C - a tropical climate all year round. It's even got palm trees!
Available :
Daily
Established in 1869, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has become one of Britain's top tourist attractions. More than seven million visitors every year flock to its restaurants, cafes, bars, themed shops and, most importantly, its huge range of rides and attractions.
Available :
Feb - Apr 2013; Weekends only (various dates)
The British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland is home to one of the country's most important heritage collections. Its unique display of historic commercial vehicles spans a century of truck and bus building.
Available :
Feb - Oct 2013; Weekdays only (annual)
Travel back to the Middle Ages at Camelot Theme Park in Lancashire. Along with the obligatory roller coasters, there's Merlin's magic show twice a day in the castle, Squire Bumpkin's farm and hair-raising jousting tournaments involving frighteningly realistic knights.
Available :
Mar - Sep 2013 (annual)
The Southport Flower Show offers four days of horticultural excellence in the tranquil surrounds of Victoria Park. Displays of fragrant blossoms in bloom, live music, craft and trade stands, family entertainment and garden competitions are all part of the fun.
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Aug 2013 (annual)
Southport's Jazz Festival is one of the biggest and best in the North West, boasting musicians from around the globe. Performances take place at venues ranging from theatres, bars and restaurants to bandstands and shopping arcades.
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May 2013 (annual)
One of the UK's longest-running music extravaganzas, the Southport Weekender attracts a 5000-capacity crowd to the Pontins Holiday Village in Southport, north-west England. Its return this year heralds another weekend packed with big-name DJs and 24-hour party people.
Available :
May 2013 (annual)
Wigan Athletic FC play their home matches at the DW Stadium. The Premier League runs between August and May and full fixture lists can be found on the club websites. Please note: games may be rearranged due to cup or television commitments.
Available :
18 Aug 2012 - 19 May 2013 (annual)
The locals of Biggar celebrate Hogmanay with an enormous bonfire in the middle of the High Street. The tradition apparently dates back to when fire was worshipped as a purification rite to ward off evil spirits for the New Year.
Available :
Dec 2013 (annual)
People travel to Ramsbottom from as far afield as Australia to compete in the Black Pudding Throwing Championships. Revisiting the old Yorkshire-Lancashire rivalry, competitors use black puddings to knock stacks of Yorkshire puddings off a shelf.
Available :
Sep 2013 (annual)
08457 76 76 76
