My now regular look ahead to events happening next month that would probably be in my events guide, if only they weren’t happening outside the psychological barrier of the M25 motorway.
| Padstow Obby Oss Day | 1st May |
| Ancient parade of two "hobby horses" in the town, which splits into two factions based on family lineage. | Padstow, Cornwall |
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| May Morning Choir at Oxford | 1st May |
| For over 500 years, the choir of Magdalen College climb to the top of a tall tower and sing at 6am to greet the rising sun. | Oxford, Oxfordshire |
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| Riding the Bounds | 1st May |
| Ancient ceremony where locals ride around the parish boundary to reassert their rights over the land. | Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland |
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| Abbey Hill Steam Rally | 4th-7th May |
| Large display of steam engines and road vehicles, as well as usual fun fair attractions. | Yeovil, Somerset |
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| Jack in the Green | 4th-7th May |
| Traditional May Day events with Morris Dancers recreating the Jack in the Green parade through the town centre. | Hastings, East Sussex |
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| World Pilot Gig Championships | 4th-7th May |
| Rowing boat races around the islands | Isles of Scilly |
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| Spalding Flower Parade | 5th May |
| Spectacular tulip-decorated flower floats on the theme of Food Glorious Food, marching bands, music, dance and all the fun of the Parade. | Spalding, Lincolnshire |
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| Downton Cuckoo Fair | 5th May |
| Over 250 craft and other stalls on the greens and in marquees – along with parades and May Day themed events | Downton, Wiltshire |
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| Loughborough Canal and Boat Festival | 5th-6th May |
| This free admission event boasts music, exhibits, all day entertainment, crafts, food, vintage vehicles, demonstrations and displays, boat trips, canalware. | Loughborough, Leics. |
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| Weymouth Beach Kite Festival | 5th-7th May |
| Weymouth’s famous golden sands will host a three day Festival of aerial acrobats and colour, giant sky sculptures, stunt kites and many more. | Weymouth, Dorset |
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| Rushden Cavalcade of Historical Transport & Country Show | 5th-7th May |
| The Rushden Cavalcade brings together over 1,000 different exhibit’s from all over country. | Rushden, Northants |
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| Llandudno Transport Festival | 5th-7th May |
| Held in conjunction with the Victorian Extravaganza, costume, vintage fairground and a host of attractions combine in a unique annual celebration of transport and entertainment heritage within the town. | Llandudno, Conway, Wales |
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| Rochester Sweeps Festival | 5th-7th May |
| More than 50 Morris dancing sides, free music in pubs and ars, fun children’s activities and Jack -in-the-Green. | Rochester, Kent |
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| Scarecrow Festival | 5th-7th May |
| Each year 45–50 scarecrows are made by families, groups and individuals in the village. This is the oldest such festival in the county. | Urchfont, Wiltshire. |
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| Abingdon Air & Country Show | 6th May |
| Air displays and acrobatics, along with ground show, classic vehicles and fair based entertainments. | Abingdon, Oxfordshire |
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| Festival of Wormcharming | 6th May |
| Contest where people try to charm earthworms out of the ground in an array of bizarre methods. | Blackawton, Devon |
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| Beltane at Thornborugh | 6th May |
| Each year, people gather at Thornborough Henge for the Celtic Festival of Beltane. A celebration of the arrival of Summer in the merry month of May. | Ripon, North Yorkshire |
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| Randwick Wap | 6th May |
| The WAP is a series of events during spring which culminates in a traditional procession and festival dating back to the Middle Ages. | Randwick, Gloucestershire |
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| Truckfest | 6th-7th May |
| 30th annual event with huge parade of road trucks and associated entertainments. | Peterborough, Cambridgeshire |
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| Stilton Cheese Rolling | 7th May |
| Teams compete in rolling Stilton cheeses down the main street. The event is also a village festival, and includes Maypole dancing, live music, ‘Molly’ dancing and other entertainment. | Stilton, Cambridgeshire |
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| Helston’s Flora Dance | 8th May |
| The whole town is decorated with flowers as parades, mumers plays and parades take place thoughout the town in a spring festival. | Helston, Cornwall |
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| East Allington Whacky Races | 12th May |
| The Whacky Races comprises a go-kart or soap-box style race through the village, with competitors racing time trial style for the uscombe Trophy. | East Allington, Devon |
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| Rehearsal for the Queen’s flypast | 15-16th May |
| It might be possible to see a large flypast heading north as a rehearsal for a flypast taking place over Windsor a few days later. | Anglesey, Wales |
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| Harwich Kichel Throwing | 17th May |
| The newly elected mayor of Harwich will stand at an open window of the council chamber in the town’s guildhall and will throw specially baked torpedo-shaped currant buns to the waiting crowd. | Harwich, Essex |
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| Mayor Weighing | 19th May |
| A tradition that can be dated back to 1678, the current Mayor is publicly weighed on their last day in office to check they haven’t got too fat on the public purse. | High Wycombe, Bucks |
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| Military flypast over Windsor Castle | 19th May |
| As part of the Jubilee Celebrations, a large military flypast of 85 planes will take place over Windsor Castle | Windsor, Berkshire |
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| The Scorton Arrow | 19th May |
| Once described as ‘The Daddy of all Sporting Fixtures’; The Antient Silver Arrow, is the World’s longest established and oldest recorded sporting event, dating back to 1673. | Harrogate, North Yorkshire |
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| Belvoir Castle Steam Festival | 19th-20th May |
| Large steam traction engine rally with fun fair, heavy horses and animal displays | Grantham, Lincs. |
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| Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival | 25th-27th May |
| During the Festival, Yarmouth’s harbour will be filled with more than 100 visiting traditional sailing, steam and motor vessels, including the cream of the Old Gaffers fleet. | Yarmouth, Norfolk |
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| Southend Air Festival | 26th-27th May |
| 75th annual air festival, with displays from modern and vintage aircraft, and usually the Red Arrows. | Southend, Essex |
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| Arbor Tree Festival | 27th May |
| Each year, a large tree is ceremonially decorated in memory of the 1786 wedding of a local squire. | Aston on Clun, South Shropshire |
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| World Custard Pie Championship | 28th May |
| Inspired by Charlie Chaplin, the World Custard Pie Championships have been held since 1967 in the village of Coxheath, Kent. | Coxheath, Kent |
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| Castleton Garland Day | 29th May |
| An ancient parade through the town with a garland – a beehive shaped head-dress, covered with wild flowers and greenery, which is worn by the May King over his head and shoulders. | Castleton, Derbyshire |
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