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.
Sharrow Lantern Carnival | 1st April |
Parade by local residents with lanterns made during the winter months. | Sheffield, Sth Yorkshire |
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Maundy Thursday | 5th April |
The Queen will hand out the ancient Maundy Money to worthy people. | York |
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British and World Marbles Championship | 6th April |
A revival of a marbles game that can be dated back to 1932 in the local pub. | Crawley, West Sussex |
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Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race | 6th April |
Hundreds of kayakers and canoeists travel along the canal to the Thames and then to Westminster | Along Kennet & Avon Canal |
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Britannia Coconutters Boundary to Boundary Dance | 7th April |
Famous moris dancing around the local area by "Blacked up" men. | Rochdale Lancashire |
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Bottle-kicking & hare pie scramble | 9th April |
Locals carry a large hare pie and the three small kegs to a local park where it is blessed, and then a rough game is played. | Hallaton, Leicestershire |
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World Coal Carrying Championship | 9th April |
A race that dates back to 1963 and since then, each year men and women race the streets of Gawthorpe carrying huge sacks of coal. | Wakefield, Yorks |
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Harness Horse Parade | 9th April |
Annual parade of horses, ponies and donkeys and their carriages. | Ardingly, West Sussex |
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Fritillary Sunday | 15th April |
The one day of the year, when a field growing The Snake’s Head Fritillary is open to the public. The church is open and a fair is set up. | Ducklington, Oxfordshire |
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Hocktide Celebrations | 17th April |
A medieval festival that still remains in Hungerford, with a parade around the town and the sitting of an ancient jury. | Hungerford, Berkshire |
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Folk Weekend Oxford | 20th-22nd April |
Concerts, ceilidhs, morris, craft fair, workshops, sessions, family events & much more. | Oxford, Oxfordshire |
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UK Coach Rally | 21st-22nd April |
Around 60 buses and coaches will parade around an 80-mile route on Saturday. Will be on display on Sunday. | Peterborough, Cambridgeshire |
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Anniversary of the Kinder Trespass | 24th April |
80th anniversary of an organised trespass on a forbidden summit of a Peak District National Park. | Peak District National Park |
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Camborne Trevithick Day | 28th April |
The streets of Camborne will come alive with a spectacular day of free Steam, entertainment and much more. | Cambrone, Cornwall |
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The Maldon Mud Race | 29th April |
Around 250 people run, as much as is possible, through the mud of the River Blackwater during its low tide. | Maldon, Essex |
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Beltane Fire Festival | 30th April |
Celebrate the start of the summer with this spectacular revival of the ancient Celtic fertility festival in the heart of the Scottish capital. | Edinburgh |
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