Unusual events to get on your calendar
Enjoy a memorable 2026 by filling your staycation calendar with some unusual events around the UK and next to Best Western hotels.
Published: Thursday, 20 November 2025
Enjoy a memorable 2026 by filling your staycation calendar with some unusual events around the UK and next to Best Western hotels.
Published: Thursday, 20 November 2025
The UK is home to some unusual traditions and out of the ordinary events. Why not take part or just soak up the atmosphere at some of these memorable occasions. You'll have some bragging rights and some interesting photos to post on your socials.
If you want to get away and experience something a bit different you've got lots to choose from all over the UK and throughout the year. We've put together a quirky mix of indoors, outdoors, cultural, energetic and back to nature events. Hopefully there will be something that takes your fancy.
The 48th Bristol Balloon Fiesta is set to run from Friday 7th – Sunday 9th August 2026 at the Ashton Court Estate, Bristol. If you want to be in one of the balloons taking off during the festival, you'll need to book early as spaces sell out quickly. Even if you don't want to take to the skies, just watching one of the mass ascents is a stunning spectacle as the craft rise skywards. Plus, there's entertainment like inflation races and stunt displays. There's also usually a Nightglow, where tethered hot air balloons inflate and light up in sequence to music.
The only proviso, of course, is that it is that weather dependent – as it has to be safe for the balloons to take off.
Best Western Henbury Lodge Hotel has a country house hotel vibe but is on the fringes of the city giving you the best of both worlds. The hotel even has a resident King Charles Spaniel.
While you are in Bristol you could admire the views from the Clifton Suspension Bridge – as long as you don't suffer from vertigo. You could take photos of the colourful neighbourhood of Cliftonwood where almost every house is painted a different colour. Beer lovers can take a tour of the Bristol Beer Factory – the ticket includes a pint or two. If you've got children or are just fascinated by science, then a trip to We The Curious is in order. It has a planetarium, a food zone, and an area to discover the magic of animation in collaboration with Aardman Animations. Or try Wake the Tiger – the UK's largest immersive art experience.
Blakeney Point in Norfolk is home to England's largest colony of common and grey seals. And thousands of grey seals can also be found between Horsey and Winterton between November and January as they come on shore to give birth. It's a wonderful sight to see these amazing creatures who can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes. You can experience your very own David Attenborough moment observing them in the wild. Boat trips are also available to see seals on the north Norfolk coast. You can see seals most of the year round but they can be harder to find at certain times.
Stay in Norwich to give you easy access to both the east and northern coast of Norfolk. You'll also have all the advantages of a city stay with a wide choice of restaurants and other things to do. Try the Best Western Annesley House Hotel or the picturesque George Hotel BW Signature Collection by Best Western.
Norwich Castle now a museum and art gallery, Norwich Cathedral, the City Hall, and St James Mill plus the Sainsbury Centre gallery at the University of East Anglia. There's also the Norfolk Broads and attractive seaside villages and possibly the chance to watch the Canaries – Norwich City FC – play.
Revel in watching individuals, teams, and juniors show off their strength and fitness, by racing up and down the 1 in 4 gradient of Gumstool Hill in Tetbury, carrying a sack of wool weighing up to 60lbs. It's usually run on the second bank holiday in May. There's street food, a market including craft stalls and an entertainment area.
Try the picturesque Best Western Compass Inn Hotel just a few miles from Tetbury. It stands in 6 acres of beautiful grounds, so you can relax before and after watching the racing. It's a good place to explore the Cotswolds or to venture 9 miles to vibrant Bristol.
The Cotswolds is a favourite destination for good reason. See the mosaics at Chedworth Roman Villa, or explore a country house with glorious views which started life as a tudor hunting lodge – Newark Park. Also, close is Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is home to 2,500 different types of tree and shrub from the far corners of the globe and 5 national tree collections.
In February usually during half term week the Jorvik Viking Festival returns. Marches and torchlit processions by costumed Vikings and reenactments plunge you into the Viking world. Battles, fire and boats add to the authenticity.
York Pavilion Hotel, Sure hotel collection by Best Western, offers peace and tranquillity just a mile outside of the centre. A brisk walk along the river will take you into the city centre. The hotel itself is a Georgian Grade II-listed country house, with spectacular landscaped gardens, lawns and a courtyard fit for a fairy tale.
York is well known for its Minster replete with stunning stained glass, the National Railway Museum, the Cold War Bunker and the Castle Museum. And if that isn't enough, there's Yorks Chocolate Story with a replica of Rowntree's shop front. Garden lovers can visit the five-acre Goddards garden – the grounds of the home of the Terry family – part of the city's chocolate heritage and now looked after by the National Trust. Unfortunately the house is not open to the public.
Fancy getting filthy for charity? You're one of 500 people racing to complete a 400-metre dash across the bed of the River Blackwater. The Maldon Mud Race takes place at low tide when the water is low enough to allow participants to run safely through the water to the opposite bank and back again. Getting thoroughly filthy in the process. There's also a Duck Race, fancy dress competition for competitors and stalls. It's also fun watching if you don't fancy the mud.
Ivy Hill Hotel, Sure Hotel Collection by Best Western is about 12 miles away. A lovingly converted Victorian House, set in nine acres of beautifully matured gardens it's the perfect place to relax.
Garden lovers can enjoy RHS Garden Hyde Hall – a 365-acre site. It's known for its dry garden, inspiring garden lovers to adapt to climate change. But there are roses and herbaceous borders too. You could also visit the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall in Bradwell on Sea. This ancient Saxon chapel is the oldest church in England built by St Cedd in 654AD.
