5 December 2007
From festive seasonal events to spectacular shopping and our refreshing countryside, England is a wonderful winter break destination this year.
From festive seasonal events to spectacular shopping and our refreshing countryside, England is a wonderful winter break destination this year. With the wealth of new and refurbished hotels such as Andaz Liverpool Street in London or the Grafton House in Durham, you’ll never have been so comfortable tucking in after your days of discovery either. Read on as Enjoy England hand-picks exciting events for your winter break. Visit www.enjoyengland.ie for a complete guide to accommodation, events and activities in England this winter.
Christmas Markets
With tradition hanging heavily in the air, England’s Christmas markets define the start of the winter season. Manchester’s magical Christmas Markets transform the city, ever-expanding with new attractions mixed with traditional to spread festive feelings throughout. You’ll find fine traditional markets of York and Bath, the popular and authentic Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham and the fantastically festive Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park set the stage for exciting ice rinks, Christmas carollers, mince pies and mulled wine and festive views of England’s most beautiful town centres, while the Bankside Frost Fair on London’s Southbank even has husky dog sledding this Christmas. Don’t miss Christmas markets like the Christkindelmarket in Leeds, and the Bristol Christmas Market.
Ice skating
Slip, slide, skate into the New Year on one of England’s spectacular ice skating rinks, from the plethora of London rinks – National History Museum, Somerset House and Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, to the centre of magnificent Manchester at On Ice at Piccadilly, the magical outdoor skating experience at Cornwall’s Eden Project, or bustling about at Birmingham’s Centenary Square Rink. You can skate to the sounds of lions roaring and birds singing at the Bristol Zoo Gardens and Chester Zoo Frost Fair, or at the Centre of Life in NewcastleGateshead, the North East’s biggest and most popular ice rink.
Shopping
Revel in retail heaven this winter from reduced luxury goods at the Bicester Village, to the busy Bullring in Birmingham, complete with its own Selfridges branch, plus chains and independent retailers aplenty. With over 30,000 shops and stores in London, this burgeoning fashion centre offers the grand Oxford Street, complete with all top international and British chain stores. Discover Covent Garden, where you’ll find luxury mixed with quirky, plus fresh and organic pleasures to keep your palate happy, too.
Festivals
This winter, festivals abound, with London’s Spitalfields concerts (12-21 December) in restored Christ Church and NewcastleGateshead Winter Festival’s traditional seasonal markets and outdoor ice rink, combined with the extraordinary Glow – a brilliant array of world class light installations.
This winter promises to be a tasty one, with festivals like Taste Southeast Cornwall (November/December), Tastes of Anglia (throughout Winter) the Cambridge Winter Ale Festival (24-26 January) and Feast East (6 March). In Lancashire you’ll even findThe Year of Food and Drink ’08,taking place in partnership with Liverpool’s 2008 European Capital of Culture Celebrations, which gets underway on 11-13 January with festive opening ceremony events. InCumbriait’s the Year of Adventure2008, and the Via Ferrata, an adventure climbing system safe enough for all skill levels, has arrived from the Alps to the Lake District.
Winter walks
Englandis excellent walking country, so get out and walk off that added winter weight on one of hundreds of walks throughout England. From a six-mile Bath Skyline Walk to a wander through the picturesque Oxford countryside or a tour through the Durham Cathedral, Castle and Riverside stroll, there are wonderful wintertime walks wherever you go in England.
Visit www.enjoyengland.ie for information on what’s on this winter.
For further press information on Enjoy England please contact:
Tess Sullivan/Jessica Ainlay
VisitBritain Press Office
Tel: 00 44 (0) 20 8563 3351/3207 Email: tess.sullivan@visitbritain.org / jessica.ainlay@visitbritain.org
Notes to editors:
· VisitBritain is responsible for marketing Britain worldwide and for developing England’s visitor economy. Enjoy England builds the value of tourism in England by working in partnership to develop and promote the destination. For more information, visit www.visitbritain.com/corporate.
· VisitBritain produces a monthly electronic newsletter for UK and Irish media entitled AngloFILE. To register for, or to view previous editions go to www.enjoyengland.com/presscentre
· Enjoy England is currently promoting an City Breaks campaign in Ireland www.enjoyengland.ie/cities