With the heat of the summer well and truly gone, autumn's the perfect time to explore the country's wealth of food festivals, comedy galas and exhibitions. From heaving music festivals in Cardiff to star-studded literary events in Birmingham, there's plenty going on in every corner of the country.
Taking over central Manchester for 12 days, visitors to Manchester Food and Drink Festival can choose between the likes of street food fairs, wine tasting and cake sales in Albert Square. Foodies should head straight to the beer festival serving over 100 different local beers, then amble over to the artisan farmers market and pop-up tiki shack. For budding chefs, there’s plenty of opportunity to get involved with a series of gastronomic master classes, with tips on everything from filleting a fish to plucking a pheasant.
Elsewhere in the city, a whisky festival, wine festival and a brand new spirit event will feature, while a selection of restaurants and cocktail bars put on an eclectic mix of dinner dances, wild food and foraged menus over the 12-day period.
Previously known as the Birmingham Book Festival, this highbrow literary event is a staple in the city’s calendar, celebrating everything from sci-fi to horror with author talks and writing workshops. Literary juggernauts Lionel Shriver, Germaine Greer and Benjamin Zephaniah will be on hand at a handful of the 40 events taking place, offering sage advice to aspiring writers.
Making use of some of the city’s most interesting venues, including Birmingham Cathedral, Ikon Gallery and the delightful new Library of Birmingham, the festival offers a rare opportunity for audiences to the meet voices behind the writing they love. Through commissions and bespoke projects, the boundaries between traditional and digital formats will be broken: look out for writers in situ, video interviews and more. A particular highlight is set to be the festival’s marking of National Poetry Day, featuring UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy.
For more information, go to: Birminghamliteraturefestival.org.
The annual Yorkshire comedy fest is in its ninth year, and bigger than ever with 90 shows spanning 30 days. Russell Brand, Sean Lock, Alistair McGowan and Phil Jupitus make up just some of the impressive names on the stellar lineup, who’ll be taking to the stage across the city centre. City Hall and The Lyceum will play host to the biggest gigs, along with the fantastic programme up at The Lescar and Greystones. Look out for the kids' comedy, too, which proved a huge success last year.
For more information, go to: Lastlaughcomedy.co.uk.
Having perfected their routines at Edinburgh Fringe, the cream of the UK comedy scene are heading to the seaside for a few weeks of belly laughs and banter. Alan Carr, Russell Kane, Jimmy Carr, Sara Pascoe and Ed Byrne will top the bill performing at a smattering of Brighton’s most impressive venues: Brighton Dome, Corn Exchange, Studio Theatre, Komedia & The Old Market. Always a sell-out, early booking is a must.
For more information, go to: Brightoncomedyfestival.com.
In a first for any parliament, October will see more than 40 works of Andy Warhol’s world-famous art on show in Edinburgh, at the home of the Scottish Parliament. And the good news is it's open to the public, for free.
Brought straight over from the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh by the Carnegie Trust UK, the exhibition will explore the role of power and politics in modern life, showcasing Warhol’s iconic portraits of the Queen, Vladimir Lenin, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter for the first time in Scotland.
The exhibition is the first of many events, as it kicks off a 16-week festival celebrating the legacy of Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who made his money in Pittsburgh.
Kicking off the oyster dredging season, this autumnal food festival brings together visitors and locals for a four-day celebration of excellent seafood. From daily cookery demonstrations to live music and, of course, lots of grub, it’s seaside living at its very best.
The annual Grand Opening Bash will once again take over Events Square with a performance by local schools, followed by an evening with comedian Johnny Cowling and the sounds of Falmouth Community Gospel Choir.
On Friday 11th October, ‘The Hot Chefs Challenge’ will see Art Williams from Cornish hot spot The Cove Restaurant battle against Nick Hodges from The Flying Fish, while cookery demonstrations from Rick Stein's Padstow Seafood school and his head chef Paul Harwood are sure to draw huge crowds on Saturday. Don’t miss the Laurent Perrier oyster shucking competition, an appearance from River Cottage's Andy Tyrell and the Falmouth Working Boat Race.
Great British Bake Off fans are set to flock to Glasgow come October, when an entire ‘village’ dedicated to the cult cooking programme will spring up at the BBC Good Food Show. Inside, learn how to perfect your baking skills with help from Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, and discover equipment and ingredients that’ll help you avoid any soggy bottoms.
Elsewhere, the Love Food Hate Waste team will be on hand to teach visitors how to make the most of the food they buy, waste less, save money and help the environment at the same time. The Scotland, Land of Food & Drink Regional Village will aim to highlight the diversity of the country’s natural larder, with tastings of interesting local products from Perthshire, East Lothian and the Highlands.
For more information, go to: BBCgoodfoodshowscotland.com.
Combining an extensive lineup of music, drama, theatre, talks, film, dance and comedy, Belfast’s Festival at Queen’s is a goldmine for fans of the contemporary arts. Opening this year’s event on 17th October is an international double-bill with the unveiling of Ireland’s largest land-art portrait, created by acclaimed Cuban-American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, followed by a performance by world renowned tenor José Carrerras at The Waterfront Hall.
From giant sculptures and a celebration of film noir to Belfast’s very own TED conference, the festival’s programme is heaving with world-class entertainment. The theatre programme is particularly strong, including the Northern Irish premiere of Beckett’s theatrical masterpiece Waiting for Godot and Rogers Bernat’s Irish premiere of political play Pending Vote – a show with no performers.
For more information, go to: Belfastfestival.com.
Organised by Radio 1's Huw Stevens, trend-bucking SWN Festival will see over 200 highly talented music artists play 17 venues around the city, most notably Mr. Scruff, Ghostpoet and Everything Everything. A concept dreamed up by the Welsh DJ after a revelatory trip to SXSW (the world’s largest music showcase held in Austin, Texas) the festival champions up-and-coming venues, promoters and thriving local bands.
Several new venues have been added to this year’s roster, including the beautiful Victorian architecture of The Angel Hotel, the acoustically stunning St John’s Church and Cardiff’s legendary antiques centre, Jacob’s Market.
See more information about SWN Festival.
Like our pick of things to do in October, but looking for of what's on this autumn? Why not head to one of our favourite autumn food festivals?