The 16 best new things to do in the UK in 2026

It’s been almost a millennium since the Bayeux Tapestry, a medieval masterpiece depicting the Battle of Hastings, has been on display in the UK. In 2026, the 70-metre-long tapestry showing how William the Conqueror took the English throne will go on display at the British Museum. Telling the story of the 1066 battle between the Normans and Anglo-Saxons, most famously the Bayeux Tapestry depicts the moment an arrow hit King Harold II right in the eye. The artwork has resided in its current museum in Bayeux, northern France since 1983, however most historians agree that it was embroidered in Canterbury. Britain has tried to borrow it three times in the past century – in 1931, 1953 and 1966 – but none of the requests were approved. It’s a huge deal that Brits will finally be able to cast their eyes over what the director of the British Museum called ‘one of the most important and unique cultural artefacts in the world’.

Where: The British Museum, London, WC1B 3DG

When: September 2026 until July 2027

Read why Hastings is one of the best places to visit in the UK in 2026.

In 2026, finally, the King Charles III Coastal Path will be finished. The trail, which has been in the works since 2009, will follow the entire coastline of England. When complete – many sections have already been finished, only the finishing touches remain – it’ll span 2,674 miles (4,303 km) of cliffs, beaches, cities, national parks and more, and be the longest managed coastal trail in the entire world. More than just a few signposts, the King Charles III Coastal Path will link up legendary seaside spots with stretches of coast that have never before been properly accessible. The English coastline is a thing of flat-out beauty, nostalgic charm and rugged power; in 2026 it’ll be more visitable than ever.

Where: England

When: Spring

🏖️ The best seaside towns in the UK.

Make the land of castles and dragons your oyster with the Explore Wales Pass in 2026. The ticket gives holders unlimited train travel on four days within an eight-day period (£149 for adults and £74.50 for kids with discounts for railcard owners). Handily, it also allows you unlimited bus trips across all eight days. There are endless ways to organise your itinerary and far more things to do in Cymru than you can fit in a week, but you could start things off by sightseeing and munching your way through Cardiff, then heading to Hereford railway station from which you can catch a bus to the world famous book town Hay-on-Wye. From there, you could hop on another train to spend a while Time Out’s second most underrated destination in Europe Machynlleth, then head for the Pwhelli to access the gorgeous Llŷn Peninsula and trek the recently launched Seafood Trail, gorging on fresh fish at some of the region’s best eateries.

Where: Wales

When: Year-round

✅ The 18 most bucket-list-worthy things to do in Wales.

Since it was founded in 1826, Edinburgh’s Royal Scottish Academy has been a defiant champion of Scottish art and architecture. In 2026 the institution will celebrate its 200th year by doing what it does best: bringing together Scotland’s greatest museums and galleries for a mighty feast of contemporary Scottish art. Festivities will last all year, and while the centrepiece is the Annual Exhibition, my pick of the bunch is ‘200 Years’. Promising to ‘celebrate the rich history of Scottish art in all its forms over the last two centuries’, expect The Mound gallery’s neoclassical halls will be populated by paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints by the last two centuries’ foremost Scottish artists.

Where: Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, EH2 2EL

When: October 17-November 15 2026

🎨 The 19 biggest and best exhibitions in the world worth travelling for in 2026.

The Greatest Showman is a rare phenomenon: a massively successful screen musical – freakishly beloved by Gen Z – that feels like it was adapted from a stage musical but actually wasn’t. The eagerness to get it on stage has been palpable: Barnum (the other musical about legendary circus impresario PT Barnum) has been copiously revived since the film came out, and Come Alive! – an unofficial but tolerated ‘circus spectacular’ based on the movie – has been running in west London since 2024. 2026 will see the long-awaited debut of Disney’s official stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman: featuring all the songs from the film plus new ones from original songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, it’s directed by steady hand Casey Nicholaw (Hercules, The Book of Mormon). Clearly the goal is for it to head to the West End and Broadway, but a musical of this scale always gets an out-of-town try-out first. The town for The Greatest Showman is Bristol, where a cast headed by Oliver Tompsett and Samantha Barks will take the Hippodrome by storm.

Where: Bristol Hippodrome, BS1 4UZ

When: Mar 15-May 10 2026

🎭 Must-see London theatre shows in 2026.

Don’t worry, not the Colosseum kind of gladiator. You’ll find no spears or snarling lions here, only a chance to find out once and for all if you would’ve actually done better than the competitors on the iconic TV show, which first aired in the 1990s and recently returned to primetime telly. The Birmingham NEC’s Gladiators Experience will be the first time ever that regular folks will get to give the show’s obstacles a try, with the venue transformed into an arena complete with legendary challenges including Hang Tough, the Wall, and of course, Eliminator. If you’re not a wannabe warrior yourself, watching on as your overconfident uncle falls on his face will be just as fun as competing. Alternatively, you can enjoy the behind-the-scenes content available in the Vault, which promises exclusive insights into how the show is made. Tickets available here.

Where: The NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT

When: May 2-August 31 2026

There is no greater celebration of Irish music in the world than the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (or All-Ireland Fleadh), an annual event which sees hundreds of thousands of musicians and fans revel in the breadth of the island’s song and dance. And yet, in the festival’s 73 previous editions, only once has it been held in Northern Ireland. Thirteen years since that momentous event in Derry in 2013, the Fleadh Cheoil will come to Belfast for the first time ever in 2026. Competitions, pageants, street sessions and Irish language events will take over the city – and with a whopping 700,000 people expected to turn up, it’s for far more than just trad devotees.

Where: Belfast

When: August 2-9 2026

🚢 The best things to do in Belfast.

Caerphilly Castle finally reopened to the public after two years of closure in 2025. The largest castle in Wales was closed for a mega £8 million renovation until last July, but it came back with a bang. Cadw (Wales’ answer to the National Trust) brought in stonemasons, archaeologists and conservation experts to restore the great 13th-century fortress. The jewel in the newly reno-ed castle’s crown is probably the Great Hall. Not only has the medieval dining room been restored to its former glory, but it’s had digital enhancements added that will transport visitors right back to the gluttonous royal feasts of the 1320s. Caerphilly has also introduced new interactive exhibits spilling the castle’s juiciest secrets. Think: power grabs, betrayals, messy medieval drama, and a nod to the fabulously rich Fourth Marquis of Bute who gave the castle a major makeover in the 1920s. 

Where: Caerphilly Castle, Castle Street, Caerphilly, CF83 1JD

When: Open now

A certain big-ticket UK music festival may be taking a fallow year in 2026, but worry not, musos – another legendary event is returning to take its place. After a year off, WOMAD (that is, World of Music, Arts and Dance) will make a grand comeback in July in a brand-new venue. The event is staying in Wiltshire but will hop 20-odd miles south from Charlton Park to Neston Park in Corsham. While Neston has never previously hosted a public event anything like a music festival, WOMAD co-founder (and music legend) Peter Gabriel described the new site as ‘a warm and welcoming home’. WOMAD is renowned for the vast breadth of its offering – few events so thoroughly commit to transcending styles, genres and borders. If you’re a musical explorer, there’s nowhere else like it.

Where: Neston Park, Wiltshire

When: July 23-26 2026

🎸 The best music festivals in the UK.

Forget about waiting for Britain’s incoming Universal attraction, because in 2026 a time-travelling historical theme park is opening in the north of England. Kynren – The Storied Lands will be the UK’s first live-action historical park, making it perfect for history buffs, immersive theatre nuts and LARPers. There won’t be hair-raising rides or rollercoasters: instead the park will be packed full of live shows, immersive experiences, musicians and stunt performers, with stories spanning eras including Neolithic Britain, the Vikings and Victorian England. Planning permission was approved to build the huge park, which will include a 3,600-seat arena, in April 2025, with the park expected to be complete by summer 2026. One for the twitchers too, the oval-shaped arena will be designed to resemble an enormous bird’s nest. It will host ‘The Lost Feather’ bird show, which will be performed with a whopping 300 live feathered friends.

Where: Kynren: The Storied Lands, Kynren, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7SF

When: Summer 2026

🎢 The best theme parks in the UK.

The very first edition of Wales’ National Eisteddfod took place in 1176 when Lord Rhys of Deheubarth summoned bards and minstrels from across the nation to compete against one another at Cardigan Castle. Fast forward 850 years, and that ceremony has grown into an enormous week-long spectacle of Welsh food, drink, music, art, language and culture. Landing in Pembrokeshire for the first time in more than two decades, this year’s Eisteddfod will host literature recitals, dance performances, poetry competitions and over 60 of the country’s best artists and bands across 20 different stages. For the younger crowd, there’s Maes B, the ‘mischievous little brother of the Eisteddfod’, which hosts gigs from emerging Welsh musicians and DJs into the early hours of the morning. Don’t be put off if your Welsh is spotty or non-existent, there’ll be live translation available throughout the festival.

Where: Llantwd, North Pembrokeshire

When: August 1-8 2026

When the Australian state of Victoria bowed out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow volunteered to take the reins. The last time the city hosted the competition, it was the largest multi-sport and cultural event Scotland had ever hosted. Things are slightly more stripped back this time around, with just 10 sports on the programme. Still, roughly 3,000 athletes from 74 countries and territories will land on Scottish soil to compete in netball matches, wheelchair basketball games, the 400m hurdles, the 200m breaststroke and much more. And, unlike the Olympics, the four nations of the UK compete separately. Tickets for the Commonwealth Games 2026 start from just £13 for non-medal sessions and £26 for medal events. There’ll also be a colourful festival of sport, culture and community throughout the city building up hype in the lead up to the games, but the programme for that is still to be announced.

When: July 23-August 2

Where: Glasgow

🏛️ The best things to do in Glasgow.

In July, all eyes will be on one of the UK’s most culture-packed cities as 70,000 music lovers descend on Leeds for the first ever edition of Roundhay Festival. One of the biggest city parks in Europe, Roundhay is no stranger to hosting huge gigs, with the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones gracing its grounds in years gone by. And the event’s first year headliners live up to that heady past, including megastars Lewis Capaldi and (bald caps at the ready, please) Mr Worldwide himself Pitbull, with special guest Kesha. Created by the brains behind London’s BST Hyde Park and All Points East, its organisers will be putting in hard graft to compete with other big-name summer events, not least Leeds Festival which, with Glasto on a fallow year, will in 2026 make up one half of Britain’s largest music event.

Where: Roundhay Park, Leeds

When: July 3-4

Winnie the Pooh is just as beloved today as he was when he first came to life on Christmas Eve 1925. And in 2026, events are taking place up and down the UK to celebrate the 100th birthday of AA Milne’s Poohsticks-playing, honey-loving teddy bear. Starting in East Sussex where the stories were born, Ashdown Forest, the real-life inspiration behind 100 Acre Wood, will transform into a life-sized pop-up book via a new installation and launch Pooh Trek tours to explore the sites of the stories’ adventures. Nearby National Trust garden Nymans is creating its own immersive experience with a trail of illustrations and extracts from the books, adding to the fun with a dedicated exhibition of precious archive materials from both the author and illustrator’s estates. If you can’t get yourself to Sussex for spring, have no fear – the exhibition heads to Tatton Park in Cheshire for the summer before travelling to Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire.

Where: Sussex, Cheshire and Cambridgeshire

When: From February

We’ll never know whether Jack would have lived if Rose had only shared the raft, but the memory of Leo and Kate’s on-screen love story, and the real-life events that inspired it, live on in a Titanic exhibition heading to Aberdeen. There’ll be plenty of opportunity to rattle off iconic lines including ‘paint me like one of your French girls’ or ‘I’m flying’ amid recreations of the ship’s anchor, bridge and underwater remains. Costumes and props from the film will feature alongside real belongings of both passengers and crew, fragments of metalwork and wooden carvings, plus passenger cards of real people who boarded the ship. For those curious to breathe more life back into the story of the doomed vessel, Dik Barton, one of the few people to have dived 3,840 metres underwater to the shipwreck, will run sessions on what it’s like to uncover artifacts from the deep. Book your visit here, and if Aberdeen’s not your neck of the woods the exhibition will travel to London’s Olympia in the summer. 

Where: P&J Live, Aberdeen, AB21 9FX

When: March 28-April 12

With major runs of dates from the likes of Oasis, Coldplay, Lana Del Rey, Sam Fender, Sabrina Carpenter and more, 2025 was a stonking year for big-ticket gigs. In other words, 2026 has a lot to live up to – and the year is shaping up nicely. Among the tours already confirmed for the next 12 months. The Weeknd, Lily Allen, Olivia Dean, Bad Bunny, Metallica, Neil Young, Ariana Grande, Bon Jovi… these are just some of the all-conquering musicians gracing British arenas and stadia this year.

🎤 You can find a full list of the biggest and best major music tours coming to the UK in 2026 here.