Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford has two grand stages run by the world-renowned Royal Shakespeare Company – the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre on Waterside – as…
Must-see entertainment in Great Britain
Liverpool
A dominant footballing force for most of the 1970s and 1980s, Liverpool FC remains one of the world's most famous and best-supported clubs, despite not…
South Bank
One of the most famous playhouses in the world, Shakespeare’s Globe will knock your theatrical socks off. This dutifully authentic reconstruction will…
Kensington & Hyde Park
This splendid Victorian concert hall hosts classical music, rock and other performances, but is famously the venue for the BBC-sponsored Proms. Booking is…
Notting Hill & West London
This utterly charming marionette (aka puppet) theatre can be found in a converted barge moored in Little Venice – an area as pretty as it sounds. The…
Cardiff
Named for 12th-century Welsh rebel Ifor Bach, the legendary Clwb ('Club') has broken many a Welsh band since it first opened its doors as a Welsh-language…
Leeds
Belgrave is the city's best live-music venue, with a diverse roll call of acts from burlesque to comedy and folk to hip-hop. Its three floors also…
Old Town
This unassuming pub has been a stalwart of the traditional-music scene since the 1960s (the founder's wife sang with the Corries). There's music every…
Glasgow
One of the city’s premier live-music pub venues, hosting bands every night of the week. A staple of the local scene, and a real Glasgow highlight.
Notting Hill & West London
Located in the former Passmore Edwards Public Library building, this West London theatre is renowned for encouraging new writing. Its success since 1972…
Kensington & Hyde Park
Named after its old address on the King's Rd, which cast a spell over London's jazz lovers back in the ’80s, this choice, tucked-away basement jazz club…
The West End
Wigmore Hall, built in 1901 as a piano showroom, is one of the best and most active classical-music venues in town, with more than 460 concerts a year…
West Cornwall
In terms of theatrical settings, the Minack takes top billing. Carved into the crags overlooking Porthcurno and the azure-blue Atlantic, this amazing…
North London
Camden may be the home of punk, but it also has the Green Note: one of the best places in London to see live folk and world music, with gigs every night…
The West End
The last independent theatre in the West End, Prince Charles Cinema is universally loved for its show-anything attitude. Singalongs and quote-a-longs …
Kensington & Hyde Park
Currently run by PizzaExpress, the Pheasantry on King's Rd is a 19th-century building that has been a ballet academy, a boho bar and a nightclub (where…
Edinburgh
Formerly Edinburgh University's veterinary school, the Summerhall complex is a major cultural centre and entertainment venue, with old halls and lecture…
Oxford
This ambitious theatre company produces highly original shows – often Shakespeare, but also anything from Dracula to The Wind in the Willows – that are…
Chester
The 1930s art deco Odeon has been converted into an award-winning modern arts centre with two theatre spaces – a larger 800-seater arena and a 150-seat…
Manchester
One of Britain's best arts centres, HOME has two theatre spaces that host provocative new work in a variety of contexts, from proscenium sets to promenade…
Liverpool
Whether you're looking to join a drumming circle, take part in a martial-arts workshop or lose yourself at a rave, this terrific venue in a former…
Mull
Mull's lively arts scene includes a famous theatre group, regular art exhibitions and concerts. This arts organisation puts on exhibitions, plays and…
Pitlochry
Founded in 1951 (in a tent!), this famous and much-loved theatre is the focus of Highland Perthshire's cultural life. The summer season, from May to mid…
North London
This stalwart pub theatre hosts new plays and musicals, along with revivals of classics. Classical music and opera are part of the mix, too. It's always…
Glasgow
This much-loved three-screener off Sauchiehall St shows art-house cinema and classics.
Cardiff
Established in 1972 and now Cardiff's edgiest arts venue, Chapter has a varied rota of contemporary drama, as well as art exhibitions, arthouse cinema,…
North London
‘London’s Number 1 Jukebox’ is how Boogaloo flaunts itself: its celebrity-musician-selected jukebox playlists feature the favourite 10 songs of the likes…
North London
Home to the English Folk Dance and Song Society, this institute keeps all manner of folk traditions alive. Performances and classes range from traditional…
North London
Once the legendary Camden Palace, where Charlie Chaplin, the Goons and the Sex Pistols performed, and where Prince played surprise gigs, KOKO is…
The West End
Ronnie Scott's jazz club opened in 1959 and became widely known as Britain’s best, hosting such luminaries as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald…
Bristol
Established in 1766, the much-respected Old Vic is the longest continuously running theatre in the English-speaking world, and has just had a £12.5m…
North London
Opened in 1920 as a cutting-edge golden-age cinema, Scala slipped into porn-movie hell in the 1970s, only to be reborn as a club and live-music venue in…
The West End
Opera and ballet have a fantastic setting on Covent Garden Piazza, and a night here is a sumptuous affair. Although the programme has modern influences,…
South Bank
The nation’s flagship theatre delivers up to 25 shows every year across its three venues inside this brutalist block. Even if you're not here for a show,…
Notting Hill & West London
Having notched up its centenary in 2011, the Electric is one of the UK’s oldest cinemas, now updated. Avail yourself of the luxurious leather armchairs,…
Manchester
Arguably the world's most famous football team, Manchester United ply their incredibly lucrative trade on the perfect pitch at Old Trafford, given the…
Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court
For a few weeks each June and July, the sporting world’s attention is fixed on the quiet southern suburb of Wimbledon, as it has been since 1877. Most…
Manchester
In 2018 Manchester City were crowned league champions for the third time since 2012, playing a brand of football that had fans and rivals alike applauding…
East Sussex
In 1934, science teacher John Christie and his opera-singer wife Audrey Mildmay decided to build a 1200-seat opera house in the middle of nowhere. It…
Professor Codman’s Punch & Judy Show
Llandudno
Queen Victoria herself watched this show, performed by the same family with the same puppets since 1860. Mr Punch’s iconic red-and-white-striped booth…
