What’s On Around Britain in March 2023

The first of March is the start of meteorological spring so weather scientists are now looking at predicting warmer temperatures. (Hurrah!) British Summer Time (BST) starts on the last Sunday in March so the clocks go forward at 1 am on 26 March 2023.

St David’s Day

1 March 2023 is St David’s Day, the patron saint of Wales. Some people wear a daffodil as a buttonhole and Welsh schoolchildren often wear traditional costumes for the day. The date marks the anniversary of his death more than 1,400 years ago on 1 March 589 AD. The day became a national day of celebration in the 18th century.

A teetotal vegetarian, St David is the only patron saint in the UK that was born in the country of his saint-hood. His most famous miracle took place in Llanddewi Brefi, between the Brecon Beacons and the coastal town of Aberystwyth. Overwhelmed by a crowd that came to his sermon, St David stood upon a handkerchief and a small hill grew beneath his feet, meaning he could be seen by all.

The sense of national pride is strong on this day and there are parades and celebrations across the country. The largest is the National St David’s Day Parade in Cardiff. It starts at 12.30 pm from Cardiff City Hall.

While we can’t all be there we can make Welsh cakes or Bara Brith (tea bread) and have a cwtch with a loved one (pronounced ‘kutch’). Cwtch is a great Welsh word to know as it means an affectionate cuddle.

Dazzling Daffodils

As a symbol of new beginnings, daffodils are celebrated this month in Kent too. In the ground of Hever Castle, 70,000 daffodils bulbs are expected to bloom including a couple of unusual and rare varieties.

From 13 to 19 March 2023, you can take a self-led tour of the gardens at your own pace or join one of the free daily tours. Johnny Walkers, master grower of walkers bulb and winner of 36 RHS gold medals will be giving daffodil tours during the week (Mon-Fri) and the weekend tours will be led by Hever Castle’s gardeners. 

Hever Castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. She was the second wife of Henry VIII and was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536. When the Pope would not agree to a divorce for the King from Katherine of Aragon, his first wife, he broke away from the Catholic Church and started The English Reformation. Anne Boleyn did not produce a male heir, so she was executed at the Tower of London, but she was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I.

Pronounced ‘Heever’ Castle, a trip here is a good day out. It’s a beautiful castellated building with a moat and England’s oldest working original portcullis. The grounds include the yew tree maze, the long Italian garden and the lake where you can hire row boats or pedalos.

Mother’s Day

Hever Castle would be a good choice for a Mother’s Day treat. As it’s English Tourism Week from 17 to 26 March 2023, there are lots of other lovely places to see too. There are special events at attractions across the country and accommodation discounts to be found as well.

In the UK we celebrate Mother’s Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent which is three weeks before Easter Sunday. This means that in 2023, it falls on Sunday 19 March. It is not a public holiday but the day is marked across the UK.

The most popular gifts are flowers and chocolate and every mum likes a day without cooking so restaurants do Mother’s Day specials. My preferred treats are a handmade card, a cup of tea and time with loved ones.

Thomas Wolsey 550

Thomas Wolsey 550 marks the 550th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Wolsey. His failure to arrange an annulment for Henry VIII’s first marriage, to make way for Anne Boleyn, led to his spectacular downfall. A year and a half – 550 days – of celebrations are being planned to mark the anniversary of the birth of Ipswich’s most famous son.

Wolsey’s is a tale of social mobility; born the son of a butcher, he rose to become one of the most powerful men in church and politics in Tudor times. 

The events, performances and other activities kick off in and around Ipswich, Suffolk, in March this year and connect with other places in England linked to the Wolsey story, such as Oxford, Hampton Court, York and Leicester. There are also plans to create a major visitor attraction and heritage zone in Ipswich’s waterfront area, including Wolsey’s Gate, the chapel of his college, the historic port and other buildings. There will be a virtual rebuild of Wolsey’s impressive college building too; it was razed to the ground by Henry VIII and used to construct Whitehall.

St Piran’s Day

St Piran’s Day (or Gool Peran in Cornish) is the national day of Cornwall. It takes place each year on 5th March. Parades are held in many Cornish towns and villages and the day is seen by some as the start of Spring. According to legend, Piran was fond of a drink or two, but despite this, he lived to the ripe old age of 206!

Legend tells that Piran was a 5th-century Cornish Abbot originally from Ireland. The Irish King was suspicious of his powers and cast him off a cliff and into the sea tied to a millstone. Piran survived the stormy seas and washed up in Perranporth, Cornwall, where he built an oratory to promote Christianity, and adopted disciples who were said to be a badger, a fox and a bear.

Piran then became famous for his accidental discovery of tin. A black stone on his fireplace got so hot that a white liquid leaked out of it, collecting in the shape of a cross. This became the first tin smelting and the St Piran’s Flag (the white cross on the black background which is now the Cornish flag). St Piran is also the patron saint of tin miners.

National Pasty Week

From 27 February to 5 March 2023, National Pasty Week is an annual week-long celebration of Cornwall’s favorite food.

The thick pastry crust with a filling of meat and vegetables became a popular ‘packed lunch’ for the county’s miners. It was cheap and stayed warm until lunchtime. When mining industry declined in the UK in the 1800s, the men went abroad for work in Australia, South Africa and the US and the idea of the pasty meal went with them. Pasties are popular in many old mining towns in the US and places where the Gold Rush occurred including Michigan, Milwaukee, Grass Valley and Nevada City.

Did you know? This famous rugby chant “oggie, oggie, oggie” came from the Cornwall miners. Their wives would yell “oggie, oggie, oggie” (pasties were also called ‘oggies’) from the top of the mine shafts, and the miners would yell back with “oi, oi, oi” to indicate they wanted a pasty thrown down at them.

We can’t all be in Cornwall this year, so the Cornish Pasty Association has a recipe so we can make our own.

UK Wife Carrying

In Dorking, Surrey, 5 March 2023 is the 13th UK Wife Carrying Race.

The race organizers say that carrying your missus originated in the UK on 8 June 793 AD. This was when Viking raiders rampaged into Lindisfarne on the northeast coast of what is now England, destroying the monastery and most likely carrying off any unwilling local wenches. I’m not sure that is quite the same as the current annual race which began in 2008. The Wife Carrying World Championship is held every year in Finland so the winner of this UK race gets to go there.

The race course is 380m long with 15m of ascent and 15m of descent. The runner – doesn’t have to be a man – must use a recognized hold to carry their wife – doesn’t have to be a woman – bridal, piggyback, fireman’s lift, Estonian hold or Dorking hold. As if this wasn’t challenging enough, if the wife weighs less than 50kg, the runner must also carry a rucksack full of tins of beans in order to achieve the minimum weight limit. Oh, and the spectators are encouraged to use water pistols to soak the contestants.

The winner receives a barrel of local ale and £250 towards their trip to the World Championship in Finland. Racers who come last win a Pot Noodle and a ceremonial tin of dog food. The oldest racer wins a tin of pilchards (sardines) and some Bovril (meat extract paste).

Cheltenham Festival

Much more proper is the Cheltenham Festival, held in Gloucestershire, south-west England. On from 14 to 17 March 2023, this National Hunt race meeting attracts prize money second only to the Grand National. Famous for the roar arising from the stands as the tape is raised for the start of the first race, the excitement continues to build until its climax with Friday’s signature Gold Cup – one of the most famous jump races in the world, with high stakes and an impressive history of winners.

The first organized Flat race meeting in Cheltenham took place in 1815 on Nottingham Hill. Racing’s popularity soared although the local parish priest preached the evils of horseracing and disrupted the race meeting in 1830. The racecourse moved to Prestbury Park, its current venue, in 1831. Steeplechasing became established in nearby Andoversford in 1834 and moved to the present course in 1898.

In 1964, Racecourse Holdings Trust (now Jockey Club Racecourses) was formed to secure the future of Cheltenham. The group now owns 14 racecourses – a combination of jump, flat and dual-purpose courses – as well as training grounds in Newmarket, Lambourn and Epsom and the National Stud.

The Boat Race

Another race, but this time on the water, is the annual Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford Universities on The Thames in London. Held this year on Sunday 26 March, the 77th Women’s Boat Race starts at 4 pm and the 168th Men’s Boat Race starts at 5 pm. The Boat Race is regularly attended by over 250,000 spectators at the banks of the river and watched by many millions more on television.

First raced in 1829, the Boat Race is one of the oldest sporting events in the world. The famous Championship Course stretches over 4.25 miles of tidal Thames between Putney and Mortlake in southwest London.

Cambridge University Boat Club wears the light ‘Duck Egg’ blue, whilst the Oxford crews wear dark blue. The teams compete in eight-oared rowing boats, each steered by a cox who sits in the stern or back of the boat. The cox is the only crew member who faces in the direction they are moving.

St Patrick’s Day

The national saint of Ireland is celebrated in traditional fashion with festivals, parades, carnivals and concerts taking place across Northern Ireland and around Britain as many cities have large Irish communities. The official day is 17 March but there are usually lots of events happening on the weekend before.

The London St Patrick’s Festival 2023 is on Sunday 12 March 2023. Now in its 20th year, more than 50,000 people are expected to join the annual procession of Irish marching bands, dance troupes and pageantry. The parade starts at Hyde Park Corner and then travels through Piccadilly, St James’s Street, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street and Whitehall to reach Trafalgar Square where there is the best of Irish arts, culture, food and music to enjoy.

The Birmingham St Patrick’s Festival has been canceled due to the due to the ongoing redevelopment of Digbeth High Street. But the Manchester Irish Festival is on from 10 to 19 March 2023. The Manchester St Patrick’s Parade is on Sunday 12 March 2023 and starts from the Irish World Heritage Centre at midday before making its way into the city center to arrive at about 2 pm.

Glasgow International Comedy Festival

Regularly the largest event of its kind in Europe, this comedy extravaganza features a line-up of both big league players and emerging talent from around Britain and beyond, performing in venues throughout the city. 2023 sees acts take to the stage including Scottish comedian Gareth Waugh and Friday late shows.

On from 15 March to 2 April 2023, this is the 20th Glasgow International Comedy Festival. The ‘Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow’ Award will be announced at the Festival’s Closing Gala event. The award aims to celebrate the city of Glasgow and the Glaswegian warmth, resilience and above all sense of humour.