Cheltenham is home to some of the finest festivals in the south of England. Of the many festivals that take place in the town each year, the Cheltenham horse racing festival is the most famous.
As the most talked about meeting in the National Hunt Calendar, the Cheltenham festival is one of the most important horse racing festivals in the United Kingdom. Held every March at Cheltenham Racecourse, the festival attracts thousands of visitors and is second only to the Grand National in terms of race prize funds.
The Cheltenham Festival traditionally caters for a large number of Irish visitors. With St Patrick's Day normally falling during the festival, the week of the Cheltenham Races sees more Irish Stout sold than during the remaining fifty one weeks combined.
Another prestigious festival that Cheltenham is well known for is the annual Literature Festival, which is held every autumn. Attracting crowds of more than 100,000 people, the annual event is one of the most important literature festivals in the United Kingdom.
Typically, the event attracts hundreds of celebrities and in the past has been famous for attracting big names such as Rodger Moore, Penelope Lively and Ben Okri. In 2009 the event will celebrate its 60th anniversary and the prestige of being the world's oldest literature festival.
While Cheltenham has built up a large reputation for its literature festival, it is also well renowned for its popular music festival. The Cheltenham music festival is held every July, and is famous for its diverse and eclectic range of performances. Although the festival does attempt to offer a number of alternative music offerings, the core attendance of this festival are classical music lovers.
Those looking for something a little more modern and with a little more bass may feel more at home at the Global Gathering festival. Held just outside of Cheltenham near the town of Stratford-Upon-Avon, Global Gathering is an annual dance festival held each July. The event started in 2001 and since then has grown from a small one day event to become the UK's first dance festival that provides camping accommodation.
Since the first year of its opening the event has consistently sold out every year and this trend is expected to continue. In recent times popular acts such as Daft Punk, Underworld and Groove Armada have played there, and the event is considered to be one of the best dance festivals in the UK. Recently the event has expanded worldwide and is now in countries such as Poland, Belarus, Russia and Australia, to name but a few.
However, if sleeping in a tent amongst thousands of party goers is not for you then it is good to know that there are other options available in the form of serviced apartments in Cheltenham. And if you choose to stay in a serviced apartment, you can look forward to returning home to a clean and comfortable environment after enjoying a day out at your festival of choice.
Alison Peters is a dedicated travel enthusiast and a writer for a digital marketing company. The article has not been designed to promote but should be considered professional content. |
