2022 events, anniversaries, and film/TV highlights across Britain
From landmark royal anniversaries and ground-breaking sustainable events to a celebration of world-renowned storytellers, there’s a whole host of reasons that Britain should be top of your 2022 travel bucket-list.
2022 Major Events & Anniversaries
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see venues across the West Midlands welcome 11 days of competition featuring 19 different sports and a fully-integrated para-sports programme. Kicking off on Thursday 28 July with the Opening Ceremony at the redeveloped Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, Birmingham, the schedule will feature more medal events for women than men for the first time in the Games’ history. B2022 is also seeking to become the first-ever carbon-neutral Games, with a focus on providing a sustainable future for the West Midlands. Alongside the Games, the Birmingham 2022 Festival will showcase the region’s rich creativity from March through to September, with a full programme of events to be unveiled in January 2022.
Birmingham 2022 Festival: March – September
£12m festival with artistic commissions across art, photography, dance, theatre, digital art. Full programme unveiled in Jan 2022. Wil open with Wondrous Stories, a spectacular large scale production by world renowned and Leamington Spa based dance circus company Motionhouse featuring 300 performers.
Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
As the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, having spent 70 years on the throne, 2022 will see a year-long set of celebrations across the UK to mark the Queen’s historic reign. An extended Bank Holiday from 2-5 June will feature key events including the Trooping of the Colour to mark the Queen’s official birthday. Other highlights include a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, a special live concert from Buckingham Palace and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is a series of ten large-scale engagement projects around sustainability, life and the future taking place across the UK and on digital platforms, each seeking to bring people together while celebrating the UK's creativity and innovation. Visitors keen to discover what's in store should watch this space, with more information to follow soon.
Coventry City of Culture continues
Launched in May 2020, the programme shines a spotlight on the city’s thriving contemporary arts and culture scene. Events extended until mid 2022 including The Turner Prize Jan 2022, The Shop Windows May 2022 and In Paint We Trust, a street art festival May 2022.
Scotland’s Year of Stories
Featuring an eclectic mix of live, virtual and hybrid events, Scotland’s Year of Stories will celebrate the stories and storytellers that have immortalised the landscapes and culture of Scotland, inspiring people the world over. From Robert Burns and Walter Scott to Ian Rankin and JK Rowling, the event will showcase the tales and talent behind the nation’s rich cultural offering, shining a spotlight on its diverse communities, people and literary heritage.
Plymouth: ‘Songlines tracking the Seven Sisters, The Box: 21 October 2021 – 27 Feb 2022
The National Museum of Australia’s award-winning exhibition comes to The Box in Plymouth this autumn/winter. Experience ancient stories from the world’s oldest continuing culture, told through more than 300 paintings and objects by over 100 different artists
The Turner Prize comes to Liverpool: 20 October 2022 – 19 March 2023
Liverpool will also be bolstering its reputation as a hub for contemporary art when it welcomes the Turner Prize, the most famous award in the UK, which comes to Tate Liverpool on the waterfront in October 2022. There will also be the 12th edition of Liverpool Biennial, which commissions artists from around the world to create and present work across
Hadrian’s Wall 1900: 24 January – 23 December 2022
Celebrate 1900 years of the Hadrian’s Wall site in 2022. The year long programme of events includes artwork, performances, talks, and activities will be held across the length of this iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For more on major events including music festivals and cultural anniversaries such as Edinburgh Festivals 75th anniversary, click here.
Film & TV 2022
Soaring modern cityscapes. Vast green valleys. Scenes from the past. From north to south, Britain is a land made for the silver screen. With a host of British-made movies on the horizon to inspire you including the release of No Time to Die on 11 November 2021, there’s never been a better time to discover Britain. The latest 2022 film and TV releases to keep an eye on:
No Time to Die - 11 November 2021
Locations: London
Sex Education S3 - Autumn 2021
Locations: Kent and Wales
Jane Austen’s Persuasion (starring Dakota Johnson) - Spring 2022
Locations: Bath
Peaky Blinders S6 - Early 2022
Locations: Birmingham, West Midlands, Liverpool
Indiana Jones - 5 July 2022
Locations: Grosmont, North York Moors Railway
Mission Impossible - Sept 2022
Locations: Yorkshire & Birmingham
Emily (the biopic of writer Emily Bronte)- Late 2022
Locations: Haworth and Bradford, Yorkshire
Enola Holmes 2 - Late 2022
Locations: Yorkshire
Bridgerton Season 2 - 2022
Locations: Bath
The Batman (with Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz) - TBC 2022
Locations: Liverpool
Sherlock Holmes 3 - TBC 2022
Locations: London
Fantastic Beast: The Secrets of Dumbledore -TBC 2022
Locations: London
Downton Abbey 3 - TBC 2022
Locations: London, Highclere Castle
WONKA (with Timothee Chalamet) - Spring 2023
Locations: Bath