Find all the Mid-Autumn Festival UK events occurring near you
Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here and there are plenty of events across the UK to experience.
Held every year on the 15th day of the 8th Month in China’s lunar calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in China. It is a time to see friends and family, enjoy good food, and have a well-earned day off from work. It is also known as the moon festival or the mooncake festival, and in Chinese is pronounced Zhongqiu Jie (中秋节).
This year Mid-Autumn festival lands on September 17th.
London
Unsurprisingly, London has a huge number of events to choose from. There are festivals, workshops, art exhibitions, and more on offer.
If you’re interested in seeing Mid-Autumn Festival events in London, read our article on the topic. Or, if you’re interested in buying some mooncakes, find out where to find the best ones in London.
Manchester
There are two main events being held in Machester to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Manchester Museum is holding a weekend of events linked to the festival. There will be lanterns and a special sculpture on display. Across the weekend you can drop in for lantern-making workshops and for mooncake tasting.
When: Saturday 14th – Sunday 15th September
Where: Manchester Museum
Cost: Free
Separately, Manchester will be hosting a major Mid-Autumn Festival at Manchester Chinatown. There will be performances, workshops, games, and a gala.
The main event will be a Hanfu parade, with organisers hoping for 1,000 people to join in wearing Hanfu. It is traditional Han Chinese clothing from ancient times.
When: 2pm – 10pm, Saturday 14th September
Where: Manchester Chinatown
Cost: £18 for adults, £12 for children. The ticket price includes a Hanfu costume to wear.
Liverpool
The World Museum in Liverpool has partnered with the Liverpool Confucious Institute to run a Mid-Autumn Festival event on Saturday 21st September.
Throughout the day there will be traditional music and dance performances. Games and workshops will also be on offer such as calligraphy and woodblock printing.
When: 10:30am – 4pm, Saturday 21st September
Where: Liverpool World Museum
Cost: Free
Birmingham
Birmingham will have two days of festivals to choose from for Mid-Autumn Festival.
On Saturday 14th September a Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival event will be held at Hippodrome Square in Birmingham. There will be traditional Lion Dances, mooncakes, market Stalls, crafts and plenty more. It sounds like a great day out for the family.
When: Saturday 14th September
Where: Hippodrome Square
Cost: Free
If you wern’t free Saturday, don’t worry. On Sunday another Mid-Autumn Festival event will be held in Bringmingham. Organisers say it will be an “an incredible day” with Lion and Dragon Dances, workshops like lantern making, and face painting for kids.
When: Sunday, 15th September
Where: Birmingham Conference & Events Centre
Cost: £4, children under 3 free
Stonehenge
At Stonehenge, the Chinese Association of Southampton will hold performances of dance, music, Kung Fu, and Tai Chi.
This is especially unique, as a special astronomical phenomenon called the ‘major lunar standstill’ will occur this year.
Moonrise and moonset move from their northernmost to southernmost limits and back again in just a month. But the movements of the Moon have a further cycle. The limits of moonrise and moonset change over a period of about 18.6 years.
The major lunar standstill is when the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset are furthest apart. The moon will rise and set at its furthest points along the horizon.
When: Sunday, 15th September 2pm – 5.30pm
Where: Stonehenge
Cost: The event is included in the regular price of the Stonehenge ticket, £28 for adults, £16.50 for children, and free for English Heritage members.
If you liked this article, why not read: What is Mid-Autumn Festival?
