London

• New Year's Eve fireworks · Jan 1-7 · holiday

  London's New Year fireworks on the Thames - Westminster locked down, tube on reduced runs, hotels at peak rates.

• Ramadan · Feb 12 – Feb 18 · religious

  The month of daytime fasting - quieter daylight hours, then streets and tables come alive after sunset for iftar.

• Eid al-Fitr · Mar 19-25 · religious

  The joyful close of Ramadan - new clothes, feasting and visiting; one of the warmest, busiest weeks of the year.

• Easter · Mar 26 – Mar 8 · religious

  Holy Week into Easter - processions and quiet reflection give way to a celebratory weekend.

• London Marathon · Apr 23-29 · sport

  40,000 runners across central London - streets closed from morning, crowds along the entire route.

• Chelsea Flower Show · May 21-27 · festival

  Five days of garden design - the British horticultural calendar's main event; SW3 hotels at premium.

• Eid al-Adha · May 21 – Jun 3 · religious

  The festival of sacrifice - a major public holiday of communal prayers and shared feasts.

• Trooping the Colour · Jun 11-17 · festival

  The King's official birthday parade - the Mall and Buckingham Palace lined deep with crowds.

• Wimbledon · Jul 2 – Jul 15 · sport

  Two weeks of strawberries and tennis - SW19 packed, but the city beyond is its summer best.

• London Pride · Jul 2-8 · festival

  The UK's biggest Pride parade - Soho takes over, a million attendees, weeks of fringe events around it.

• Heatwaves on the Underground · Jul 16 – Aug 5 · holiday

  Few places have AC and tube carriages can hit 35°C - heatwaves are short but exhausting in a city not built for them.

• Notting Hill Carnival · Aug 27-Sep 2 · festival

  Europe's biggest street party - a million people, sound systems on every corner, the city wide open for a weekend.

• Bonfire Night · Nov 5-11 · holiday

  Guy Fawkes Night - fireworks displays in every park; Battersea and Alexandra Palace draw the biggest crowds.

• Diwali · Nov 5-11 · festival

  The festival of lights - rows of diyas, fireworks and sweets; the brightest, most celebratory week of the Hindu year.

• Christmas markets & lights · Nov 26 – Nov 31 · religious

  Oxford Street lights, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, ice rinks at Somerset House and the Tower - cold, beautiful, expensive.

a reason to go mixed worth knowing about