In 2027, Britain offers plenty of reasons to look beyond the familiar. Across England, Scotland and Wales, a busy calendar of major events, cultural anniversaries, new openings and international exhibitions will bring new attention to places across the country – from major cities to smaller towns and rural landscapes.
The year brings together some of Britain’s best-known cultural and sporting names with a new generation of experiences. The Tour de France will begin in Edinburgh before crossing Wales and England; the European Year of the Normans will mark 1,000 years since the birth of William the Conqueror with more than 100 events across Britain; Tate Liverpool will reopen following a major transformation; and new attractions will include a Beatles museum in London and a major new wellbeing destination in Manchester.
Britain’s screen heritage will provide another thread for visitors to follow. Locations associated with Jane Austen, Harry Potter, Oasis and other major productions offer the chance to explore the landscapes and places that have appeared on screen, from literary settings to filming locations. Together, these events and openings offer different ways to explore Britain in 2027 – through its landscapes and history, literature and screen culture, creativity and sporting heritage, as well as its increasingly varied regional food scene.
A year of major events - from the Tour de France to Wimbledon’s 150th anniversay
Few events will put Britain’s regions in the international spotlight quite like the Tour de France Grand Départ, taking place from 2 to 25 July 2027. For the first time, the race will begin in Scotland, with Edinburgh hosting the Grand Départ, before continuing through Wales and England. As the riders cross three of the UK’s nations, the race will bring a changing backdrop of cities, coastlines, countryside and mountains into view. For visitors, it offers a reason to follow the route and explore these landscapes at ground level – cycling, walking, eating and staying along the way, rather than simply watching the race pass through.
The sporting calendar continues in Scotland, where the 155th Open returns to the Old Course at St Andrews from 11 to 18 July. The championship will be played at the Home of Golf for the 31st time and marks 100 years since Bobby Jones won The Open there in 1927.
Meanwhile, Wimbledon celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2027, with The Championships taking place from 28 June to 11 July. Visitors can combine the tennis with a visit to the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum or a guided tour of the famous courts.
In Wales, Cardiff will host the EuroGames from 14 to 18 July, bringing participants together for an international celebration of sport, diversity and inclusion.
Further north, the FIA World Rally Championship will return to Britain in 2027, with the launch of Rally Scotland in Aberdeen planned for autumn. The event will bring the rolling landscapes of north-east Scotland and some of the country’s more challenging roads into focus, giving visitors another reason to explore the region beyond its main cities.
1,000 years of Norman history – and a chance to see Britain’s heritage in a new light
2027 will be a landmark year for heritage, with the European Year of the Normans – Millennium 2027 marking 1,000 years since the birth of William the Conqueror.
Led by the Normandy Region in France, the initiative will bring together regions and countries connected by Norman heritage, including Britain. More than 100 events are planned across the country, from exhibitions and educational programmes to visitor itineraries and live performances.
The story comes particularly alive in London, where the Bayeux Tapestry will be displayed at the British Museum until 11 July 2027. Almost 70 metres long, the medieval masterpiece tells the story of William the Conqueror’s invasion and conquest of England in 1066. Alongside the tapestry, loans from British collections will explore the political and social world surrounding the Norman Conquest.
Other anniversaries offer equally compelling reasons to explore Britain’s heritage. 2027 marks 300 years since the death of Isaac Newton, with activities planned at locations including Cambridge and his birthplace at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire. It is also the 300th anniversary of the birth of painter Thomas Gainsborough, celebrated through exhibitions and events including a major retrospective at Tate Britain.
Music and popular culture will provide another thread through the year. The 50th anniversary of the Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen will be marked by Punk to Pop at the V&A South Kensington, while V&A Dundee will explore the work of Vivienne Westwood and her relationship with Scotland.
For lovers of classic children’s literature, Peter Rabbit also celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2027. The Lake District, where Beatrix Potter found much of her inspiration, offers a chance to explore the landscapes behind the stories and visit Hill Top, her former home.
A cultural year with major new exhibitions and openings
For art and culture lovers, 2027 brings an packed programme of exhibitions across Britain’s museums and galleries. At Tate Modern, Monet: Painting in Time will run from February to June, bringing together works rarely seen by the public and exploring the Impressionist’s fascination with light, the seasons and time.
Tate Liverpool will reopen in spring 2027 following an extensive refurbishment, launching its new programme with a major retrospective devoted to British artist Chila Kumari Singh Burman.
The year will also see major exhibitions dedicated to Sonia Boyce, David Hockney, Matisse, Picasso and Klee, alongside exhibitions at the Royal Academy, V&A and Tate St Ives. But Britain’s cultural renewal is not confined to its established museums. New visitor experiences are opening across the country.
In London, The Beatles at 3 Savile Row is scheduled to open in 2027, at the former Apple Corps headquarters where the band recorded Let It Be and performed their famous rooftop concert in 1969. Visitors will be able to see previously unseen archive material, a recreation of the recording studio and the rooftop itself.
In Lancashire, Eden Project Morecambe will begin its first phase in 2027, bringing the concept of the Eden Project to Morecambe Bay through five mussel-shell-inspired domes, marine gardens, lidos, performance spaces and immersive experiences.
From the screen to the street: Britain’s stories become travel experiences
Britain’s film, television and music heritage offers another way to explore its cities, landscapes and cultural history. Increasingly, the screen acts as a starting point for journeys into the places behind the stories, from historic houses and city neighbourhoods to the landscapes that have become familiar on screen.
For Jane Austen fans, locations associated with Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility include Chatsworth House, Lyme Park, Lacock, Montacute House and Saltram House. Each offers a chance to explore the architecture and landscapes that helped bring Austen’s world to life on screen.
The return of Harry Potter to the screen with a new television adaptation filmed in England will provide another reason to explore the Wizarding World, including Warner Bros. Studios London, where visitors can step behind the scenes of the film series and see original sets, costumes and props.
Music offers a different route into Britain’s screen and cultural heritage. In Manchester, fans of Oasis can explore the city where the Gallagher brothers grew up and the music scene that helped shape the band’s identity, connecting the story of one of Britain’s biggest bands with the places that inspired it.
The screen tourism story extends well beyond these familiar names. Productions released in 2027 have been filmed across England, Scotland and Wales, bringing locations from London and Liverpool to West Yorkshire and the Scottish Highlands into view.
For visitors, the appeal lies increasingly beyond the screen itself: following stories into the streets, landscapes and historic buildings where they were filmed, and discovering the local culture and character that exists beyond the frame.
A new taste of Britain – regional food takes centre stage
Britain’s culinary landscape is also in full flavour, with 2027 offering plenty of reasons to eat your way around the regions.
A new generation of chefs is putting place, seasonality and local produce at the heart of contemporary British cooking. From Yorkshire and Cumbria to Liverpool, Brighton, Kent and Wales, culinary creativity is increasingly flourishing beyond London.
In Yorkshire, Jamie Keeble of Mýse in Hovingham has been recognised as a rising star, championing local produce and regional suppliers. In the Lake District, Jack Bond and Mark McCabe are developing food experiences closely connected to the landscape and its exceptional produce.
Liverpool’s independent restaurant scene is represented by Livia Alarcon, while Brighton’s Ewan Waller has helped bring a Michelin star back to the city after more than five decades. In London, a new generation of chefs is drawing on Britain’s multicultural identity, from North African-inspired cooking in Soho to Chinese and Trinidadian influences in Peckham.
One of the most anticipated culinary developments of 2027 will be the reopening of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, founded by Raymond Blanc. The two-Michelin-starred property is expected to reopen in summer following extensive refurbishment, with three-Michelin-starred French chef Arnaud Donckele joining the project for his first major culinary venture in the UK.
Together, these developments show how food is becoming a reason to travel in its own right, offering a way to discover Britain through its landscapes, producers, communities and evolving food culture.
Checking in: Britain’s new hotel scene
The country’s hotels and stays are having their own moment, too, with some grand old buildings getting a fresh lease of life and a new generation of design-led stays arriving across the regions. London will welcome several major new properties in 2027, including Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch, bringing new life to one of the capital’s most recognisable landmarks, and Cambridge House, a historic Georgian mansion on Piccadilly transformed into a 102-room hotel.
Beyond London, new openings are giving travellers more reasons to stay awhile. Second Nature York will open in May 2027, pairing contemporary design with nods to the city’s medieval heritage, while Hotel Gotham Bristol will turn the city’s Grade II-listed Guildhall into a new five-star property.
Scotland gets in on the act, too, with The Colourist bringing a design-led hotel to Edinburgh’s Princes Street, while in Wales, Ffarm Hall is already offering something rather different as the country’s first fully vegan hotel.