With border restrictions eased, Britain is ready and raring to welcome the world (and not least Canadians) back this year after a difficult pandemic pause. Fortunately, there is a full roster of activities, events, and experiences on tap across the UK, from landmark royal anniversaries and the return of favourite annual festivals to new hotel, restaurants, and shows that will quickly remind travellers what they’ve been missing.

“Over the past couple of years there has been huge pent-up demand for Canadians to travel, and with this year’s major events and celebrations, I can’t think of a better time for travellers… to experience Britain at its best,” says Paul Gauger, VisitBritain’s Sr. VP for the Americas.

Gauger notes that all testing requirements have been recently removed for eligible fully vaccinated visitors with only a Passenger Locator Form now required.

“This renewed ease and flexibility to travel provides another incentive to explore our dynamic and diverse cities, coast and countryside, including the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will together athletes and spectators from across 71 Commonwealth nations in Birmingham from July 28 to Aug. 8). Now is the time to celebrate in Britain, and also cheer on our Canadians!” he adds.

PLATINUM JUBILEE

Major events in Britain drawing global attention this year include Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years since her accession. Public events over Platinum Jubilee Weekend (June 2-5) will be the focal point, however the momentous occasion will also be marked with special experiences and exhibitions throughout the year, such as the Tower of London’s Superbloom display, the Platinum Jubilee Display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, and the reopening of The Royal Mews, showing The Queen’s carriages, cars and horses.

MAJOR EVENTS

• “UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK,” a series of 10 free large-scale events and installations across the country promoting the UK’s creativity and innovation to the world. With live and virtual components, brought together by some of the brightest minds in science, arts, culture and technology, these immersive experiences can’t be missed on a trip to Britain this year.

• The Birmingham 2022 Festival is a six-month cultural program of art and community-led projects starting in March to celebrate creativity across the West Midlands as Birmingham prepares to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

• 2022 will also see the return of many favourite annual events like the Chelsea Flower Show and the Hay Festival in May, Royal Ascot in June, the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July, the Edinburgh International Festival and 75th annual Festival Fringe in August, and LGBTQ+ Pride parades in various cities (Pride in London is celebrating 50 years).

• Travellers keen to pair Britain’s breathtaking landscape with tales of myths, legends and oral tradition can head north for the Year of Scotland’s Stories, while fans of the original Gothic novel, Dracula, can visit the blood-thirsty Count’s haunt of Whitby in the 125th anniversary year of its publication.

CITIES

• London’s major new attractions include Outernet London, an immersive media and entertainment centre with dining, accommodation and performance venues opening in March, and ABBA Voyage, featuring virtual versions of ABBA performing in the new ABBA Arena. Other exhibitions not to miss include Titanic: The Exhibition; Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature at the V&A; and Surrealism Beyond Borders at the Tate Modern.

• Meanwhile visitors to London will also be excited by the reopening of the West End as many favourites such as “Dirty Dancing,” “Six,” “Hamilton” and “Back to the Future: The Musical” return to the stage, and even more exciting are the shows making their debut in 2022. Coming this year are “The Glass Menagerie” with Amy Adams, “Prima Facie” with Jodie Comer; “Cabaret” with Eddie Redmayne, and a new stage adaptation of “Life of Pi.”

• This year, Manchester Museum will add a South Asia Gallery and a new China Gallery, and infamous music venue Band on the Wall will reopen following renovation. The Factory, billed as North England’s new flagship cultural venue, is set to open in late 2022 in St. John’s, Manchester’s newest buzzing neighbourhood and cultural centre.

• Nearby in Liverpool, new exhibitions such as “The Tudors: Passion, Power & Politics,” “Doctor Who: Worlds of Wonder and Radical Landscapes,” and the Turner Prize 2022 at the Tate Liverpool are sure to delight

• This year’s grand opening of The Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot will complete England’s “Shakespeare Triangle,” adding a Northern counterpart to Shakespearean attractions in London and Stratford-upon-Avon.

OUTDOORS

Visitors will literally step into a world of natural beauty and culture along Britain’s coastal paths. The Wales Coast Path, stretching 1,400 breathtaking kilometres along the entire coast of Wales, marks its 10th anniversary this year, while the England Coast Path, tracing 4,500 km. along the English coast, is closer than ever to being connected in full. Visitors can explore pieces of it in coastal cities like Brighton, Bristol, and Liverpool, then wander further to discover white sand beaches, sea-to-table cuisine, and unforgettable views along the world’s longest continuous coastal walking path.

Starting in March, visitors to Glasgow can head to the city’s largest green space, Pollok Country Park, to visit the newly refurbished Burrell Collection. Housing one of the world’s greatest personal collections, the new gallery spaces feature a low-carbon design and will display objects from Europe and Asia representing five millennia of art and history.

A TASTE OF WHAT’S COMING

Fans of British spirits can take their whisky to new heights this summer at Port of Leith Distillery, Scotland’s first vertical distillery offering panoramic views from their top floor whisky bar, or head to the new visitor centre at Eden Mill, set to become one of Scotland’s first carbon neutral whisky distilleries. In Cardiff, visit the new Hensol Castle Distillery and gin making school or stop by Cooper King Distillery in York to sip some of England’s first carbon negative gin.

HOTELS

Luxury hotel brands, eco-friendly accommodations and unique, boutique properties are set to expand Britain’s hospitality offering this year. Raffles makes its London debut in the iconic Old War Office on Whitehall, while the new Broadwick Soho draws design inspiration from the history, glam and grit of Soho. Edinburgh will welcome the Gleneagles Townhouse, the iconic country estate’s first urban outpost, as well as the W Hotel in the new St. James Quarter and 100 Princes Street from Red Carnation Hotels. Virgin Hotels will open locations in Edinburgh and Glasgow, while The Albion promises to be one of the most exciting new openings coming this year to Wales.