Christmas is the largest festival, held at the end of December, celebrated by the exchange of gifts and decorating of houses. This is when the spirit of the community really shines, and the city centre is filled with bright lights and a traditional Christmas tree.

Egg rolling

Easter occurs at the end of March or early April. To Christians it represents Christ rising from the dead and the end of Lent, a period of fasting. Its Pagan origins are celebrated by the giving of chocolate eggs. An Easter tradition unique to Preston, is the rolling of hand-painted hard-boiled eggs down grassy slopes in Avenham Park.

At Halloween, at the end of October, children dress as witches and ghosts and make lanterns from pumpkins and turnips. This is to ward off the evil spirits on the eve of All Saints Day.

On Bonfire Night, in November, we set off fireworks and light bonfires to mark the capture and burning of Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up the government in the 17th century.

Caribbean Carnival

Preston takes great pride in its people and celebrates its cultural diversity with an all year round events programme which includes the colourful Caribbean Carnival and the Preston Mela, Festival of South Asian Culture.

Festivals such as Diwali, Eid and Chinese New Year have also entered our culture in more recent years, reflecting the city's multicultural community.

Extra and related information

Accreditation

Our print and broadcast courses are accredited by the The Broadcast Journalism Training Council and the National Council for the Training of Journalists. Our MA Magazine Journalism is accredited by the Periodicals Training Council.