It seems that finally the English are waking up and noticing that every other surrounding country celebrates their national day, and we just seem to let it slip by unnoticed. Well not this year! The English flag is flying over Buckingham palace for the first time in years. Number 10 is also proudly flying the flag of St George, something that has not been done since the 2006 world cup! It seems that the overall message this year is to celebrate our Englishness – responsibly and in style of course.

Historic food store Fortnum and Mason have a lavish special St Georges day menu on, Borough Market is moving from London Bridge into central London to celebrate English food and Carnaby Street has been decorated with England football shirt bunting. However, on a more local note, none seem more eager than the residents of Morley in West Yorkshire who started their celebrations weeks ago. The market town dedicated a whole weekend to festivities and their list of events taking place stretches over three pages long. The English flag is flying in the local park and, coloured flowers have been planted, not to mention the St George parade and long bow competitions. The town made the conscious decision to aim for the most elaborate celebrations and it has certainly paid off, they have experienced record numbers of visitors and lots of press attention for being the most patriotic town in England!

Fear not, if you are feeling a little detached from the festivities, and in need of some inspiration then English Heritage is on hand to rectify the situation. They have created a guide all about how to celebrate the national day including fact, recipes and a breakdown of all events taking place ordered by regions.

Enjoy!

Photo by rbrwr over on Flickr