Although the weather may still be quite cold, the first signs of spring appear in March in London. March in London is the month of Pancake Day, International Women’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and Mother’s Day. It’s also a good month to visit the Kensington Palace gardens, Kew Gardens or any of London’s other top gardens, as seas of crocuses and daffodils bloom across the capital. Here at The Washington Mayfair we will bring you the top things to do in London during March, allowing you to make the most of your visit.
PANCAKE DAY IN LONDON: 5th March
Pancake Day takes place 47 days before Easter Sunday. This year is on Tuesday 5th March.
Treat yourself and join in the fun on Pancake Day in London. The Parliamentary Pancake Race is not running in 2019, but you can find other races across the city, such as the Flippin’ Good Pancake races at Greenwich Market. Take part at the annual charity Pancake Race on Tuesday 5th March and win a medal! Also, all the participants will get a free pancake. Do you want more information? Visit Greenwich Market website.
If you with us on Pancake Day order pancakes for breakfast. Our Chef makes some delicious pancakes! Enjoy!
ORCHIDS FESTIVAL AT KEW GARDENS – until 10 March
Escape the dreary winter with Kew’s annual festival of orchids. Through a spectacular ensemble of orchid-laden displays along a curated route, Kew Gardens are celebrating Colombia this year. The flagship display is a carnival of animals, depicting a toucan in flight, a hanging sloth and a swimming turtle. Kew Gardens brought to life the breath-taking rainbow river Caño Cristales and Colombia’s incredible forests – complete with life-sized jaguar! With a surprise around every corner, you’ll spot hundreds of colourful butterflies suspended from the glass ceiling and a floating golden-yellow display to honour the legend of El Dorado. For more information visit the official website.
ST PATRICK’S DAY PARADE AND FESTIVAL – 16-18 March
You don’t have to go to Ireland to enjoy the party atmosphere of St Patrick’s Day 2019, there’s plenty going on right here in London. The official holiday lands annually on March 17 (a Sunday in 2019), but this year the main London celebrations take place in Trafalgar Square on March 16-18.
Be amazed by flamboyant pageantry, elaborate floats, marching bands from across the UK, sports clubs and Irish dancing schools in the annual London St Patrick’s Day Parade. The procession sets off at midday from Piccadilly and makes its way along a 1.5-mile (2.4km) route, passing some of London’s most iconic landmarks, including The Ritz, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and onto Whitehall.
Join the St Patrick’s Day Festival, which takes place in Trafalgar Square between 12pm and 6pm. At this year’s three-day shindig, more than 125,000 revelers are expected to descend on Trafalgar Square for a lively parade of music and ceilidh dancing, plus plenty of things to do with the kids, from an Irish art exhibition and film festival to Irish walking tours.
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS – BILL VIOLA / MICHELANGELO: LIFE, DEATH, REBIRTH REVIEW – until 31st March
This exhibition pairs Bill Viola’s powerful installations with rarely-seen drawings by Michelangelo. Journey through the cycle of life in our immersive and unparalleled show. Viola’s large-scale video installations are likewise works of profound emotional impact. They combine sound and moving image to create absorbing works which slow us down and invite us to experience and reflect. These works are shown alongside Michelangelo drawings, which are on display in the UK for the first time in almost a decade. This exhibition, created in close collaboration with Bill Viola Studio, is a unique opportunity to experience two artists, born centuries apart, in a new light.
MAJOR PARKS IN LONDON
Whether you’re looking for a peaceful jogging route, a romantic spot to eat your sarnies, or simply somewhere to play catch with Fido, there’s a park that’s perfect for you.
- Green Park (at only few minutes’ walk from the Washington Mayfair Hotel)
Green Park is a peaceful triangle of mature trees and grasslands and offers a quiet retreat from city life, right next to Buckingham Palace. Visit a range of memorials, fountains and statues and look out for Royal Gun Salutes when ceremonial guns are fired to mark special royal occasions.
- Hyde Park (at only few minutes’ walk from the Washington Mayfair Hotel)
Take a leisurely stroll, zip around on a bicycle, row a boat or swim in the Serpentine at Hyde Park. Whichever way you choose to explore this huge and centrally located park, there’s plenty to see and do with more than 4,000 trees, a lake, a meadow, rose gardens and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.
- James Park
St James’s Park includes The Mall and Horse Guards Parade, and is surrounded by landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Whitehall. Enjoy impressive views of the lake and fountain from St James’s Café, watch the resident pelicans at feeding time, or while away a sunny afternoon in a deckchair.
- Kensington Gardens
Take a stroll through this beautiful Royal Park in central London, home to Kensington Palace, the Albert Memorial, the Peter Pan Statue, beautiful flowers, green grass for picnics, and the Diana, Princess of Wales memorial playground.
- Regent’s Park
Regent’s Park is teeming with attractions, ranging from the animal noises of the ZSL London Zoo to its enchanting Open Air Theatre. Various food and music festivals pitch up there over the summer and rowing boat hire, bandstands, beautiful rose gardens, tennis courts, ice cream stands and eateries complete the picture.
- Holland Park
One of London’s finest green spaces, the park surrounds a Jacobean mansion, Holland House, named after its second owner, the Earl of Holland, whose wife (fun fact!) was the first person in England to successfully grow dahlias. They’re still grown within its 55 acres, which also houses the Japanese-style Kyoto Gardens with its koi carp and bridge at the foot of a waterfall. In summer, open-air theatre and opera are staged in the park.
CELEBRATE MOTHER’S DAY AT THE WASHINGTON MAYFAIR HOTEL
Say thank you to mummy by celebrating Mother’s Day in style at the Washington Mayfair Hotel. Relax and enjoy a blissful afternoon together over a glass of pink prosecco and an assortment of delicate finger sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, assorted pastries and of course your choice of freshly made tea or coffee.
Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea with a glass of Pink prosecco at £45 for two Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st March
