If you follow a religion and worship regularly at home, then you can continue to do so in the UK. Every major world religion is represented and most cities have Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist centres, as well as synagogues and churches of all denominations. Keeping routine with your faith will provide you with a link to your life at home but can also enable you to develop new friendships quickly.

The religious festivals celebrated in the UK reflect its multi-faith culture.

Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist festivals and holidays are all celebrated.

The food you can buy in the UK reflects the many ethnic influences in British society.  Most supermarkets sell ingredients from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as food from many other parts of the world. The British are increasingly healthy eaters and there is a very wide range of organic produce available in shops and supermarkets.  You’ll still find the famous English breakfast and Fish and Chips, but you’ll also see a very diverse range of meals and menus while you’re in the UK.  Families in the UK often eat a traditional “Sunday roast”  on Sundays, but those same families are likely to enjoy new types of meals, anything from Italian pizza to Singapore Noodles.

The British tend to eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch (this is often quite a small meal) and then an evening meal (often called dinner or supper). Tea is still the traditional British hot drink and is usually taken with milk several times a day.

As in most other European countries, it is acceptable in the UK to drink alcohol in moderate amounts, and pubs and wine bars form an established part of British social life. All pubs and bars sell non-alcoholic drinks too, so you don’t have to drink to enjoy yourself!  People also meet to drink tea and coffee, and you’ll find a vast range of different coffee shops in every UK town or city.

While in the UK it is likely that you will be invited for a meal with friends. It is a good idea to make sure you tell them in advance about the food or drink you cannot consume because of your religion, health or ethical stance.  International students tell us how they love to share their own cookery with people from the UK and other countries and this is also a great way to make new friends.

Being a student in the UK is not just coursework or doing research but relaxing and having some fun too.  Students can get discounts on so many cultural experiences and attractions, and wherever you study you’ll find places to enjoy with friends or by yourself…concerts, walks in the country, museums, cinemas, up-to-the-minute sports facilities, galleries, cafes and castles, gardens, shops and coastline.  UK institutions pride themselves on providing great social opportunities for their students, with different societies and groups for a massive range of interests. International students from all over the world tell us about how easily they make new friends from all over the world. Making friends in the UK will really help you to improve your English too.

Aside from all the main religious festivals and holidays in the UK calendar, there are many traditional festivities that are enjoyed during the year. These include Bonfire Night on 5tth November when you can attend organised firework and bonfire displays. Bonfire Night celebrates the failure of the 1605 attempt by Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Then there is Burns Night - usually held on 25 January - which celebrates the life and works of the Scottish writer Robert Burns and people get together to eat a Burns Supper. In Wales you can join in the tradition of the Eisteddfod, a Welsh celebration of music, literature and performance. Aside from the National Eisteddfod, there are many other Eisteddfodau held across Wales including an International Eisteddfod and the Urdd (or Youth) Eisteddfod. This is one of Europe’s largest and most vibrant youth arts festivals.

Coming to the UK to study is also about finding inspiration and excitement outside your coursework as well as discovering new activities and ways to relax.  You can really be yourself by keeping up with your own interests or discovering new ones.  The UK has an amazing cultural scene which will be all around you wherever you choose to study.

The UK is a really cool place for music of all types. Whether you just listen or dance you’ll find pop, rock or classical, folk, jazz or opera, and all sorts of world music.  From small clubs, independent cafes and bars to international scale concert halls, rock festivals or gigs, you can listen and dance to lots of live music.  Many independent artists and bands play at university or college venues.  

Apart from a wealth of clubs and societies on campus or in local communities, you can visit traditional museums, contemporary art spaces and galleries, with collections and exhibitions from all over the world.  Sculpture, painting, video and photography are widely available to see in the UK.  The UK also has an incredibly vibrant theatre and performing arts heritage, maintaining both traditional plays and musicals but encouraging new and alternative productions too.

For something a bit more energetic, the UK offers an incredible and beautiful landscape for walking, climbing, cycling, mountain-biking and running. The mountains of Scotland and Wales, the rolling hills of England and Northern Ireland, the Lake District and the Yorkshire moors, as well as the coastline of all these parts of the UK will be all around you. Your university, college or school will be able to help you find out about local countryside activities and events.

Many institutions have good state-of-the-art sports facilities, but you can also use local or private leisure centres to keep fit and healthy.   As a student in the UK, there are many opportunities to attend or participate in organised sports activities, or to get involved in charitable events like sponsored walks and runs.  You might even try to join the London Marathon!

As a student, you are likely to have the opportunity to join all sorts of activities that can help you settle in, express yourself, relax and have some fun. Debating societies, choirs, drama groups, sailing, volunteering, business societies and meditation…it’s up to you.

After all that exercise, perhaps you just want to watch a film. The UK has cinemas in almost every town and city, showing feature films from all over the world. There are also many film festivals in British cities, focusing on themes in film, specific directors or animation, for example.