Dragons beware...it's Saint George's Day

April 23 marks St. George's Day, an oft-ignored celebration in England. London is observing the holiday this year--at least theoretically--since the two major events take place on other days and one of those celebrates England's greatest writer, not its patron saint. That said, the St. George's Day official events are:

• A concert of contemporary English music on April 25 in Traflagar Square (12:30 to 6:30 p.m.)
• A celebration of William Shakespeare's birthday at the Globe Theatre on April 19th (12:00 to 4:30 p.m.)
  

Keeping the "Brit" in Britain

Because of the economic situation, UK residents may be dropping overseas travel and vacationing in the United Kingdom this year. 1 in 5 UK residents surveyed by the English tourism agency have adopted this stay-at-home holiday plan. Will this lead to crowding at British tourist attractions? Perhaps, but there will also be fewer foreign tourists arriving in the UK this year as well...again, due to economic conditions.

Rail strike UPDATE

A vote by some of London's commuter rail workers has increased the chance of a strike on some of the city's busiest rail lines. Workers voted for a strike at National Express East Anglia, First Capital Connect and London Overground. Labor union members at South West Trains rejected the strike authorization.

The first 24 hour strike is scheduled to start at 12:01 a.m. on March 30.

Sure sign of Spring: Tube strike vote

Things have been relatively quiet on the London Underground recently. No, the trains still squeal and squeak, the station announcements still blare loudly but incomprehensibly....What's been missing is a good old fashioned strike by the subway's workers. Well, that's a possibility this Spring as labor unions hold strike authorization votes. Results will be known in early April.

Protests planned

Visitors to London may encounter significant protests on the city's streets ahead of and during the G20 summit scheduled for April 2.

Neverland on the Thames

Shopworn pop icon Michael Jackson plans to stage a comeback of sorts--and supposedly a farewell of sorts too--in London this summer. Jacko plans 10 days in residence at London's O2 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome).

If you're not broke, come on over

British Airways has announced a Spring sale for travel from the US to the UK and Europe. The (relatively) cheap fares also include some free hotel deals. The sale ends March 13 and covers travel March 23 to May 24. So the point of this posting, which sounds a bit like an ad for British Airways (but isn't) is: the economy is bad, but if you are able to travel, there are some bargains available. Expect other airlines to either match BA's sale, or announce their own specials.