ENG
عربى
United Kingdom, island country located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which contains England, Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The capital is London, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres. Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.
The origins of the United Kingdom can be traced to the time of the Anglo-Saxon king Athelstan, who in the early 10th century ce secured the allegiance of neighbouring Celtic kingdoms and became “the first to rule what previously many kings shared between them,” in the words of a contemporary chronicle. Through subsequent conquest over the following centuries, kingdoms lying farther afield came under English dominion. Wales, a congeries of Celtic kingdoms lying in Great Britain’s southwest, was formally united with England by the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1542. Scotland, ruled from London since 1603, formally was joined with England and Wales in 1707 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain. (The adjective “British” came into use at this time to refer to all the kingdom’s peoples.) Ireland came under English control during the 1600s and was formally united with Great Britain through the Act of Union of 1800. The republic of Ireland gained its independence in 1922, but six of Ulster’s nine counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland. Relations between these constituent states and England have been marked by controversy and, at times, open rebellion and even warfare. These tensions relaxed somewhat during the late 20th century, when devolved assemblies were introduced in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Nonetheless, even with the establishment of a power-sharing assembly after referenda in both Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, relations between Northern Ireland’s unionists (who favour continued British sovereignty over Northern Ireland) and nationalists (who favour unification with the republic of Ireland) remained tense into the 21st century.
Cheekily known as the New York of Europe, London's history in the entertainment industry has made it a staple for budding theatre buffs and music geeks alike. Be it the high society culture of London's fashionable West End, or the underground music scene of clubs such as Clerkenwell's infamous Fabric, or Camden's KOKO and Jazz Cafe, both of which are famed for hosting some of the most up-and-coming artists to date. It is with this in mind, that we at StubHub are excited to offer you all the London entertainment tickets around, giving you the chance to experience this incredible city, along with some truly exciting events in the process.
Considering London's West End strip, there are countless shows that are worth sinking your teeth into. Depending on what you like, London has more than enough of shows to keep you entertained, be it comedy, a musical or a bit of good old fashioned Drama. For all of those musical buffs, shows such as Wicked, Mamma Mia and Matilda The Musical, while those wanting something with a little more can check out JK Rowling's extremely popular two-parter playHarry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Lion King, while comedy fans should definitely check out the critically acclaimed Book of Mormon show, for something that you definitely won't regret.
Of course, the theatre isn't the only thing London has going, as the city can now boast home to some of the UKs biggest festivals and tours. While both the Wembley Arena and the O2 Arena are frequently visited from some of the world's top artists along with the odd festival, the British Summer Time festival is actually hosted at London's massive Hyde Park, and frequently features an impressive roster of artists, all in the same day! Likewise, Capital's Summertime Ball, now hosted in the ever-impressive Wembley Stadium, has been a staple of London's summer calendar since 2009.
It's difficult not to mention Wimbledon when talking of London's top sports events, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has remained a centre for all things athletics in recent years. Though for some of the most exciting sporting events, one need not look further than Wembley Stadium, with the stadium recently making history for one hosting biggest boxing events in the UK, when Anthony Joshua clashed with Wladimir Klitschko!
