The 5th of November commemorates the failure of renegade Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up Parliament for religious motives in 1605. On this night, people convene in various parks throughout London to marvel at the fireworks and keep warm around the bonfire on which an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned.

One of London's biggest cultural events, the Lord Mayor's Show celebrates the appointment of the city's iconic figure - the Lord Mayor. Held since the 16th Century, the event is an exhibit of tradition featuring the classic parade of marching pikemen and musketeers.

Produced by the English Civil War Society, the annual event commemorates the execution of King Charles I in 1649. In honor of this event, soldiers dressed in 17th-century attire retrace his last walk from St. James's Palace through The Mall to the Banqueting House in Whitehall. The ceremony includes a wreath laying and prayers at at the base of the contemporary statue of King Charles I in Trafalgar Square near the spot the King's murderers were executed when King Charles II regained the throne. Admission is free.

China's most important and ancient observance, this annual holiday tradition is a celebration to herald the renewal of the earth after the bleakness of winter. Multicultural London sees Chinatown ablaze with deafening firecrackers and bustling street markets that feature Chinese porcelain, calligraphy, aromatic food stalls, paper dragons and drums. Lion dances, acrobats, martial arts performers and traditional music abound in what is truly a spectacular event for all. Free admission.

Based on a traditional Christian holy day, pancake day was so named because people needed a way to use up all of their eggs before the Christian fast of Lent. From 12:30pm on Shrove Tuesday, Spitalfields market runs riot with teams of four people running relays with frying pans and pancakes.

Every year on the second Saturday in June, the Queen leaves Buckingham Palace in her horse-drawn carriage to drive down Horse Guards Parade for Trooping the Colour- The Queen's Birthday Parade. Probably the most spectacular annual military display in the United Kingdom, the event dates back to the 17th Century and features 1,400 men, 200 horses, and over 400 musicians gallantly marching in uniform. Crowds line The Mall to watch the procession, but only a select few are able to get a ticket for the display itself.