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How to avoid the royal wedding this weekend
If the royal wedding is just another Saturday
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Your support makes all the difference.Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are finally set to tie the knot on Saturday - but if this excites you about as much as a stale slice of bread, the good news is there are plenty of other events going on the same day.
For football fans, the biggest source of entertainment on the big day will undoubtedly be the FA Cup Final, in which Chelsea will play Manchester United at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5.15pm, several hours after the royal ceremony which will begin at noon.
Or, if you consider yourself to be more weekend tipple than weekend tackle, May 19 also happens to be World Whisky Day.
To celebrate, you can head down to your local pub - or if you were in the mood for classier celebrations, the Haymarket Hotel in London is hosting a four-course dinner with whisky pairings in partnership with Diageo.
Tickets cost £85 per person, including welcome cocktail and canapés, a four-course meal and whisky pairings.
If you prefer beer to whisky, you could attend a beer tasting and brewery tour at Crate Brewery in London that afternoon.
Lasting one hour, guests can learn the basics of brewing - and brush up on their beer-drinking skills. Tickets cost £25 and include a deli sharing platter.
Artsy folk can skip the royal celebrations in favour of some museum sightseeing - opting for some nighttime touring instead of royal fawning as part of the Museums at Night festival.
On May 19, the UK-wide festival offers events at the Observatory Science Centre, the Peterborough Museum, the Mid-Norfolk Railway, the Craven Museum, the Highland Folk Museum, the Scottish Fisheries Museum, and many more.
Photography fans can head down to Photo London, the photography fair at Somerset House in London for £30 and see collections from the world’s leading photographers.
If the weather is nice, Brits can also visit the Luna Cinema, an outdoor open-air cinema, for a viewing of Top Gun.
Music fans can skip the royal celebrations, opting instead to attend The Great Escape music festival in Brighton. Starting on May 17 and ending on May 19, the line-up includes artists Aadae, 23 Unofficial, Mist, Fredo, and Ebenezer - among many others.
A Saturday ticket costs £45.
Wine and cheese lovers alike can flock to the a BBQ in the pairing's namesake at Five Miles Bar in South Tottenham and wash down charred halloumi with a glass of red before boogying the afternoon away at this unique Wine and Rind takeover.
Alternatively, you could sashay straight past Kensington Palace and make your way to the Design Museum, where the iconic gowns created by Azzedine Alaïa are currently being shown in the first UK solo exhibition of his work.
Following the Tunisian-born couturier's death in November last year, his legacy as one of the most transgressive figures in the fashion industry remains as salient as ever.
For those that want to celebrate the royal wedding in a unique way, interested parties can join The Strictly Come Drag Queens in toasting the couple as part of the Royal Wedding Special.
Located at the Breakfast Club Canary Wharf, tickets cost £45 and include admission to the two-course drag dinner, one hour of bottomless champagne, drink specials, and disco dancing until midnight.
Last but not least, you could spend the entire day resting and preparing for the first-of-its-kind UK Pizza Run, set to take place on May 20.
Exactly what it sounds, the Pizza Run is a 5k run sprinkled with pizza. The run will be taking place in Bristol, Cardiff, London, Leeds and Manchester and each participant will receive pizza and a medal. Following the race will be an after-party hosted by a DJ.
With just days to go before the royal wedding, it may seem impossible to escape anything royals-themed.
Fortunately, May 19 2018 doesn’t just have to be the day Meghan marries Prince Harry - it could also be the day you celebrate your favourite tipple or watch Tom Cruise act in Top Gun.
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