Luton

Luton is a vibrant, exciting town nestled between the Chiltern Hills and offering many excellent and convenient advantages for visitors. The town is a bustling and lively place with a strong multicultural feel and is home to people speaking more than 100 different languages. This diverse atmosphere is highlighted in the cultural events that take place in the town, as well as the many eateries that are based there.

Luton boasts its own international airport and great road and rail links to the rest of the UK making it the ideal place for anyone looking to hold a conference or other corporate event. Luton is easily accessible from all over the UK, so is the perfect location for anyone looking to meet with colleagues and customers that are spread out across Britain. The centre of London is just 22 minutes away by train and of course, being a main transport hub, there are a variety of options for those wanting to use the public transport network.

Despite this, Luton is a surprisingly green town with an abundance of landscaped parks, many of which have been painstakingly restored to their former Edwardian splendour. Six of Luton’s parks hold Green Flag Award status, which recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces, for those who want to explore the more extensive greenery, miles of beautiful countryside is within easy reach including the Chiltern Hills which offer gorgeous views and many wonderful walking routes.

Luton is an important site in British history, during the second world war, the Vauxhall Motors plant in the town built Churchill tanks and as such the town was regularly targeted during air raids. The town’s original town hall was destroyed in 1919 during Peace Day celebrations at the end of the First World War it was rebuilt in 1936 before the outbreak of the second World War.
Historically, Luton has always been known for hat making. This heritage is remembered through Luton Town Football Club who are nicknamed the Hatters. One of the town’s original Hat Factories is still standing and is now open for tours and trips.  These days, while hats might not be in as much demand as they once were, the town centre has a diverse offering including excellent retail establishments. Fans of the high street and those who want a little retail therapy should head to the Mall where they will find a host of independent and well-known brands, as well as a diverse variety of restaurants and cafes that cater for most tastes and reflect the region’s multiculturalism. There are also a number of other visitor attractions, including a theatre where you can find a number of great performances and the famous Luton Hoo hotel. The town hosts a range of fantastic annual events, such as the Luton International Carnival, Europe’s largest one day carnival which takes place every May. Crowds often reach 150,000 people and is hugely popular. The procession starts at Wardown Park and makes its way around the town centre before returning to Wardown Park with stalls and music stages lining the route.

 The town’s museums are well worth a visit as well: the award-winning, renovated Wardown Park Museum holds a fantastic collection of hats and lace that attracts visitors from across the country.

Stockwood Discovery Centre is another of the town’s major attractions, dedicated to the arts, crafts and trades of rural Bedfordshire. It’s beautiful period gardens represent over nine centuries of English horticultural history, while the Ian Hamilton Finlay sculpture garden is the only example of the artist’s work outside Scotland, and the Mossman Collection of horse-drawn vehicles is the largest of its kind on public display in Britain, telling the story of what life was like centuries before the invention of the motor car.

See what’s on in the region here.