Cosa c'è di esaltante?
Visitors should expect to be surprised: Britain is no small, stuffy island. The only certainty is that you'll get very, very involved. Here are the events that have got tongues wagging each month of the year.
January
Shetland Islanders honour their Nordic heritage - listen out for the Scandinavian edge to the local accent - by donning Viking gear and ceremonially torching a traditional longship.
February
This twice-yearly gathering - with a parallel event in September - showcases British fashion talent, as well as playing host to glittering parties. Attendance is for fashion professionals only but the end-of-show marquee sell off is a great place to pick up something unusual at a fraction of its real value.
March
A traditional rowing contest on the River Thames between the Oxford and Cambridge University teams. Join the crowds - who use the whole thing as an excuse for a big party no matter who wins - packing out riverside pubs and vantage points.
April
A wild, weird and whacky fire and fertility festival, with dancing crowds, tribal drumming, body paint and lashings of sexual innuendo, held during the night of 30 April on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, with wonderful views of the city beyond.
May
It's one of the British summer's essentials: a picnic in the grounds of Glyndebourne country house before listening to Mozart or another world-class opera. And yes, formal dress is expected - so smarten up!
June
Famous the world over, Glastonbury is more than a big-name concert: it's a huge open-air musical happening with dozens of stages and a huge variety of performances. The event sells out in hours and is notoriously tough to get into, but smaller festivals across the summer prove the spirit of the event is an enduring one.
July
Britons love to be outdoors in summer and Cornwall's Eden Project hosts a series of rock and pop concerts in the shadow of the venues impressive geodesic domes. To attend is the perfect accompaniment to a few days surfing Cornwall's world-class beaches.
August
On the last bank holiday of the year Notting Hill in west London celebrates its Caribbean heritage with a weekend of parties, parades and colourful costumes. It's a spectacular multicultural feast and the capital's biggest street party.
September
Classically British fun at historic Goodwood racetrack, where vintage cars and bikes race to the delight of 110,000 spectators, many of whom come dressed to match the period vehicles. Goodwood is the world's largest - and most endearingly eccentric - step back in time to the golden age of motor racing.
October
Conker-duelling contest sussing out the tough nuts from the softies. Expect anguished wailing as grown men lose to small children, all down to the vagaries of the humble horse chestnut.
November
Guy Fawke's Night, nationwide
Britain's most-notorious traitor is remembered on 5 November with bonfires and spectacular firework displays.
December
New Year Celebrations, nationwide
New Year in Britain is as big a party as it is the world over. While Edinburgh's Hogmanay is the best known, cities around Britain host raucous street parties. New Years Day is marked by the hardy with swimming in icy waters - sure to beat any hangover!