Events for Gents

Send your tails to the dry cleaners, dust off your panama and get the picnic hamper out of storage, the English summer season is upon us, chaps. Some believe the Cheltenham Gold Cup or the Grand National kick off the season but nothing says the beginning of summer like a glass of Pimms at Royal Ascot, an annual favourite of HM Elizabeth II.

There is nothing more quintessentially English than a gent in top hat and tails perusing the gleaming horses in the parade ring, eating strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, ogling gaggles of decadently dressed women or cheering on rowing boats along the side of the Thames.

Although some may say quintessentially British others would argue that all of our classic summer social occasions are very much English. Of course Scotland, Ireland and Wales all have numerous globally renowned cultural and sporting events but it is only the English who insist on attending theirs in the right kind of hat. It also cannot be denied that the more popular events take place within easy reach of London. These esteemed events attract the world's rich and successful, not least because London is the magnet for the world's billionaires. No city draws the superrich from elsewhere like London.

Although these events scream English tradition, they are almost entirely funded by international money. It used to be just eccentric Englishmen who enjoyed our changeable summers but now it seems our social calendar has been globalised and in most opinions the effects have been nothing but positive. Events such as Ascot that was once amateurish and faded has been replaced with a professional and slick operation.

Far from globalising the events, which still hold their great English charm and traditions, international money has simply rejuvenated and supercharged them. We should be flattered that England attracts the worldwide ultra wealthy, their home countries simply don’t have the right infrastructure. Our racecourses, football pitches and tennis courts, not to mention our beautiful country estates and ancient private schools, play host to the most famous sporting and social events in the world. England is an alluring country, known generally for its economic, social and political stability. It is therefore no wonder that the rich of Egypt and the troubled Middle East are pouring their billions into Britain. We may have become globalised but the old-fashioned clichés of Englishness have never been so popular.

There are a certain few events that should be a part of every gent’s summer itinerary from Epsom Derby to Cowes you must attend at least one. Even if you take no interest in the sport, each event is a double spectacle, as well as noting the place your horse came in you will surely partake in a little people-watching too. Apart from the esteemed members of the Bullingdon Club, when else would one have the opportunity to get dressed up to the nines in top hat and tails and get absolutely sloshed?

Go to one or all of the events and get ready to enjoy an utterly English summer. Remember to pack your umbrella!

Over the next few weeks I will be introducing the coming events- with a bit of history, a bit of news and the all essential dress code!