Common Ground · Do
Days out and
things to do together
Ideas for schools, faith groups and community groups: visits, shared meals, walks, film nights, social action, all through the year.
Things to do together
Primary and secondary classes (KS2–KS3), especially schools with little diversity
School linking
Sign up as a school; link with a class across town for a year of exchanges and at least one face-to-face day. A University of Kent evaluation (664 teacher responses, 200+ schools, 2024/25) found teachers saying pupils understood other children's lives rose from 15.9% to 78.1%
You will need: Two partner classes from different communities; a trained teacher pair; a neutral third venue for the shared day
Adults, students, clergy and lay people of the Abrahamic faiths
Scriptural reasoning group
Pick a theme (hospitality, Abraham, light), read each text aloud, let each faith explain its own text, then ask questions rather than argue
You will need: A host, 6–15 people, short matched passages from Torah, Bible and Qur'an on one theme; agreed ground rules
Cambridge Interfaith Programme (home of the practice); the Scriptural Reasoning society (1130605) ↗
Everyone; families; colleagues; first-time visitors
Open Iftar
Book a place, arrive before sunset, listen to the call to prayer and a short talk, then break the fast together
You will need: Ramadan dates; a free ticket; a venue with space to eat on the floor or at tables
Neighbours, colleagues, students
Shabbat meal
Ask a Jewish friend or local synagogue about a guest Shabbat dinner, or join a challah bake
You will need: A host family or synagogue; candles, challah, wine or grape juice; Friday evening
Streets, workplaces, schools, faith groups
Festival meals (Christmas, Eid, Diwali, Hanukkah)
Choose the next festival on the calendar, invite the other traditions' neighbours, ask each guest to bring a dish and a story
You will need: A shared table; one host per tradition explaining the food; a small budget
Schools (RE), uni groups, community groups
Faith trail of places of worship
Book a guided day visiting a church, mosque, gurdwara and mandir in one walk; prepare questions in advance
You will need: Booked hosts at 2–4 places; walking route; modest dress; a short briefing on etiquette
Adults, families, local history groups
Heritage walking tour
Use Heritage Open Days in September to open or visit places normally closed; or walk the Woking route from the Shah Jahan Mosque to the Peace Garden
You will need: A route and printed map; permission where sites are private
Heritage Open Days (England); Horsell Common waymarked Peace Garden walk (Woking) ↗
Community centres, schools (age-rated), faith groups
Film night with discussion
Pick a film from On Screen, screen it, then ask: where did you see something bigger than yourself? What did each tradition recognise?
You will need: A screening licence for public showings (e.g. Filmbankmedia or the distributor); a facilitator; 3 prepared questions
Mixed audiences of all faiths and none; 20–80 people
Same Word night (whoisallah concept)
Film (20 min) → food (40 min) → one conversation question on the Names ('Which word for God do you use, and what does it mean to you?') → one small action from the Common Ground page
You will need: A short film from the site, food from two or more traditions, two hosts from different faiths, a screening licence if the film is not ours
whoisallah.org.uk (Who is Allah?): proposed, not yet running ↗
Faith groups, youth groups, workplaces
Joint social action day
Register a project for Sun 22 Nov 2026, invite a mosque and church to co-host, mix the teams
You will need: A project (collection, clean-up, soup serve), registration on the day's map, mixed volunteer teams
Adults and older teens
Food bank volunteering together
Book a regular shift with a friend from another faith; many food banks already run from churches and mosques
You will need: A local food bank shift; DBS not usually needed for adults
Congregations (synagogue–mosque, church–mosque, church–synagogue)
Twinning of places of worship
Start with a visit and a meal, then commit to two shared events a year (a festival and a social action day). The Bradford synagogue and mosque friendship is the model
You will need: Two leaders willing to meet; a first shared event; a simple written understanding
Council of Christians and Jews (238005); Nisa-Nashim (Jewish and Muslim women's network, 1175728) ↗
Primary and secondary schools; universities
Faith & Belief Forum schools programmes
Book a School Linking or 'Faith & Belief Speakers' session; speakers of different beliefs talk about their lives and take questions
You will need: A booked workshop or linking programme; teacher time
Post-16 students; teachers; adult groups
Holocaust education visit and testimony
Apply for two sixth-form places on Lessons from Auschwitz; students become Ambassadors and teach others
You will need: A school place on the programme; preparatory and follow-up seminars
Holocaust Educational Trust (1092892): Lessons from Auschwitz; Anne Frank Trust UK (1003279) ↗
Schools, councils, community groups
Srebrenica learning and memorial
Hold a memorial on or near 11 July; use the 'lessons from Srebrenica' material to talk about where hatred leads
You will need: Resources from Remembering Srebrenica; a venue; a speaker where available
Secondary schools, youth groups, mixed communities
Residential reconciliation programme
Book a residential at Ballycastle; share stories in small groups and work through disagreement safely
You will need: 2–3 days away; a group from two or more communities
Schools and young people in the North West and beyond
Peace and anti-violence education
Book a workshop on conflict and non-violence built on the Warrington bombing story
You will need: A booked session or programme
Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace (1048990), Warrington ↗
Streets, estates, villages
Street party or shared picnic
Register a Great Get Together for the June weekend; invite every door on the street
You will need: A date, a road-closure request to the council if needed, tables
A Same Word night
Film, food and a conversation
Pick a film from Watch with your neighbours. Share food: everyone brings something from their own table. Watch together, then ask three questions: What surprised you? What did you recognise? What would you like to ask each other?
What you need
A room, a screen, a licence to show the film in public (check with the distributor, or use a free title), and a host from each community. Start small: twelve people is plenty.
The year together
Shared days, and each faith's own festivals, so neighbours know.
| When | What | What you can do | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 8 Nov 2026 / Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Remembrance Sunday / Armistice Day | Join a local service; visit the Muslim Burial Ground Peace Garden in Woking, where Indian Army Muslim soldiers were buried | ↗ |
| Sun 8 Nov 2026 | Diwali 2026 | Visit a mandir or a city celebration; Leicester's Belgrave Road lights are the UK's best known | ↗ |
| Sun 8 – Sun 15 Nov 2026 | Inter Faith Week 2026: 'Lighting the Way for a Shared Future' | Find or register an event on the Week's map: peace walks, open doors, panels | ↗ |
| Sun 8 – Sun 15 Nov 2026 | Scottish Interfaith Week 2026 | Attend an event across Scotland; festival ambassadors write up visits | ↗ |
| Tue 10 – Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Birth of the Báb and Birth of Bahá'u'lláh (Twin Holy Days) 2026 | Many local Bahá'ís hold open devotional gatherings and celebrations; ask to join | ↗ |
| Sun 22 Nov 2026 | Mitzvah Day 2026 | Join or start a local social-action project: soup serves, collections, clean-ups, often with mosques and churches | ↗ |
| Tue 24 Nov 2026 (some calendars Wed 25 Nov) | Guru Nanak Gurpurab 2026 (Guru Nanak's birth) | Visit a gurdwara for kirtan and langar; many hold processions (nagar kirtan) the weekend before | ↗ |
| Tue 24 Nov 2026 | Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur 2026 | Remember the ninth Guru, who gave his life defending others' freedom to worship | ↗ |
| Evening Fri 4 Dec – Sat 12 Dec 2026 | Hanukkah (Chanukah) 2026 | Go to a public menorah lighting; learn why it is the festival of lights | ↗ |
| Tue 8 Dec 2026 | Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) 2026 | Learn the story of the Buddha's awakening under the Bodhi tree; some centres hold all-night meditation | ↗ |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Advent from Sun 29 Nov 2026) | Christmas | Carol services and Christmas Day lunches open to neighbours and people alone | ↗ |
| Expected about Tue 5 Jan 2027 (27 Rajab; the night before), subject to moon sighting | Isra and Mi'raj 2027 | Learn the story of the Night Journey; not all Muslims mark it with events | ↗ |
| Epiphany Wed 6 Jan 2027; Christmas in Julian-calendar churches (e.g. Russian, Serbian, Coptic, Ethiopian Orthodox) Thu 7 Jan 2027 | Epiphany and Orthodox Christmas 2027 | Epiphany remembers the wise men; many Orthodox neighbours celebrate Christmas on 7 January | ↗ |
| Lohri Wed 13 Jan; Makar Sankranti and Maghi Thu 14 Jan 2027 (some rituals 15 Jan) | Lohri and Makar Sankranti / Maghi 2027 | Bonfires for Lohri; kite flying and sesame sweets for Sankranti; Sikhs remember the Forty Liberated Ones at Maghi | ↗ |
| Fri 15 Jan 2027 (some Nanakshahi calendars 5 Jan) | Guru Gobind Singh Gurpurab 2027 | Visit a gurdwara on the tenth Guru's birthday; many hold kirtan and langar | ↗ |
| Mon 18 – Mon 25 Jan 2027 | Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2027 | Join a shared service between different churches in your area | ↗ |
| Sat 23 Jan 2027 (from the evening of 22 Jan) | Tu BiShvat 2027 (New Year for Trees) | Plant a tree or eat fruits of the Land; a good link with nature and creation days | ↗ |
| Wed 27 Jan 2027 | Holocaust Memorial Day 2027: 'No Place for Prejudice' | Attend or host a local event; light a candle; the London City Hall ceremony is online | ↗ |
| 1–7 Feb 2027 | World Interfaith Harmony Week | Hold a 'love of God, love of neighbour' event; it grew from A Common Word | ↗ |
| Expected to begin about Mon 8 Feb 2027 and end about Tue 9 Mar 2027, subject to moon sighting | Ramadan 2027 | Accept an iftar invitation; fast for a day alongside a friend | ↗ |
| Ash Wednesday 10 Feb – Holy Saturday 27 Mar 2027 | Lent 2027 | Lent lunches and study groups; 2027 Lent overlaps almost exactly with Ramadan | ↗ |
| Thu 11 Feb 2027 | Vasant Panchami 2027 | Spring festival honouring Saraswati, goddess of learning; children often begin lessons that day | ↗ |
| Mon 15 Feb 2027 (some communities 8 Feb) | Parinirvana Day (Nirvana Day) 2027 | Remember the Buddha's passing; reflect on impermanence; some centres hold open meditation | ↗ |
| Tue 2 – Sat 20 Mar 2027, sunrise to sunset | Bahá'í Nineteen Day Fast 2027 | Learn about fasting across faiths: Lent, Ramadan and the Bahá'í fast overlap in early March 2027 | ↗ |
| Last ten nights of Ramadan; the 27th night expected about the evening of Fri 5 Mar 2027 | Laylat al-Qadr 2027 (Night of Power) | Many mosques are full through the night; a respectful time not to plan noisy events nearby | ↗ |
| Sat 6 Mar 2027 | Maha Shivaratri 2027 | Night-long worship of Shiva; many fast; mandirs open late | ↗ |
| Expected Tue 9 or Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr 2027 | Send Eid greetings ('Eid Mubarak'); city Eid festivals (e.g. 'Eid on the Square', London) | ↗ |
| From Clean Monday, 15 Mar 2027, to Orthodox Easter (2 May) | Orthodox Great Lent 2027 | Orthodox neighbours keep a strict fast without meat, dairy or eggs; Great Lent begins later than Western Lent this year | ↗ |
| Holika Dahan Sun 21 Mar; Holi Mon 22 Mar 2027 | Holi 2027 | Festival of colours: many towns hold open Holi events; wear old clothes | ↗ |
| Sun 21 Mar 2027 | Naw-Rúz 2027 (Bahá'í and Persian New Year) | Send New Year greetings; many communities hold open celebrations | ↗ |
| Tue 23 Mar 2027 (from the evening of 22 Mar) | Purim 2027 | Gifts of food to friends and gifts to the poor | ↗ |
| Tue 23 – Thu 25 Mar 2027 | Hola Mohalla 2027 | The day after Holi: martial arts displays, poetry and kirtan; some UK gurdwaras hold events | ↗ |
| Good Friday 26 Mar – Easter Sunday 28 Mar 2027 | Easter 2027 | Easter morning services, walks of witness on Good Friday | ↗ |
| Wed 14 Apr 2027 | Vaisakhi 2027 | Visit a gurdwara and share langar; city Vaisakhi parades (Birmingham, Leicester, Southall) | ↗ |
| Wed 14 or Thu 15 Apr 2027 (sources differ) | Ram Navami 2027 | Celebrates the birth of Rama; mandirs hold readings and bhajans | ↗ |
| Mon 19 Apr 2027 | Mahavir Jayanti 2027 | Birth of Mahavira; visit a Jain temple (derasar) where visitors are welcome | ↗ |
| Evening Wed 21 Apr – Thu 29 Apr 2027 | Passover (Pesach) 2027 | Some synagogues hold interfaith or 'model' seders that guests can join | ↗ |
| Wed 21 Apr – Sun 2 May 2027 (holy days 21 Apr, 29 Apr, 2 May) | Ridván 2027 | The 'King of Festivals', remembering Bahá'u'lláh's declaration in a Baghdad garden | ↗ |
| Sun 2 May 2027 (Holy Friday 30 Apr) | Orthodox Easter (Pascha) 2027 | Midnight services with candles passed from hand to hand; 'Christ is risen!' greetings | ↗ |
| Tue 4 May 2027 | Yom HaShoah 2027 (Holocaust Remembrance Day) | Many communities hold memorial readings and candle lightings; a time to listen | ↗ |
| Ascension Thu 6 May; Pentecost (Whitsun) Sun 16 May 2027 | Ascension Day and Pentecost 2027 | Pentecost remembers the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church; some towns hold Whit walks | ↗ |
| 9–15 May 2027 | Christian Aid Week 2027 (70th anniversary) | Join a house-to-house collection or a fundraiser with local churches | ↗ |
| Expected about Sun 16 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha 2027 | Eid greetings; Qurbani meat is traditionally shared with neighbours and the poor | ↗ |
| Thu 20 May 2027; many UK centres celebrate on the nearest weekend | Vesak (Buddha Day) 2027 | Visit a vihara's open day; lanterns, offerings and meditation remember the Buddha's birth, awakening and passing | ↗ |
| Expected about Mon 24 May 2027 (18 Dhu al-Hijjah), subject to moon sighting | Eid al-Ghadir 2027 | An important day of celebration for Shia neighbours | ↗ |
| Expected about Sun 6 Jun 2027, subject to moon sighting | Islamic New Year 1449 | A quiet new year for many; send greetings | ↗ |
| Fri 11 – Sat 12 Jun 2027 (from the evening of 10 Jun) | Shavuot 2027 | Remembers the giving of the Torah; all-night study and dairy foods; the Book of Ruth is read | ↗ |
| Expected about Tue 15 Jun 2027 (10 Muharram), subject to moon sighting | Ashura 2027 | Learn why the day matters to Shia neighbours; many Shia centres hold open gatherings and share food and water | ↗ |
| Wed 16 Jun 2027 | Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev 2027 | Many gurdwaras serve free cold sweet drinks (chhabeel) to passers-by in summer heat | ↗ |
| June 2027, usually the weekend nearest 22 June (Jo Cox's birthday); 2027 dates not yet announced | Great Get Together 2027 | Hold a street party, picnic or shared lunch: 'more in common' | ↗ |
| Sun 11 Jul 2027 | Srebrenica Memorial Day 2027 | Host a memorial event; use the school resources; hear a survivor speak | ↗ |
| Thu 12 Aug 2027 (from the evening of 11 Aug) | Tisha B'Av 2027 | A fast day of mourning for the destruction of the Temples and later tragedies | ↗ |
| Expected about Sat 14 Aug 2027 (12 Rabi al-Awwal; many Shia mark 17 Rabi al-Awwal), subject to moon sighting | Mawlid an-Nabi 2027 | The Prophet Muhammad's birthday: poetry, gatherings and shared food in many communities | ↗ |
| Tue 17 Aug 2027 | Raksha Bandhan 2027 | Sisters tie a rakhi thread on brothers' wrists; a festival of family protection | ↗ |
| Tue 24 or Wed 25 Aug 2027 (traditions differ) | Janmashtami 2027 | Midnight celebrations of Krishna's birth; many mandirs open late | ↗ |
| Fri 27 Aug – Fri 3 Sep 2027; Samvatsari (Day of Forgiveness) Fri 3 Sep | Paryushana and Samvatsari 2027 | On Samvatsari, Jains ask forgiveness of everyone: 'Micchami Dukkadam'; a lovely idea for any classroom | ↗ |
| Sat 4 Sep 2027 | Ganesh Chaturthi 2027 | Festival of Ganesh, remover of obstacles; some UK mandirs hold processions | ↗ |
| 10–19 Sep 2027 | Heritage Open Days 2027 | Visit places of worship normally closed; many synagogues, mosques and chapels take part | ↗ |
| Tue 21 Sep 2027 | International Day of Peace 2027 | Hold a minute's silence or a peace event with neighbours of every faith | ↗ |
| Navaratri from about Thu 30 Sep / Fri 1 Oct; Dussehra Sat 9 Oct 2027 | Navaratri and Dussehra 2027 | Nine nights of dance (garba and dandiya, often open to all) and worship of the goddess | ↗ |
| Evening Fri 1 Oct – Sun 3 Oct 2027 | Rosh Hashanah 2027 (5788) | Send 'Shanah Tovah' greetings; apples and honey | ↗ |
| Evening Sun 10 Oct – Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Yom Kippur 2027 | A day of fasting and atonement: a moment to show solidarity, remembering the Heaton Park attack of 2025 | ↗ |
| From Sat 16 Oct 2027 | Sukkot 2027 | Some synagogues invite neighbours into the sukkah | ↗ |
| Sat 23 – Sun 24 Oct 2027 | Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2027 | Simchat Torah: joyful dancing with the Torah scrolls as the yearly reading restarts | ↗ |
| Fri 29 Oct 2027 | Diwali 2027 | Visit a mandir; city light switch-ons | ↗ |
| Remembrance Sunday 14 Nov 2027; Inter Faith Week and Mitzvah Day usually mid-to-late November; 2027 dates TBA | Inter Faith Week 2027 / Mitzvah Day 2027 / Remembrance Sunday 2027 | Plan school and community events now | ↗ |
| Sun 14 Nov 2027 | Guru Nanak Gurpurab 2027 | Visit a gurdwara for kirtan and langar | ↗ |
| Wed 24 Nov 2027 | Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur 2027 | Remember the ninth Guru | ↗ |
| Advent Sunday 28 Nov 2027; Christmas Day Sat 25 Dec 2027 | Advent and Christmas 2027 | Carol services and Christmas lunches open to neighbours and people alone | ↗ |
| Wed 8 Dec 2027 | Bodhi Day 2027 | Remember the Buddha's awakening | ↗ |
| Evening Fri 24 Dec 2027 – Sat 1 Jan 2028 | Hanukkah (Chanukah) 2027 | This year the first candle is lit on Christmas Eve: a lovely moment for shared lights | ↗ |
| During Ramadan 2027 (Feb–Mar); 2027 programme not yet announced | Open Iftar 2027 (Ramadan Festival) | Book a free place at an Open Iftar in a cathedral, castle, stadium or Trafalgar Square; 'open to people of any faith or none' | ↗ |
| During Ramadan 2027 | Big Iftars (local) | Look for a 'Big Iftar' or community iftar near you; not a single national campaign | ↗ |
| September 2027 (Glasgow usually mid-September); dates TBA | Doors Open Days (Scotland) 2027 | Tour Glasgow Central Mosque and other places of worship | ↗ |
| October 2027 (usually the second or third week); dates TBA | National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2027 | Learn the 5 Ds; report through True Vision | ↗ |
| No current date found | Sadaqa Day | Do not list until a current organiser is confirmed | ↗ |
Watch more: Days out and things to do together
5 films and talks, chosen for this page. They play here.
Holy Cribs: The Synagogue
TrueTube · 10 min
The Mosque | Religious Studies - My Life, My Religion: Islam
BBC Bitesize for Teachers · 2 min
BBC Teach: inside the mosque.
A Tour Of Westminster Cathedral | Episode 1 of 6
Westminster Cathedral · 4 min
Virtual Tour of Places of Worship
TheCCJUK · 5 min
Council of Christians and Jews: a virtual tour of places of worship.
Inside a Reform Synagogue | Holy Cribs
TrueTube · 7 min
- More films and talks on F-ILMWatch free