Below is English UK's guide to some of the major events and exhibitions being held in the UK to the end of April, with a preview of what's coming up in May and beyond.

February

Music:

Ukulele Wednesdays - make music with others at a London pub. Anyone is welcome with a ukulele (a tiny guitar) or a voice on Wednesday nights at the Albany, Great Portland Street in London. 

Exhibitions:

Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men - this exhibition tells the story of medicine 180 years ago when doctors learned by cutting up dead bodies, which were often stolen. At the Museum of London to until 14 April.

Jane Austen - it is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice and events include a special exhibition at Jane Austen's House Museum in Alton, Hampshire, till 31 May and a stage adaptation at the open air theatre in Regent's Park from 20 June to 20 July.

Vikings - major exploration of the Scandinavian explorers who helped shape the UK. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, till 12 May.  

Shows:

The Turn of the Screw - classic ghost story comes to the Almeida Theatre until 16 March.

Macbeth, starring James McAvoy, is on at the Trafalgar Studios in London until 27 April.

The Lion King - Disney's popular musical is on at the Palace Theatre, Manchester until 31 March.

The Audience - Helen Mirren stars on stage as the Queen, in a play about the weekly meeting she has had with every Prime Minister for the past 60 years. Gielgud Theatre, London, 15 February - 15 June. 

Art:

Juergen Teller: Woo! Fashion photography mixes it with landscapes and family portraits at London's ICA until 17 March.

Lichtenstein: A Retrospective - London's Tate Modern shows there was much more to the pop art pioneer than comic-strip imagery. 21 February - 27 May.

Ansel Adams: Photography from the Mountains to the Sea - iconic US scenery at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, until 28 April.

Looking at the View - British landscape art over the past 300 years, including that of JMW Turner and Tracey Emin. Tate Britain, 12 February - 2 June.

Ice Age Art: Arrival Of The Modern Mind - some of the world's oldest-known sculptures, dating back 30,000 years, and modern responses from artists such as Picasso and Henry Moore feature in this British Museum exhibition from 7 February - 26 May.

Manet: Portraying Life - the biggest show ever in the UK of the Impressionist painter's work is on at the Royal Academy till 14 April.

Murillo & Justino de Neve - see the Spanish painter's work at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, transformed into a Seville church, until 19 May.

Man Ray portraits - Picasso, Henri Matisse, Wallis Simpson and Coco Chanel are among the famous faces on show in this photographic exhibition, on at the National Portrait Gallery until 27 May.

Exhibitions:

Glam! The Performance of Style - this exhibition looks at art in the light of the androgynous glam rock period of the 1970s, and includes the work of Warhol and David Hockney below mirror balls and strobe lighting. Tate Liverpool, 8 February - 12 May.  

Events/festivals:

Chinese New Year - London hosts the largest celebrations outside Asia, which this year falls on Sunday 10 February. There's a parade, entertainment, acrobatics, martial arts and more.

See London as never before when the viewing platform on The Shard, Europe's tallest building, opens in February.  

Dance: Aladdin was originally created for the National Ballet of Japan, this ballet gets its UK premiere with the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Birmingham Hippodrome 15 - 23 February, then touring.

Shows:

A Midsummer Night's Dream, with the Handspring Puppet Theatre, is at the Bristol Old Vic from 28 February - 4 May.

The Book of Mormon - the creators of South Park bring their first musical to the Prince of Wales Theatre in London from 25 February.

Sport: RBS Six Nations Rugby - this annual tournament kicks off at the start of February with matches continuing through March. 

March

Exhibitions:

Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum - see the remains of Roman life preserved under the ash of the Vesuvius eruption in a special exhibition at the British Museum from 28 March - 29 September.

David Bowie Is, a show about the star's fashion legacy including photos and clothes from his private collection. At the V&A Museum from 23 March - 28 July.

Treasures of the Royal Courts - 500 years of trade and exchange between Russia and England, concentrating on royal gifts. V&A Museum 9 March - 14 July.

Henry Moore/Auguste Rodin - two major sculptors on show at the Henry Moore Foundation in Hertfordshire from 29 March - 27 October.

Dance:

The Great Gatsby gets the ballet treatment by Northern Ballet who perform it at the West Yorkshire Playhouse from 2 - 9 March before it goes on tour through towns and cities, ending in London in May.

Shows:

Walking with Dinosaurs tours UK cities from March onwards, ending at London's Wembley arena, 

Events:

The Boat Race - this famous race on the Thames between teams from Oxford and Cambridge Universities is now in its 159th year. Cambridge have won 81 races to Oxford's 76, and it's free to watch from the riverbank. The course runs between Putney and Mortlake, and the event begins at 2.15pm on Saturday 31 March.

Crufts - find out how mad the British are about dogs at this annual four-day dog show. Crufts is held at the NEC Arena in Birmingham from 7- 10 March, with the Best in Show final on the final evening. 

Festivals:

St David's Day celebrates the patron saint of Wales on 1 March. It's mostly celebrated in Wales and London. In Wales, there are celebrations and a parade in Cardiff.

St Patrick's Day celebrates Ireland and its patron saint. Many pubs hold celebrations, but there is a major parade and festival in London on Sunday 17 March, including a showcase of Irish culture in Trafalgar square from 12:00 until 18:00.

Maslenitsa Russian Festival - this free London festival includes theatre and dance performances and Russian food. Trafalgar Square, 16 March.

Mother's Day -  there are little events all over the UK to celebrate this annual festival. It's not a good day to go out to lunch, as it's a busy family day, but it's a fun day to watch people celebrating together on Sunday 10 March.

April

Festivals:

RHS Show Cardiff - two-day festival of plants and flowers close to the city's historic castle.

Harrogate Flower Show - often described as the best flower show in Europe, this Yorkshire event is famous for its daffodils and tulips as well as fantastic flower arranging. 25 - 28 April. 

Huguenots of Spitalfields Festival - London was a magnet for French Protestant Huguenots in the late 17th century and this festival from 8 -21 April in East London includes walks, talks and weaving workshops.

Sport:

The Virgin London Marathon 2013 - it's worth finding a space on the route of this annual event to see the mixture of professionals, amateurs and people running in strange costumes to raise money for charity. Sunday 23 April.

John Smith's Grand National - probably the UK's most famous horse race. Lots of people like to lay a bet on this and watch it on the TV. It includes 30 of the most challenging fences in racing and amateur jockeys can take part on 6 April.

Holidays/events:

Easter - Friday 29 March (Good Friday) and Monday 1 April (Easter Monday) are public holidays in the UK (except Easter Monday in Scotland). As well as being a Christian church festival, the weekend has an association with spring and chocolate. So expect lots of easter egg hunts and other events.

Coming up in May...

Canalway Cavalcade 2013 - canal boats come together in London's Little Venice with plenty of activities during the weekend of 4 - 6 May.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Sam Mendes directs the Roald Dahl story at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 18 May 18 - 30 November.