In the United Kingdom the party conference season is the period of three weeks in September and October of each year, whilst the House of Commons is in recess, in which the annual political party conferences are held.
Political party conferences have traditionally taken place in seaside resorts such as Blackpool, Brighton and Bournemouth, largely due to there being plenty of cheap accommodation available in such towns at the end of the summer holiday season. However, they are increasingly taking place in major cities with modern, purpose-built conference centres such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, with all of the major UK political parties' conferences taking place in towns and cities in 2014.
There is an unofficial agreement between the parties that they will stagger the timing of their conferences such that media attention be undivided, though smaller parties do not always abide by this rule firmly. In 2012 for example, there was an overlap between the Liberal Democrat and United Kingdom Independence Party annual conferences, with the latter concluding on the opening day of the former, and in 2013 the Liberal Democrat and Green Party of England and Wales conferences overlapped by three days.
The dates and locations of the 2016 conferences will be as follows:
Green Party of England and Wales – Friday 2 September to Sunday 4 September 2016 at the University of Birmingham
UKIP – Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 September at the Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth
Liberal Democrats – Saturday 17 September to Tuesday 20 September at the Brighton Centre, Brighton
Labour – Sunday 25 September to Wednesday 28 September 2016 at the ACC Liverpool, Liverpool
Conservatives – Sunday 2 to Wednesday 5 October at International Convention Centre, Birmingham
Scottish National Party – Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 October at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow
Plaid Cymru - Friday 21 to Saturday 22 October at the Pavilion, Llangollen
The dates and locations of the 2015 conferences were as follows:
Liberal Democrats – Saturday 19 to Wednesday 23 September at the Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth
UKIP – Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September at Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse, Doncaster
Green Party – Friday 25 to Monday 28 September at the Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth
Labour – Sunday 27 to Wednesday 30 September at the Brighton Centre, Brighton
Conservatives – Sunday 4 to Wednesday 7 October at Manchester Central, Manchester
Scottish National Party – Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 October at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Aberdeen
Plaid Cymru – Friday 23 – Saturday 24 October at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth
The dates of the 2014 conferences were as follows:
Green Party of England and Wales – 5 to 8 September, at Aston University Birmingham
Trades Union Congress – 7 to 10 September, in Liverpool
Labour – 21 to 24 September, in Manchester
UKIP – 26 to 27 September, in Doncaster
Official Monster Raving Loony Party – 26th, 27th & 28th Sept, in Llandrindod Wells, Powys
Conservatives – 28 September to 1 October, in Birmingham
Liberal Democrats – 4 to 8 October, in Glasgow
Scottish Green Party – 11 to 12 October, in Edinburgh
Plaid Cymru – 24 to 25 October, in Aberystwyth
Scottish National Party – 13 to 15 November, in Perth
At their annual conference, the Scottish National Party held a leadership election following Alex Salmond's announcement of resignation. Nicola Sturgeon, formerly Salmond's deputy, was elected as their new leader.
The dates of the 2013 conferences were as follows:
Trades Union Congress – 8 to 11 September, in Bournemouth
Green Party of England and Wales – 13 to 16 September, in Brighton
Liberal Democrats – 14 to 18 September, in Glasgow
UKIP – 20 to 21 September, in London
Labour- 22 to 25 September, in Brighton
Conservatives – 29 September to 2 October, in Manchester
Plaid Cymru – 11 to 12 October, in Aberystwyth
Scottish National Party – 17 to 20 October, in Perth
The dates of the 2012 conferences were as follows:
Green Party of England and Wales – 7 to 10 September, in Bristol
Trades Union Congress – 9 to 12 September, in Brighton
Plaid Cymru – 13 to 15 September, in Brecon
UKIP – 21 to 22 September, in Birmingham
Liberal Democrats – 22 to 26 September, in Brighton
Labour- 30 September to 4 October, in Manchester
Conservatives – 8 to 11 October, in Birmingham
Scottish National Party – 18 to 21 October, in Perth
