Your August Bank Holiday Weekend Sporting Guide: Lord’s, the Premier League and the US Open

The August bank holiday weekend delivers one of the busiest four day stretches in the British sporting calendar. Test cricket at Lord’s runs right through to Monday, Premier League football is spread across all four days, the US Open main draw gets underway in New York and racecourses up and down the country open their gates for bank holiday Monday. Here is everything worth watching between Friday 28 and Monday 31 August, and how to be there in style next time around.

England v Pakistan, Second Test at Lord’s

The centrepiece of the weekend is unquestionably the second Rothesay Test between England and Pakistan, which began at Lord’s on Thursday 27 August and runs through to Monday 31 August. Play starts at 11am each day.

England arrive at the Home of Cricket with a 1-0 series lead after a thumping victory at Headingley, where they won by an innings and 103 runs. Pakistan were dismissed for 171 in their first innings and never recovered, and their middle order will need a substantial rethink if the tourists are going to level the series in St John’s Wood.

For anyone at a loose end this weekend, a Test match that could run all the way to bank holiday Monday is about as good as it gets. Days four and five at Lord’s often produce the most compelling cricket of the match, particularly with a series on the line.

Cricket hospitality at Lord’s with Engage means a full day in our ICON facility at the Nursery Pavilion, with cricket legends in attendance, premium dining and complimentary drinks throughout. Explore our cricket hospitality packages for the remainder of the summer and beyond.

Premier League: football across all four days

The 2026/27 season’s second weekend of league action is stretched across Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which means there is Premier League football on every single day of the bank holiday.

Friday night sets things up nicely, with Crystal Palace hosting Manchester City at Selhurst Park at 8pm. Saturday opens with Liverpool against Nottingham Forest at Anfield in the 12.30pm slot, followed by Bournemouth v Everton and Coventry City v Hull City at 3pm, before Tottenham Hotspur welcome Newcastle United at 5.30pm. Spurs will be keen to respond after a chastening 3-0 defeat at Brentford on the opening weekend.

Sunday brings a triple header at 2pm, with Chelsea v Brighton, Leeds United v Brentford and Sunderland v Fulham, before Manchester United host Ipswich Town at 4.30pm. Ruben Amorim’s side lost 2-0 at newly promoted Hull City in their opening fixture, so the pressure at Old Trafford is already building.

The weekend then closes with the pick of the fixtures. Aston Villa against Arsenal at Villa Park on Monday evening pits the reigning champions against a Villa side who were beaten 4-0 at Brighton in their opener. It is also the final day of the summer transfer window, so expect the football news cycle to be running at full tilt.

Engage offers official hospitality across the Premier League, including packages at Anfield, the Etihad Stadium, Old Trafford, the Emirates and more. Browse our full football hospitality range to plan your matchday.

The US Open main draw begins

The final Grand Slam of the tennis season gets properly underway on Sunday 30 August, when the men’s and women’s singles first round begins at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. The opening round is spread across three days, running through to Tuesday 1 September, with day sessions from 11am local time and evening sessions from 7pm.

There is plenty to follow. Alexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka go in as the top seeds, with Sabalenka defending the title she won last year. Defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz returns to competitive action for the first time since a wrist injury in Barcelona in mid-April, which makes his campaign one of the great unknowns of the fortnight. Jannik Sinner misses the tournament through a knee injury, and Novak Djokovic continues his pursuit of another major. The women’s final takes place on Saturday 12 September, with the men’s final the following day.

If the tennis has you planning ahead, our Wimbledon 2027 debenture seats offer some of the very best views on Centre Court and No.1 Court, with access to the exclusive debenture restaurants and bars. Engage is an authorised reseller for The Championships.

Bank holiday Monday at the races

British racing traditionally makes the most of the late August bank holiday, and Monday 31 August is no exception. Meetings are scheduled at Epsom Downs, Ripon, Cartmel, Chepstow and Southwell, giving racegoers across the country something within reach.

Epsom Downs hosts a family raceday built around live racing and a full programme of entertainment, while Cartmel brings the curtain down on its jump season in the Lake District. Ripon, Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse, pairs its card with family activities that make it an easy day out.

Engage’s horse racing portfolio centres on our partnership with Ascot Racecourse, including a purpose built ICON experience at Royal Ascot and private boxes throughout the season. Take a look at our official partnerships to see the venues we work with.

Also worth watching

Snooker’s British Open begins at the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse on Monday 31 August, running through to 6 September, with Shaun Murphy defending the title he won last year. Elsewhere, the domestic football calendar continues well beyond the Premier League, with EFL and non-league fixtures giving plenty of options closer to home.

Coming up next

The weekend after the bank holiday is every bit as strong. Formula 1 returns from the Dutch Grand Prix with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September, the most historic venue on the calendar and a weekend where the Ferrari grandstands are worth the trip on their own. The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men also begins on Wednesday 2 September, opening in Lincoln with five ascents of Michaelgate before five days of racing across the country. Then it is back to the cricket, with the third and deciding Test between England and Pakistan starting at Edgbaston on Wednesday 9 September.

Engage is an Official F1 Paddock Club Authorised Distributor, with access to suites positioned directly above the team garages, gourmet dining and pit lane walks. Explore our F1 Paddock Club packages for the remainder of the 2026 season.