Party conference season

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.

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 were as follows:

The dates and locations of the 2015 conferences were as follows:

The dates of the 2014 conferences were as follows:

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:

The dates of the 2012 conferences were as follows:

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