The Archbishop of York has led celebrations to mark St George's Day and called for wider participation to give England "a lift".
Dr John Sentamu opened up the grounds of his Bishopthorpe Palace, near York, to local children for a party to mark the day dedicated to England's patron saint.
Meanwhile, London Mayor Boris Johnson announced a series of free events in the capital and flew the English flag outside City Hall, while a music concert will take place in Trafalgar Square on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the capital, English armoured and mounted knights took part in a medieval battle at Old Spitalfields Market. And sporting celebrities including World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst attended the Bombardier-sponsored St George's Day Long Lunch in the City.
Dr Sentamu's party was one of a series of events held around England to mark the day which many feel has been largely forgotten.
The archbishop said he thought it was wrong the Irish, Scots and Welsh should all enthusiastically mark their saints' days but many English people did not really recognise St George's Day.
He said: "I would love this to be a day of dedication, that we will help those who are struggling within our country - help them like St George would have done. But it also happens to be the birthday of Shakespeare. Why couldn't we have street parties where plays of Shakespeare and many other plays are being re-enacted in our streets?
"Why don't we have art, music, dance and actually have a great celebration? This country needs a lift instead of always feeling 'oh dear everything is bad, it's very awful'. And these children playing rounders here are trying to say there are some good things in England worth celebrating."
Creating a new public holiday would turn the occasion around from an event that has lost relevance, according to a survey of 7,000 users of social website MySpace.
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