Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire, England. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. It is located 20 miles east of Aylesbury, 14 miles west of Stevenage, 30 miles north-northwest of London, and 22 miles southeast of Milton Keynes.

Luton is home to League Two team Luton Town Football Club, whose history includes several spells in the top flight of the English league as well as a Football League Cup triumph in 1988. They play at Kenilworth Road stadium, which has been their home since 1905.

London Luton Airport, opened in 1938, is one of England's major airports. During the Second World War it doubled as an RAF base.

The University of Bedfordshire is based in the town.

The Luton Carnival, which was traditionally been held on the Whitsun May bank holiday, is the largest one-day carnival in Europe. In 2012, it was moved to July to coincide with the Olympic Torch Relay and celebrations. Luton Carnival was transferred from Luton Borough Council to UK Centre for Carnival Arts in 2013, and since then has been held on the Sunday before the bank holiday in order to avoid the increased costs of operating on a bank holiday.

The town was for many years famous for hat-making, and also had a large Vauxhall Motors factory. Car production at the plant began in 1905 and continued until 2002. Production of commercial vehicles continues, and the head office of Vauxhall Motors is still situated in the town.