Event details
25 - 27 May | 10.30am to 6pm
Included in house and garden, and garden tickets.
This year we are celebrating all things childhood, so we invite you to bring the whole family to our first ever family festival in the garden.
Master gravity-defying circus skills or make your own kite; run for gold in sports day races for all ages; walk in the footsteps of dinosaurs; be transported to far off lands by story time or learn to illustrate your own tale in drawing workshops by authors/illustrators Lydia Monks and Bethan Woollvin, or make the perfect periscope with artist Abigail Reynolds.
Suitable for anyone aged 1 to 101, because who says the wonder of being a child should have an age limit?
All activities are free with spaces allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. On arrival at the garden, head to the booking marquee to reserve your place.
Download and save or print the schedule for the day of your visit here:
What's on at the Chatsworth Family Festival
Draw-along with Lydia Monks
Monday 27 May | Marquee
11am, 1pm, 3pm
Join best-selling children’s book author and illustrator Lydia Monks for a draw-along
Drawing workshop with Bethan Woollvin
Saturday 25 May | Marquee
11am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm
Join children’s book author and illustrator Bethan Woollvin for a beastly workshop focusing on her medieval adventure "I Can Catch a Monster".
Circus Skills
Saturday - Monday | Big Top Tent
Drop in on a circus skills workshop for all ages and abilities, and learn how to juggle, hula hoop, spin a diablo, walk a tightwire and more.
Pre-historic plant hunter walks
Saturday - Monday | The Stickyard
Join the learning team to explore the gardens for prehistoric plants and trees.
Periscope and Kaleidoscope Workshops with Abigail Reynolds
Saturday and Sunday | Ring Pond
12.45 - 1.30pm
2 - 3.15pm
Join artist Abigail Reynolds for a periscope or kaleidoscope workshop, or a storytime session.
Concerteenies
Saturday - Monday | Various Garden locations
Take part in interactive workshops and creative storytelling experiences with Concerteenies, a Sheffield-based award-winning producer of musical events and activities for children and their adults.
Mini Olympics
Saturday - Monday | Salisbury Lawns
Join in a series of games and activities designed to get you moving. Can you score the most goals or be the fastest in the race?
Into Wilderness Bushcraft
Saturday - Monday | Serpentine Grass area
Develop a deeper understanding of nature through bushcraft, with the team from Into Wilderness.
Water Super Soaker Battle
Saturday - Monday | The Cascade
Grab a super soaker and see how many of your friends and family you can catch!
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Little Pips gardening club (ages 3-5)
Fortnightly on Mondays from 15 April
A fortnightly gardening club for pre-school aged children. Explore the garden, make friends and learn new skills while making, growing and having fun.
Lamb feeding experience
15 April to 20 May 2024
A special opportunity to bottle feed our lambs in the farmyard. Includes access to the farmyard and playground and a bag of animal feed.
Seedlings gardening club (ages 4-9)
Monthly on Tuesdays from 16 April
An after-school gardening club where children will learn how to grow different flowers, fruits and vegetables, and discover the abundance of wildlife at Chatsworth.
Mini makers art club (ages 3-5)
Fortnightly on Tuesdays from 22 April
An art club for pre-school aged children to get creative, develop their imagination, make new friends and get a little messy.
Squirrels nature club (SEN)
27 April, 29 June, 27 July, 28 September
A nature club for children with additional needs to explore and learn about the wildlife at Chatsworth.
Chatsworth family festival
25 - 27 May included with garden tickets
Unleash creativity and let imaginations run wild at our inaugural family festival in the Chatsworth Garden.
Spring Printmaking
28 May
Explore the world of printmaking and create a range of colourful and creative prints to take home.
Flower crown making
29 & 30 May 2024
Create a floral crown using flowers from the Kitchen and Cutting Garden.
Young farmers
31 May, 31 July, 7 August, 9 August, 14 August, 21 August, 23 August, 14 September, 15 September 2024
Spend an afternoon helping the farmyard team with their daily jobs, from collecting eggs to grooming the animals.
Goat kid feeding experience
1 June–1 July 2024
A special opportunity to bottle feed and cuddle our goat kids in the farmyard.
Free summer holiday art in the park
29 July - 28 August
This summer, children of all ages can join in free nature-themed art workshops in the park every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Learn to grow workshops (ages 7-12)
5, 6 & 7 August 2024
Learn all you need to know about growing fruit, vegetables and flowers in this children's gardening course.
Botanical smells and stinks
13, 14, 20, 21 & 22 August 2024
Explore the Chatsworth Kitchen and Cutting Garden, using your nose to discover plants and their smells...
Ecology explorer workshops (ages 9-14)
28 & 29 August
Delve into your surroundings during this ecology day, discovering habitats, plants, trees, invertebrates and mammals.
Ways to play trail
This free family trail map encourages you to explore our beautiful woodland and garden in playful new ways.
Stay with us
With so much to see, do, and explore in the Peak District, it's a shame to only come for the day, so why not stay a little longer? Our country cottages, shepherd's huts, hotels, and inns are the perfect base for exploring all that Chatsworth, Derbyshire, and the Peak District have to offer. Find out more.
