Frequently Asked Questions

A Festival Pass grants one person admission to The Queen’s Reading Room Festival in the Chatsworth Garden. You must purchase a Festival Pass to be able to purchase festival talk tickets (this includes Chatsworth Friends, Patrons and Passholders).

One complimentary car parking space is included with every transaction.

A Festival Pass also provides access to the Chatsworth Farmyard and Playground, as well as the Stables gift shop and restaurants (The Parlour and The Cavendish) on the day of the festival (20 September).

Chatsworth Parkland and Woodland are free to access throughout the year.

A Festival Pass does not cover entry to any of the author talks. 

You will need to buy a separate ticket for each talk you wish to attend.

All talk tickets must be purchased in the same transaction as the Festival Pass, and can be added to your order after you have selected the required number of Festival Passes.

A garden ticket allows entry to the Chatsworth Garden, where there will be entertainment on the day of the Queen’s Reading Room Festival, as well as access to the farmyard and adventure playground. It does not include access to any of the talks.

One complimentary car parking space is included with every transaction.

The content of some festival talks may contain adult themes and is therefore not recommended for individuals under 16 years of age

Festival Passes and talk tickets are only available online and must be purchased in advance.

House and garden tickets may be available at the gate on 20 September, however, this will be subject to availability, and we recommend booking tickets in advance.

The house will close at 1pm to accommodate festival talks. Last entry to the house will be 11.45am.

Carpark only tickets will not be available either in advance or on the day of 20 September.

Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. 

Talks will start promptly at the times advertised. Your ticket states the meeting point and meeting time of each talk. If you are unfamiliar with Chatsworth, please make time before the talk to find out where you should be going by asking a team member or looking at the festival map.

Latecomers will not be permitted entry and will not be entitled to a refund. 

If a headline act has to cancel their appearance at the festival, e.g. due to illness, then the Queen's Reading Room team will book a replacement headliner of a similar calibre. 

You will be notified as soon as possible about the replacement and given the option to request a refund for your talk ticket if you no longer wish to attend the event.

Refunds must be requested within 24 hours to allow talk tickets to be resold. 

Please note that a refund will not be offered if an interviewer has to be replaced. 

Last entry to the garden is 4.30pm, and the festival closes at 5.30pm. All festival goers must leave the garden at this time, including those with tickets for the evening film screenings.

If you have a ticket for the evening screening, you may re-enter the garden at 6pm. 

There is no waiting list for tickets to the festival or festival talks.

The house will open from 10.30am until 12pm, with last entry at 11.45am. Please be aware that the house will close at 1pm.

The garden, farmyard and playground will be open from 10.30am until 5pm, with last entry at 4pm.

Any profit from the event will be split between the Queen’s Reading Room and Chatsworth House Trust charities.

The Queen’s Reading Room works to celebrate and promote the power and benefits of reading, in the UK and beyond.

Chatsworth House Trust looks after Chatsworth House and Garden as well as the collections, woodlands, and park for everyone to enjoy.

The festival is organised by The Queen’s Reading Room, the official charity of Her Majesty Queen Camilla. Please note that there are no complimentary or discounted Festival Passes or talk tickets available for Chatsworth Patrons, Friends, or Passholders.

If you wish to attend a talk at the festival, you will need to purchase a Festival Pass plus talk tickets. These tickets must be pre-booked.

If you wish to only visit the garden and/or farmyard and playground on 20 September, you should book a Friend/Patron/Passholder ticket as you normally would. We recommend booking such tickets in advance.

If you require further information, please contact:
Friends: friends@chatsworth.org 
Patrons/ Corporate Passholders: development@chatsworth.org 
Estate Passholders: chatsworth.events@chatsworth.org  

Ticketholders may park in the main Chatsworth car park on site, or in an allocated area in the parkland.  One parking space is included with each transaction. Additional car parking spaces can be added to your online order when you purchase your festival tickets.

Please note that we do not allow overnight parking in our car park. The car park closes 30 minutes after an event has finished. 

View opening times.

One parking space is included with each transaction. Additional car parking spaces can be added to your online order when you purchase your festival tickets at £10 per space.

If you are attending in a group and travelling in separate cars, consider booking your tickets separately to take advantage of the complimentary car park ticket offer. 

Yes, please visit our ‘How to find us’ pages for details on travelling to Chatsworth by public transport, bus or bike. 

If you plan to leave Chatsworth by taxi, please ensure you have pre-booked your return trip with the taxi firm as there are no taxi ranks on site. 

We have a designated Blue Badge parking area for registered Blue Badge holders. To use this service, you must select a Blue Badge parking space when booking your tickets online. 

Please be aware that these spaces are limited and allocated first to those who pre-book.

A Blue Badge does not guarantee access to this area. If the Blue Badge parking area is full, our parking team will do their best to park you in the next available space closest to the house and garden entrances.

When you arrive, please display your Blue Badge prominently so our parking team can direct you appropriately. Additionally, remember to keep your Blue Badge visible on your dashboard while parked at Chatsworth.

There are no parent and child parking bays at Chatsworth.

There are no electric vehicle charge points at Chatsworth, for the nearest points please consult an online guide, such as Zap-Map 

The festival will take place whatever the weather, so please come prepared for all weather conditions.

In extreme weather conditions, such as severe gales, we reserve the right to close off sections of the garden and estate, or cancel/change planned entertainment for the safety of visitors and staff.

Please be aware that for technical, operational or safety reasons, some facilities may be removed or closed, or entertainment and event timetables cancelled and/or altered at any time, including at short notice.  

Chatsworth reserves the right to change the programme of attractions and entertainment if, at any time, it is deemed necessary or appropriate to do so; this may also include closing attractions or areas of the estate. We apologise in advance for any disappointment caused should this need arise.

We do not allow gazebos, tents, awnings or temporary structures of any kind in the Garden, Farmyard or Playground. 

Barbecues, fire pits, camping rings, or any other form of open flame or gas-powered device are not allowed on the Chatsworth Estate at any time. 

Chinese Lanterns are not permitted on the Chatsworth Estate.

You are welcome to bring picnics to enjoy in the Chatsworth Garden, along with picnic rugs, low backed camping chairs and camping tables.

Food and drink are not allowed in the house or theatre, except bottled water. 

Smoking or vaping is not permitted in any of the talk venues or the house, shops or restaurants. 

Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the garden and park. 

Only assistance dogs, such as guide dogs, are allowed into the talks, the afternoon tea glasshouse, the house, the farmyard and adventure playground. You may be asked to provide supporting documents on arrival.

Please do not leave your dog in your car. 

In the interests of public safety and privacy, the flying of drones is not permitted anywhere on the Chatsworth Estate.

Visitors with disabilities may bring an accompanying carer free of charge when paying for a full-price ticket. Carer festival passes and talk tickets must be pre-booked online. Supporting documents are required at the entrances. Learn more.

Please view our site map for the location of our accessible toilets.

We also have an accessibility map, which is available online and at the garden entrance.

Filming of any of the performances is strictly prohibited.

You may take photographs from your seat for personal use only. 

Flash photography is not permitted. 

In the interests of public safety and privacy, the flying of drones is not permitted anywhere on the Chatsworth Estate.