What’s On in the New Forest & Hampshire

Food festivals, country shows, live music and family shows are just some of the great events that take place in The New Forest throughout the year.

There are plenty of other special events happening all year round in the New Forest as well so you are sure to find something to make your visit even more entertaining. From guided walks through the forest, to country shows and carnivals you will find an endless list of events for you to take part in and enjoy whilst you are visiting The New Forest. Take a look below at the showcase of just some of the event highlights you can enjoy on a visit here.

Major events in the New Forest
 

Probably the biggest event in The New Forest (and just one of our many festival and country shows), is the three-day New Forest and Hampshire County Show. Taking place 28 - 30 July 2020 at New Park in Brockenhurst, the event showcases traditional country pursuits, show jumping, cookery shows and lots of family fun. Come along and investigate some of our local traditions, sample food from the local produce market and shop for antiques, crafts, jewellery and clothing.

For dogs, dog lovers and dog owners is Dogstival. A fantastic festival all about dogs, taking place on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May 2020 at Pylewell Park, just outside of Lymington. At Dogstival you and your pooch can enjoy loads of doggy activities including Flyball, live arenas, brilliant stalls, local food and drink, live music, talks from the stages and loads more. If a dog could have the best day of its life it would go to Dogstival!

In September runners come out for the New Forest Marathon. Here’s your chance to run 26.2 miles on a multi-terrain course passing through some of the National Park’s inclosures and pretty New Forest villages. If you don’t fancy doing the full marathon then other options are available including a half marathon, 10k, 5k and junior race or if running isn’t for you then there’s the Woodland Walk available.

Our many local attractions also offer a wide range of show-stopping events throughout the year including the popular Victorian Christmas show at Beaulieu. Beaulieu also runs fireworks evenings in late October/early November for Halloween and Guy Fawke’s Night celebrations plus auto and boat jumbles as well as classic car meets.

For all of you food lovers, we have the perfect event for you, which takes place every autumn - The New Forest Food and Drink Fortnight. A whole 2 weeks celebration of our delicious local food and drink in the New Forest. With loads of different events over the forest during the fortnight, there will be sure to be plenty of events you won't want to miss.

If you are a keen walker then look out for the annual New Forest Walking Festival, usually taking place annually over half term fortnight in October. Last year, the festival boasted 80 guided walks featuring many different areas of the National Park. This is a great opportunity to get to see some places of the New Forest that you may not be familiar with and keep fit in the process!

Foodie treats
 

From food festivals to regular farmers’ and town and village markets you will love the opportunity to sample our local produce here in The New Forest. Regular markets occur at Ringwood, New Milton, Hythe and Lymington. Look out for special themed markets as well including continental ones.

For the whole of July, the Hampshire Food Fayre celebrates local food and drink across the county of Hampshire. This includes events at many locations within the New Forest such as Lyburn Farm, Landford, Ringwood Brewery and at five-star Chewton Glen Hotel and Spa.

If you enjoy seafood then be sure to check out the Lymington Seafood Festival which takes place for three days in August. The festival brings together a great collection of tasty treats from the sea alongside cookery demonstrations, live music and entertainment.

Enjoy a fantastic August Bank Holiday in Burley this year at their brand new Food, Arts and Drink Festival - where you can expect to find loads of amazing stalls of locally produced food and drink, amazing art and culture experiences, as well as live music from loads of local talented musicians.

Get the opportunity to cook with celebrity chefs at Chewton Glen Hotel’s Cookery School, or to sample the food of some world-renowned chefs in themed dinner evenings.

Take part in a walking picnic as you wander through parts of the New Forest with local guides before stopping to enjoy some tasty local produce.

Keep an eye on all of the new Food and Drink events being added daily, including special seasonal events or special themed food nights in some of our restaurants.

Family-friendly events
 

Whether you fancy a guided nature walk through the forest, or a Discovery Day at the New Forest Heritage Centre there are lots of events throughout the year to keep the family entertained come rain or shine.  

During the school holidays many of our attractions run special family events such as children’s trails. Look out for these at Beaulieu, Buckler’s Hard, Hurst Castle and Exbury Gardens.

Special family events take place at Peppa Pig World at Paulton’s Park, particularly during the festive period and children can get hands-on with some nature fun and activities at Blashford Lakes, Moors Valley Country Park and Lepe Country Park.

Make sure you keep an eye out for all of the exciting holiday and annual events posted throughout the year too, including events happening during Half Terms and the Summer Holidays and look out for our latest blog posts as we showcase some of the top events you can join in with over the school holidays.

Music, concerts and the arts
 

If you fancy some culture on your break to the New Forest then be entertained at some of our venues and attractions.

Enjoy theatre on the lawn at Beaulieu, where you can watch Shakespearean plays in action in the beautiful settings of Palace House.

Concerts, comedy evenings and film screenings take place regularly at the Forest Arts Centre in New Milton and the Milford on Sea Music and Arts Festival in July offers a variety of concerts and events each year.

Check out the changing art exhibitions at the St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in Lymington. Exhibitions often feature works of art on loan from national, regional and private collections. Local artists also exhibit their works during the annual open exhibition.

The New Forest Heritage Centre in Lyndhurst stages temporary exhibitions as well such as local photography and artists. Here you can also learn about the rich history and traditions of the New Forest in the museum and centre.

At Exbury Gardens, visitors can enjoy seasonal art exhibitions, talks and themed garden walks at different times of the year.

Want to be entertained whilst in the forest? Check out our music and entertainment events and make sure you get your tickets now!

Want to know more about what’s on?
 

Browse our listings to discover what’s on in the New Forest when you plan on visiting or contact us for ideas. 

Make sure that you sign up to our Weekly What's On in the New Forest Enewsletter to keep up to date with the events happening around the forest every week!

If you are holding an event within the New Forest that you would like to be featured on our website, please submit details of it here.