Summer has arrived at last and we are finding more and more events we want to tell you about in Beds, Bucks, Cambs, Essex, Herts, Norfolk and Suffolk. As you might be taking a staycation or looking for things to do with the children, we’ve extended our coverage to beyond weekend-only events. Our aim is to bring you a mixture of events across the region: child-friendly or adult-only; indoor or outdoor; all day or just for a couple of hours. In addition to the listings below, the National Trust, English Heritage, RSPB and Wildlife Trusts run events through the summer at their various locations across East Anglia.
Tickets for the events we’ve covered were available at the time of writing.
Bedfordshire
There’s a Local Makers’ Market, at Seasons Garden Centre in Wilstead, on Sunday 4 August, 11:00-15:30 and the first Sunday of every month, Seasons Garden Centre Wilstead, 102 Bedford Road, Bedford, MK42 6BX
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This sounds like something rather different: Paddle and Paint at the Kingfisher, 15:30 on Sunday 4 August, An afternoon spent stand-up paddleboarding on the River Great Ouse with an instructor, followed by using gouache paints to make a painting of a kingfisher, guided by an artist. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve done either activity before. Food and drink available throughout but at extra cost. Over 18s only, tickets £42.50 with own equipment, £47.50 with equipment hire. The Kingfisher Riverside Pub and Rooms, Cardington Road, Bedford, MK44 3SA
Buckinghamshire
Milton Keynes’ Olympic Games and Family Fun Day is actually on two days, Friday 2 and Saturday 3 August, Sports, food and fun, Free, 11:00-17:00, Downs Barn Pavilion, 76 Pannier Place, Downs Barn, Milton Keynes, MK14 7QP
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Buckinghamshire Railway Centre offers entry to its Steaming Days for just £1 for children, Sunday 4 August, Wednesday 7 August and most Sundays and Wednesdays throughout the summer holidays. On Steaming Days there are steam train rides, plus you can ride the miniature railway, watch the model trains, visit the Railway Museum, Visitor Centre and Café. 10:30-17:00, last entry 15:30. Steam Day tickets: Adult £12.50, Over 60 £11.50, Child £1, under 3 Free. Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Station Road, Quainton, Aylesbury, HP22 4BY Directions
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Bekonscot Model Village and Railway is open every day, and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays until 22 August there’s a miniature magic tour and Make and Take children’s craft activities, Bekonscot is the oldest original model village in the world: “Stuck in a 1930s time warp, see England how it used to be, & discover a wonderful little world tucked away from the hustle & bustle of everyday life”.
Daily opening 10:00-17.30, last entry 16:00, Adult £13.20, Child £8.40, under 2 Free and there’re various options on group bookings and concessions. Card payments (tea room, gifts) only on site. Bekonscot Model Village & Railway, Warwick Rd, Beaconsfield HP9 2PL Close to Beaconsfield Railway Station, parking info and map here.
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There’s always a lot on at MK Gallery. Just a few days left, until Sunday 4 August, there’s Modesty Unravelled “Explore freedom of dress & expression in the lives of Muslim women through the lens of history & political upheaval, culminating in a new collection of artistic fashion illustrations.” Free entry, Tuesdays-Sundays, 10:00-17:00. MK Gallery, 900 Midsummer Blvd, Milton Keynes, MK9 3Q
Cambridgeshire
Wicken Windmill is open this weekend, 10:30-17:30, on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 August. This is a large smock mill, producing flour for sale. You can visit at other times too, if the sails are turning. Free admission for adults and children, High Street, Wicken, Ely CB7 5XR
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Friday 2 August sees the first of a series of Stories at the Kiosk. Every Friday in August (unless it’s wet) there will be storytelling on Jesus Green. You can listen or bring your own story, and it’s Free. 18:00-19:30. The Kiosk on Jesus Green, Chesterton Road (across Jesus Green bridge by the lock gates), Cambridge, CB4 3AN
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There’s an event new to Cambridge on Saturday 3 August, the Lookout Illustration and Art Fair which gives the opportunity to see the process behind artists’ work. There will be a portrait artist drawing live, so you could even take home an original artwork of yourself. 11:00-16:00. Tickets are £2.50 on the door or pre-order here for the chance to win a £25 voucher to spend inside. St Paul’s Church, Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 1JP
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There’s a lot going on at Wimpole Estate, from Feeding the pigs twice a day (free but admission applies) to a performance of As You Like It at 19:00 on Saturday 3 August.
Book here, individual tickets £16.50-£18.50, group ticket £45.00 (all + booking fee). Entry to the whole site is free for National Trust members, for others the price depends on whether you want to visit the Hall and Farm as well as the Park and Gardens. Wimpole Estate, Royston, SG8 0BW
Essex
Currently in Chelmsford, until 3 November, there’s an exhibition about the life of local nature writer J.A. Baker, author of The Peregrine. “For ten years I spent all my winters searching for that restless brilliance, for the sudden passion and violence that peregrines flush from the sky.” His archive is held by the University of Essex and will be on public display for the first time. The exhibition includes a map of local green spaces to encourage visitors to explore nature, as Baker did. Daily, 10:00-17:00, Free. Chelmsford City Museum, Oaklands Park, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, CM2 9AQ
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Sunday, 11:00-16:00 has a Free event Princess and Heroes’ Family Fun Day run by Friends of Harlow Pets Corner which is a petting zoo in Harlow Town Park. It promises to be a fun day of singing, dancing and character shows. There will be stalls, food vendors and games for the children. No need to book. The Bandstand, Harlow Town Park, 6 Park Lane, Harlow, CM20 2QQ
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On Wednesday 7 August, The Gibberd Garden in Harlow has two events: there’s a Teddy Bears’ Picnic, from 12:00 to 16:00.
Good old-fashioned fun with music, games, a trail and bug hunt. Bring along your teddy bear and a picnic. Adults: £6, Children £2, pay on the door, face-painting £5. Then at 17:30 there’s a tour of sculptures by Gerda Rubinstein, located throughout the picturesque grounds. Limited to 15 participants, this tour will last about an hour. Comfortable shoes recommended and refreshments provided. Tickets: £15+booking fee, £12+booking fee for members. There will be another tour on Wednesday 21 August, at 11:00.
The Gibberd Garden is open 14:00-18:00 on Wednesdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays throughout the summer. Free parking. The Gibberd Garden, Marsh Lane, Harlow CM17 0NA (near J7a M11). What3Words: silk.shows.rams
Hertfordshire
There’s something different almost every day at Mill Green Museum. Choose a day to see what’s happening then.
On Sundays, there is an exhibition based on the history and landscape of the local area curated by a group of artists from Welwyn Hatfield for local charity H’arts in Mind, Cream teas can be sampled in the gardens with scones made from the mill’s flour, which can be bought on site, Tuesdays to Sundays, 10:00-16:00 Adult £6, Child 2-16 £2. Book ahead or pay on the day. Mill Green Museum and Working Mill, Mill Green, Bush Hall Lane, Mill Green, Hatfield AL9 5PD
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Upfest Art House, Europe’s largest live street art festival, is at Ashridge House on Sunday 4 August, with 18 street artists taking part in a live painting day. The exhibition will then continue to Sunday 15 September. There are Street Art Workshops Mondays–Thursdays 12 August to 5 September,10:00 and 12:00 each day, excluding August 15th. Pre-booking is essential. Ticket prices depend on day, with Adult prices Super Peak (Sunday 4 August) at £17.12 through Peak £14.98, to Off Peak £12.84. Details of children and group prices and daily opening times are here, Ashridge House, Ashridge, Berkhamsted, HP14 1NS
Norfolk
The Wells Carnival takes place from Friday 2 August to Sunday 11 August with over 100 events providing entertainment for all ages: a teddy bears picnic, raft race and fun run for the energetic, painting and sandcastle competitions, history walks, workshops plus live music. The Carnival Day and Procession is on Saturday 10 August, Various locations Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23 1, Directions here.
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Alongside the Carnival, Rescue Wooden Boats holds The Maritime Heritage Festival, Saturday 3 August 10:00-19:00 and Sunday 4 August 10:00-17:00. There’s historic local working boats afloat, together with the families who built and worked them, and tell their stories, There’s music, crafts, food & drink and a spectacular flotilla of Boats at 17:00 on Saturday 3 August. Free. Tugboat Yard, South Quay, Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23 1LD
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Waterloo Park in Norwich has a Free family event, Bugs and Beasts on Thursday 1 August from 11:00-16:00, run by the Science team from the Forum. Then on Wednesday 14 August there’s We Love Nature with arts and crafts, story telling, songs and face painting and an exhibition of poetry on wall hangings. (Sadly the Bee event is fully booked). Waterloo Park, Angel Road, Norwich, NR3 3HX The park is on several bus routes and has good wheelchair access, map here.
Suffolk
On now until Sunday 4 August, the Sunrise Film Festival in Lowestoft, has 124 short films, plus Q&As, workshops and networking. Amazing value at £3 for each screening, or buy a Festival Pass for £5 for access to everything except outdoor cinema. Various locations. Physical Box Office, 09:30-16:30 at the Marina Theatre, Marina, Lowestoft, NR32 1HH
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On Saturday 3 August, Ness Fest: Music on the Clifftop at Sizewell has an acoustic stage showcasing local musicians and groups. Headliners are the Glamtastics, plus 8 more acts. 12:00-23:00 and there’s a BBQ and bar. This is a fundraiser for The Warden’s Trust Charity, which supports the elderly and people with disabilities. Tickets are £20+£2 booking fee, Under 18s Free. No public transport, but parking is free. The Wardens Trust, Wardens Hall, Sizewell, Leiston IP16 4UB
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Summer at Snape is underway, until 31 August, with over 50 events. These range from the free daily art exhibition, featuring over 100 artists including Maggi Hambling and Roger Hardy at locations across the Maltings; through Aldeburgh Young Musicians’ Leavers’ Celebration on Tuesday 6 August at 18:00 with entry £10, carers & under 30s £5; to the Irish Baroque Orchestra on Thursday 8 August at 19:30 with entry £33-£10, carers & under 30s half-price. There’s much more, Details of the full programme here. Snape Maltings, Snape, Suffolk IP17 1SP
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If you have a vehicle to show off, you get Free entry to the Festival of Wheels at Trinity Park, Ipswich on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 August. There’s a lot included in the ticket, from Motorbike Football through Circus Performances to inflatables and a Dino Expo. Advance tickets: Adult £19.99, Child 7-15 £16.99, 3-6 £9.99, Show vehicle and driver Free. On the day: Adult £30, Child 7-15 £20, 3-6 £15, Show vehicle and driver £10. Times: 10:00 – 17:00 both days, Show vehicles from 07:30. Free parking. Trinity Park, Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, IP3 8UH
