Events and Festivals in Wimborne

If you want fun and colour in your life then the Wimborne Minster area is the place to visit! 

An amazing range of events, from quality music, arts and food festivals to open gardens, traditional village fetes, vehicle displays, guided walks and even a wonderful winter carnival, fill a packed annual diary.

In town and around

With many festival making use of Wimborne Minster’s wonderful courtyards, squares and open spaces, you can combine an entertaining event with a satisfying shopping spree or a trip to one of the town’s visitor attractions.

Events can also be a great way to discover new venues with festivals and activities at some more unusual and perhaps slightly quirky locations.

Set in 12 acres of working farmland, Family Fest bring the best craft, sweet food and small business traders along with two days of fun-packed live music in June.

We Out Here Festival returns for another year, just a 15 minute drive out of town. Across four days, enjoy the biggest names in Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop, Brazilian and sounds from across the globe, and at night, dance to some of the scene's most exciting DJs. Alongside the music, there'll be a wellness programme (yoga, breathwork, massage, dance and more), a Talks Tent, Roller disco, and independent Record Fair.

Discovering Wimborne's past

Explore the area’s heritage with special events at the Museum of East Dorset.

You can also discover fabulous buildings and historic sites, usually closed to the public, as part of the Dorset-wide Architectural Heritage Week organised by the East Dorset Heritage Trust.

At the nearby Ancient Technology Centre in Cranborne, find out about life in times gone by or watch a magical performance in their impressive and 'hobbit-house like' round Earthouse.

Tempting treats

Everyone loves a tasty treat and with its rich horticultural heritage the Wimborne Minster area is blessed with quality producers keen to showcase their delicious food and drink.

Set the taste buds (and you're tongue) tingling with the amazing products on offer at the Great Dorset Chilli Festival or nearby Cheese and Chilli Festival at Christchurch.

Perhaps a visit to the annual Beer Festival, will then be needed - just to cool you down! 

Together with regular Farmers’ Markets, in the town centre and at Market Square, there are plenty of opportunities to try and buy scrumptious local produce.

Culture vultures

Holidays are meant to be full of fun and who doesn’t like a good laugh? 

Wimborne Minster’s beautifully restored art deco Tivoli Theatre & Cinema hosts well known and emerging comedians as well as a varied programme of drama, music, dance and the latest film releases.

The town has a very strong arts scene, get your toes tapping at the annual Folk Festival, when the streets are filled with music and dance displays, meet a favourite author or listen to an eminent speaker at the Literary Festival or be enthralled by magical tales at the Earthouse at Cranborne's Ancient Technology Centre.

Regular photography, art and craft exhibitions, together with professional open-air theatre productions bring local scenes and historic settings to life.

And now for something different…

Colourful characters with a quick wit and booming voices, the Town Criers of southern England gather biennially on Wimborne Minster’s delightful Minster Green to perform in the Southern England Town Criers Championships.

Wimborne’s own Town Crier helps to organise the town’s annual Buskers Bash for Cash - where passers by are the judges and decide who has the X-Factor! 

Sometimes it is wonderful to return to a time when life seemed simpler, so take a moment to visit one of the area’s traditional village fetes, flower and plant shows or open garden events. 

Events for all seasons

Whatever the season there is something to entertain all the members of the family, and it doesn’t need to cost the earth with many events free of charge.

If you are coming for a specific event, take the chance to stay a while longer and discover all that the Wimborne Minster area has to offer. 

A great range of guest houses and self catering accommodation is available; start planning your Wimborne weekend (or week!) today.

Events coming soon

Panta Rei Danseteater - Petals and Tales Oct 05

Panta Rei Danseteater - Petals and Tales

Panta Rei returns to Dorset with a dazzling family show featuring fairy tales, music, dance, poetry, a magic tree and hundreds of petals... As we grow older does our imagination become less important?...

Mosaic Workshop Oct 10

Mosaic Workshop

In this friendly, relaxed workshop you will learn about the various mosaic materials and techniques of cutting and laying tesserae. You will make a 20cmsq panel on board with a choice of vitreous...

A Figure of Speech Oct 12

A Figure of Speech

In a field in Dorset there is a hill with a door. This is the Earthouse, a 250-seat fire-lit theatre, where audiences sit on wooden benches, under an earth roof, held up by 21 huge oak tree trunks....

Silver Clay and Sparkle Oct 14

Silver Clay and Sparkle

Suitable for beginners, Silver Clay can be cut, shaped and textured with ease – a wonderful way to create your very own unique pendant, charm or drop earrings – depending on the size of...

Living Spit - There's Something About Typhoid Mary Oct 16

Living Spit - There's Something About Typhoid Mary

Irish immigrant. Cook. Amiable host. Killer? 1906. New York City. Talented cook Mary Mallon takes a job preparing delicious meals for yet another high society family, and yet again they begin to fall...

Smartphone photography workshop Oct 19

Smartphone photography workshop

Learn how to get the most from your smartphone camera at a workshop led by a photography professional. You'll learn all kinds of tips and tricks from lighting and depth of field to composition and...

Sundown Adventures Oct 19

Sundown Adventures

Back by popular demand. Go Ape Sundown Adventures offer a new level of forest fun in the dark. Become a creature of the night as you climb through the canopy on a high ropes course lit with colourful...

Halloween Activity Trail Oct 27

Halloween Activity Trail

Are you brave enough to join us on our creepy challenges? Go on, we dare you to join us. Suitable for 5+, join us for some creepy challenges like climbing, archery and much more! Ghostly greeting...

Fideri Fidera  Oskar's Amazing Adventure Oct 29

Fideri Fidera Oskar's Amazing Adventure

An original, heart-warming and entertaining play for young children and their families, full of good humour, adventure, music and song. Snowbound in Grandma's little house, fun-loving puppy Oskar...

Japanese Garden Tours Oct 30

Japanese Garden Tours

Join us for a guided tour of Kingston Lacy's Japanese Garden, a magical space that is so much more than the traditional Tea Garden at its heart. Discover how Japanese horticulture techniques are...

Allison Lupton, Shane Cook and Kyle Waymouth Nov 08

Allison Lupton, Shane Cook and Kyle Waymouth

Award-winning folk musician Allison Lupton hails from the heart of rural Ontario, Canada, where her love for music took root. From playing for community dances to soloing with orchestras, Allison has...