Look forward to summer by planning outdoor get-togethers with friends and family.
Our summer programme of special events includes themed festivals, open-air music concerts, and cinema screenings, literary talks by best-selling authors, and more.
Season of Festivals
Our summer season starts with a programme of themed festivals covering a range of interests, including children's entertainment and storytelling, horticulture, the Regency period, and self-care and wellbeing.
Entry to many of the festivals* is included with 'house and garden' and 'garden' tickets, with activities and talks included, and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Discover more below and take a look at each event page to view timetables and to book your tickets.
Chatsworth Family Festival
23-25 May
Ticket required: House and Garden, or Garden
Complimentary entry for Chatsworth Friends and Patrons
Our family festival offers (little and big) children the opportunity to watch magicians and circus performers, take part in storytelling, music, creative writing, and illustration workshops, try archery and compete in a mini-Olympics and water battles, join in bug hunts and teddy bears' picnics, and much more!
All activities are complimentary, with places for some workshops allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Check the noticeboards on arrival.
Chatsworth Garden & Plant Fair
5 - 7 June
Ticket required: House and Garden, or Garden
Complimentary entry for Chatsworth Friends and Patrons
Our Garden and Plant Fair offers the opportunity to browse and buy from specialist nurseries and growers, pick up garden accessories, and soak up advice, knowledge, and inspiration through a series of garden tours and expert talks, including a talk on 'Chatsworth, Chickens, and Containers' by author Arthur Parkinson.
VIEW EVENT
Chatsworth Regency Festival: Celebrating Jane Austen
12 - 14 June
Ticket required: House and Garden, or Garden
Complimentary entry for Chatsworth Friends and Patrons
Voted 'Festival of the Year' by public vote in the 2026 Peak District, Derbyshire, and Derby Tourism Awards, our 'Celebrating Jane Austen' event is a must-attend for fans of the beloved British author and the Regency period.
Experience talks from Austen experts, including Lizzie Dunford, Director of Jane Austen's House Museum, have your Regency portrait painted, take part in a Grand Promenade, enjoy music and dancing displays from the period, all included in your ticket.
You can add to your experience with afternoon tea in the Old Duke's Glasshouse, workshops in embroidery, parasol making, and bonnet making, carriage rides across Chatsworth Park, or attend our Pemberley Ball (separate tickets required).
Chatsworth Wellness Festival
27 & 28 June
Ticket required: House and Garden, or Garden
Complimentary entry for Chatsworth Friends and Patrons
New for 2026 is this weekend festival dedicated to wellness, offering the opportunity to meet expert local practitioners and try out different practices, from somatic yoga and forest bathing, to Reiki and a wood-fired sauna and ice plunge.
All activities are included with your entry ticket and are available on a first-come, first served basis. Check the information boards on arrival.
The Queen's Reading Room Festival
19 & 20 September
Ticket required: Festival pass and individual talk tickets**
The Queen's Reading Room Festival returns to Chatsworth for a second year with an extended two-day celebration of books and ideas, promising up-close talks, lively conversations, and memorable performances by acclaimed writers, thinkers, and literature lovers.
Within a new Festival Hub, located on the South Lawn in the Chatsworth Garden, you can experience dedicated talk theatres and an exclusive programme of festival entertainment, including The Writers' Room and The Poetry Room.
This year's headliners include Clare Balding, Harlan Coben, Lee Child and special guests, Cecelia Ahern, Meg Mason, Elif Shafak, Ann Cleeves, Louise Penny, Jeffrey Archer, Kate Atkinson, William Boyd, Jessie Burton, Reeta Chakrabarti, Daisy Fancourt, Lucy Foley, Jane Harper, Louise Kennedy, Philippa Perry, Jennifer Saint, Nussaibah Younis, and Louisa Young.
On Saturday 19 September, round off your experience with an evening talk by Lee Child and special guests.
Separate event ticket required.
Over the weekend, take afternoon tea in the Old Duke's glasshouse, off the Rose Garden.
Festival pass (or garden ticket) and separate event ticket required.
Live Music
Summer Solstice Silent Disco
20 June
Ticket required: event ticket
Discounted tickets available to Chatsworth Friends and Patrons
Celebrate the summer solstice on the South Lawn in the Chatsworth Garden. Wearing state-of-the-art headphones, enjoy an evening of 80s music with food, drink and friends.
Classic Ibiza
11 July
Ticket required: event ticket
Classic Ibiza is a feel-good night of great music, good food and dancing on the banks of the River Derwent designed for people of all ages.
Performed by the Urban Soul Orchestra, conducted by Stephen Hussey, with guest vocalists and DJs, including DJ Goldierocks and LCGC, expect a high-octane journey through dance's biggest anthems.
Live Opera
31 July & 1 August
Tickets required: event tickets
Discounted tickets available to Chatsworth Friends and Patrons
Expertly performed by Opera Anywhere, experience Mozart's Magic Flute (31 July) and Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance performed against the backdrop of Chatsworth's Rose Garden.
Bring a picnic, comfortable camping chairs, and a blanket for when the sun slowly drops behind the Belvedere and look forward to a summer evening of musical entertainment.
Outdoor Cinema
Adventure Cinema
24 - 26 July
Ticket required: individual screening tickets
In a pop-up cinema in the parkland, experience a festival of on-screen entertainment featuring family favourites (The Gruffalo, Stickman and Sing), sing-and-dance-along specials (Wicked and Mamma Mia ExtrABBAganza), a majestic celebratory concert (Andrea Bocelli), and an all-time Rom-Com classic (Pretty Woman).
Outdoor Action and Entertainment
Chatsworth Country Fair
4-6 September
Tickets required: day ticket or Ringside Pavilion access
Free one-day tickets included with Chatsworth Friends and Patrons membership
In this annual celebration of the countryside, you can experience Grand Ring entertainment, including Atkinson's Action Horses and the JC Balls Digger Display, TV chef masterclasses, vintage vehicle parades, dog agility displays and have-a-go sessions, shopping, local food, and plenty of opportunities to try different rural pursuits.
Add to your experience with Ringside Pavilion tickets, which include access to the Ringside Pavilion seating area (indoor and outdoor), a complimentary tea and coffee bar, private lavatories, and a paid food and drinks bar. For complimentary pastries, lunch and afternoon tea, upgrade to Ringside Pavilion Plus.
*excludes The Queen's Reading Room Festival
**Festival pass not required for the Lee Child and Special Guests evening event
Images show previous events and are offered as a guide.
