Castle Combe Circuit Rallyday, Chippenham, Wiltshire
A rally gathering of high-speed demonstrations, car showcases and sporting stars including former World Rally Championship co-driver Nicky Grist, who will be leading demos throughout the day.
Test your mettle in the new “drive a rally car experience” (£40), which puts drivers through their paces on the event’s formidable gravel rally stage. 1 July; from £25, castlecombecircuit.co.uk
Glyndebourne Festival, Lewes, East Sussex
Don Giovanni, Semele, Dialogues des Carmélites, L’elisir d’amore, The Rake’s Progress and A Midsummer Night’s Dream grace the stage at this year’s operatic event. Partake in a traditional picnic in the grounds – order one from the venue if you don’t want to pack your own – or dine at one of the venue’s restaurants.
Mildmay has a new offering of a one-hour two-course dinner, designed to give guests more time in the gardens that open up to two hours before the performance. Until 27 August; from about £146, glyndebourne.com
RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, East Molesey, Surrey
Show gardens and a “Festival of Roses” marquee are part of a lineup of floristry workshops, miniature flower farms and hands-on workshops. The homage to horticulture will have a focus on the climate and biodiversity crisis, while Carol Klein’s garden has created six distinct habitats, from wetland to woodland, showcasing plants that thrive in different settings.
There are places to shop, soak up the live music and entertainment and sample street food within the stately surroundings. 4-9 July; from £23.85 for RHS members, www.rhs.org.uk
Henley Festival 2023, Henley Bridge, Henley-on-Thames
Rag’n’Bone Man opens the floating stage at this five-day black-tie celebration of music and arts. The eclectic offering mixes appearances by Westlife, Nile Rodgers and Chic and DJ Danny Rampling with those from comedy stalwarts such as Jack Dee and Jo Brand. Expect to see circus acts, mirror men, clowns and androids out on the lawn and a diverse selection of contemporary art at the event’s Ruby Gallery.
Dining options range from seasonal fare at the Riverside Restaurant (£185 a head for three courses, coffee, teas and macarons) to street food at the Garden Bistro (expect dishes such as Sam’s Fried Chicken with Wild Garlic Mayo Dip, £14). 5-9 July; general admission from £75, Floating Stage and Lawn or Grandstand seating sold separately, henley-festival.co.uk
Soho House Festival Gunnersbury Park, west London
Grab the remaining tickets for Saturday and an Ibiza-style mashup. Pete Tong ramps up the party vibe with his Ibiza Classics set alongside Jules Buckley and the Essential Orchestra, who will be joined by fellow DJs such as Annie Mac and Honey Dijon. Big acts include Kelis, Tom Grennan and Sugababes. 6 and 8 July; £275 for Soho House members; £325 each for Soho Friends, sohohouse.com
Eden Project Summer of Play, Cornwall
Children are entertained at the new natural adventure playground – a wooden kingdom of slides with water play arranged around a nine-metre-tall “Tree of Life” tower – which opens on 8 July. The feature enhances the Eden Project’s summer programme of outdoor games (including a giant Jenga set) in the orchard and, from 29 July, a den-building village erected at the stage and arena, where materials will be laid out for children to experiment.
The events are part of the general admission fee but pre-booking slots is essential for the playground. 22 July to 3 September; adults from £33, children from £11, under-fives free, edenproject.com
Goodwood Festival of Speed, Chichester, West Sussex
Limited tickets remain for the 30th anniversary of this weekend motorsport romp, set within the 11,000-acre Sussex estate. Sebastian Vettel – the retired four-time Formula 1 world champion – is expected to be a crowd-pleaser when he stars on the Goodwood Hillclimb in multiple cars from his own collection on the Saturday and Sunday.
He’ll rub shoulders with the current Williams F1 drivers, Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant, Jamie Chadwick and 2009 Formula 1 world driver’s champion Jenson Button. Expect food, fireworks and a flyover by The Red Arrows on Thursday and Friday at this ever-popular summer-season fixture. 13 to 16 July; from £60, goodwood.com
QIPCO King George Weekend, Ascot, Berkshire
Flat racing meets English garden party elegance at one of the high points of Europe’s midseason middle-distance championship. It’s a dress-up affair, heralding the return of the event’s Glambot – a robotic-arm camera similar to that used at the Met Gala – located on the lawns of the Bandstand.
DJ Yasmin Evans will take to the decks for the closing party on the final day of racing. 28 to 29 July; from £30, ascot.com
Feria de Londres, Wembley, London
The Spanish culture fiesta returns to London in the new location of Wembley Park – transformed by colourful casetas of Spanish food and drink, music, workshops and family-friendly activities. A new feature, the Feria stage (the only ticketed area of the event, open 4pm to 11pm), will provide live entertainment from Spanish artists including singer Tomasito and vocalist-guitarist Muchachito. Music is also part of the offering at The Arena Square (open 12pm to 10pm), an interactive space with dance classes, including Sevillana and Rumba workshops, and DJ entertainment. Head to the stalls on Market Square (open 12pm to 10pm) to sample paellas, tortilla de patatas and pinchos, authentic churros, jamón Ibérico and croquetas. 29 to 30 July, wembleypark.com
Summer at Somerset House, central London
Affordable fun is the theme here: the courtyard’s 55 fountains will be switched on, splashing in sequence from 10am to 7pm for most of August, for children to play around in – while Shobana Jeyasingh Dance’s 2010 dance performance Counterpoint, a piece specially devised around the fountains, is to be reprised on 19 and 20 August, and is free to watch.
The courtyard also provides a backdrop to a series of weekend events including the return of Vogue Rites’ open-air Vogue Ball on Saturday 12 August (tickets from £5 to £15), while the free exhibition Black Venus, curated by Aindrea Emelife, examines the historical representation and shifting legacy of Black women in visual culture. There’s also a new site-specific installation Cycles of Unmasking by artist Theresa Weber. Throughout August, somersethouse.org.uk
Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh, Scotland
At “the world’s greatest platform for creative freedom”, organisers are calling this year’s international ensemble an “American comedy invasion” with appearances from Angela Beevers of Beavis & Butt-Head and Silicon Valley (from £8, gildedballoon.co.uk) and debuts from both Eden Sher (who spent nine seasons playing the socially awkward teenager Sue Heck in hit ABC series The Middle (gildedballoon.co.uk) and SNL writer Drew Michael (pleasance.co.uk). There is plenty of homegrown talent, as well as what’s showcased as awe-inspiring circus shows from Australia and Hungary. 4 to 28 August, edfringe.com
Wilderness Festival, Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire
Wilderness is known as much for food as music and this year’s gastronomy roll-call is tasty: from Ben Quinn’s sold-out Long Table Banquet in the Woods to a restaurant pop-up with Max La Manna, The Cat’s Whiskers cocktail and cabaret hour and a creative-writing breakfast club and Sunday sessions with Clare Finney and Social Pantry’s Alex Head.
The music medley looks equally enticing: headliners include The Chemical Brothers, Christine and the Queens and Fatboy Slim. 3 to 6 August; non-camping adult tickets from £229.50, wildernessfestival.com
Dubai Duty-Free Shergar Cup, Ascot, Berkshire 12th August
Jockeys from around the world compete for this prestigious team prize. Post-racing the evening concert has big headliner credentials: Craig David will take to the stage along with former Spice Girl Melanie C and radio DJ-turned-singer Marvin Humes. 12 August, ascot.com
Festival of Sport, Holkham Estate, Norfolk
Founded by ex-England rugby stars Will Greenwood and Austin Healey, this family event at the Holkham Estate offers an array of sporting activities and the opportunity to work with sporting stars who lead several sessions.
Go for the day or stay for the weekend glamping experience at the pop-up campsite where the evening entertainment includes a silent disco and outdoor cinema on the Friday night. Core sports include rugby, gymnastics, rowing, hockey, cricket, football and athletics, and there will be taster sessions for MMA, trampolining, kayaking and lacrosse. All children are encouraged to join. 11 to 14 August; day tickets £185 for one adult and one child under 17, under-fives free, holkham.co.uk
Chatsworth Country Fair, Bakewell, Derbyshire
Horse tournaments, dog shows, motoring demos, aeroplane acrobatics and cookery demonstrations hosted by top chefs star on Chatsworth’s rolling 1,000-acre parkland.
The three day event is experience-packed, from stunts by the Atkinson Action Horses, Spitfire action from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a parade of vintage cars and skyline displays of parachute and hot air balloon skills. 1 to 3 September; day tickets from £24, ticketsrv.co.uk
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