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There are loads of amazing Dorset festivals and events throughout the year! These are a great way to mix up your time in the county and learn a little more about the local culture while you’re here.
With food festivals, art and music events, quirky traditional folk fairs, and large-scale music festivals like the brilliant Camp Bestival… there’s something to suit everyone.
We’ve rounded up all the major Dorset festivals in this guide, but there are more added all the time. So we’ll keep adding to it every time a new event gets added to Dorset’s calendar!
UPDATE: We’ve begun updating this guide with the latest dates for 2024, but not all have been announced yet. We’ll keep adding as we get more news!
Dorset Festivals and Events
Below is a full overview of all the brilliant festivals and events happening in Dorset throughout the year – laid out in calendar order. You can use the menu above to skip to the right month, or scroll through the whole list for inspiration.
We’ve also popped together some more in-depth guides to help you find events of specific types:
Winter Dorset Festivals (January – March)
ILLUMINATE at The Blue Pool, near Wareham – 11th January to 25th February 2024. A 1km trail of illuminations and music in the woodlands around the Blue Pool. This year will include additional moving waterside lights to music as well as new elements to sections of the woodland trail.
Spring Dorset Festivals (April – May)
Abbotsbury Food Fair – 30 March 2024. A food fair hosted at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, with over 30 stalls showcasing local produce surrounded by the spring colours of the gardens.
RELATED POST: 19 Awesome Food Festivals in Dorset
Quayside Music Festival, Weymouth – Every Bank Holiday throughout the year: 30-31 March, 4-5 May, 25-26 May, 29-30 June, 27-28 July, 24-25 August, and 31 December 2024. A much-loved local music festival is held at Weymouth Harbour every bank holiday.
Bournemouth Writing Festival – 26 to 28 April 2024. Bournemouth’s fantastic Writing Festival with free and ticketed talks, agent 1:2:1s, seminars, panels, performances, and workshops.
Dorset Spring Show, Kingston Maurwood College, Dorchester – 27th-28th April 2024. Presented by the team behind the Dorset County Show, the Dorset Spring Show brings spring food, farming & flowers to Kingston Maurward.
Sherborne Abbey Festival – 2 to 9 May 2024. An annual celebration of liturgy and music.
Shaftesbury Food and Drink Festival – Cancelled in 2024 – here’s hoping it returns in future.
Dorset Blind Association Motor Show, Lulworth Castle – 12th May 2024. This standout motor event invites owners of classic & sports cars, motorbikes and all types of motor vehicles to join the majestic Castle showground display.
Dorset Knob Throwing Festival, Kingston Maurward College, Dorchester – TBC (the event is returning in 2024 after a few years off – but dates and details are still to be announced). A Dorset Knob is a kind of dry bread roll. The festival exists to see who can throw one the furthest. Although it’s also full of music, entertainment, workshops, and food stalls.
Christchurch Food Festival – 25 – 27 May 2024 (provisional dates). A 3-day event taking over Christchurch in celebration of locally made food and drink.
Summer Dorset Festivals (June to September)
June
Family Fest Dorset, Wimborne – 1st-2nd June 2024. A family-friendly festival set within the stunning Wimborne countryside with traders, musicians, food & drinks, a family funfair and a charity dog show.
Lyme Regis Fossil and Earth Science Festival – 8th-9th June 2024. Celebrating the unique geological heritage of Lyme Regis and the Dorset Jurassic Coast.
Wimborne Minster Folk Festival – 7th-9th June 2024. A celebration of all things folk, with music, dance, and comedy.
Chesil Rocks, Langton Herring (nr Weymouth) – 20th-22nd June 2024. An annual music and arts festival set on the beautiful grounds of Higher Farmhouse. All proceeds go to the Samaritans of Dorset.
Beaminster Festival – 23rd-30th June 2024. An art festival covering a great range of local and international artists.
Quayside Music Festival, Weymouth – Every Bank Holiday throughout the year: 29-30 June, 27-28 July, 24-25 August, and 31 December 2024. A much-loved local music festival is held at Weymouth Harbour every bank holiday.
July
Bourne Free (Bournemouth Pride) – 5th-6th July 2024. Bournemouth’s Pride Festival is one of the biggest and most popular in the county.
Cerne Abbas Music Festival – TBC. Chamber music performed by one of the world’s elite Ensembles in the Village Church.
Jurassic Fields, Bridport – 12th-14th July 2024. A coastal music festival which always has a fab lineup!
Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, Tolpuddle – 19th-21st July 2024. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were six local farmers who formed a union in 1834, and were arrested and sentenced to seven years of exile in Australia. Today, they’re celebrated for being among the first to stand up for workers’ rights.
Camp Bestival, Lulworth – 25th-28th July 2024. A family-friendly music festival with huge acts and fun entertainment held on the grounds of Lulworth Castle.
Bournemouth Reggae Weekender, Bournemouth – 26th-28th July 2024. A celebration of the diverse African-Caribbean culture in the local community and the rich reggae music heritage Great Britain has to offer.
Quayside Music Festival, Weymouth – Every Bank Holiday throughout the year: 27-28 July, 24-25 August, and 31 December 2024. A much-loved local music festival is held at Weymouth Harbour every bank holiday.
Mudeford Arts Festival, Christchurch – 27-28 July 2024. A free community arts, crafts and music festival showcasing some of the best arts and handmade crafts from the surrounding area.
August
THE GATHERING, Cheddington (near Beaminster) – 8 June 2024. a one-day programme of well-being, fitness, and nature hosted at The Grange estate with classes, workshops, talks, and Q&A’s.
Weymouth Carnival – 14 August 2024. Weymouth’s traditional summer carnival is back this year following a 6-year hiatus! Expect parades, fireworks, live music, food stalls, and family-friendly activities.
Purbeck Valley Folk Festival, near Corfe Castle – 15-18 August 2024. A small, family-friendly festival set on a farm, showcasing original young folk, roots and world music.
Melplash Agricultural Show, near Bridport – 22 August 2024. One of the South West’s premier agricultural exhibitions.
Quayside Music Festival, Weymouth – Every Bank Holiday throughout the year: 24-25 August, and 31 December 2024. A much-loved local music festival is held at Weymouth Harbour every bank holiday.
Great Dorset Steam Fair, near Blandford Forum – on hold for 2024, hopefully returning in 2025.
Bournemouth Air Show – 29th August – 1st September 2024 (provisional dates). An enormous air show held annually on Bournemouth Beach. Featuring displays from many RAF and other military planes and vehicles, including the famous Red Arrows.
September
Bridport Hat Festival – 7th September 2024. It’s “Haturday”! A celebration of all things hat – with music, competitions, and all kinds of inventive headwear!
Dorset County Show, near Dorchester – 7th-8th September 2024. For over 175 years the Dorchester Agricultural Society has celebrated Dorset’s rural roots with an annual show dedicated to farming, local produce, and country life.
Swanage Folk Festival – 6th-8th September 2024. A weekend of concerts, workshops, and traditional dance displays – including Morris dancing.
RELATED POST: 17 of the Best Things to do in Swanage
SEAFEAST Dorset Seafood Festival, Weymouth – 7-8 September 2024. A celebration of local seafood and other produce, with stalls in the Pavilion carpark at the start of Weymouth Harbour.
Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival – 14th-15th September 2024. A celebration of cheese, held in the hometown of the famous Dorset Blue Vinney cheese.
Purbeck WALX festival – 9th-15th September 2024. Formerly the Purbeck Nordic Walking Festival, this event offers hundreds of walks to suit all levels in iconic locations along the Jurassic Coast.
READ MORE: Halloween Events in Dorset
Winter, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve Events in Dorset
Guy Fawkes Bonfire Night – 5th November 2024. There are loads of great bonfire night fireworks displays across Dorset to enjoy.
The Bridport Literary Festival, 3rd-9th November 2024 – a festival born as a result of the internationally renowned Bridport Prize. Welcomes writers from all over the country for an eclectic programme of events including readings, signings and talks.
Illuminate at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, Abbotsbury – 22 November 2024 – 4 January 2025. The picturesque gardens are spectacularly lit up every winter, with everything from floodlights to flickering candles creating a breathtaking atmosphere as you explore.
Christmas Markets – there are loads of fab, festive Christmas markets across Dorset every year.
Bournemouth Christmas Tree Wonderland – TBC (usually late November – 1st January). Bournemouth’s very own winter wonderland, with over 100 glittering trees, a pop-up ice rink, and an alpine Christmas market.
And while you’re in town, here’s a list of all the festive markets and events in Bournemouth for your December calendar!
Christmas Events – Check out my guide to Christmas in Dorset for a full line-up of all events, markets, and lights switch-ons around the county.
Quayside Music Festival – 31 December 2024. Weymouth’s beloved music festival is adding an extra date for 2024 with a New Years Eve festival planned.
Read More
Are there any Dorset Festivals I’ve missed from this list? Scroll down to leave a comment, or get in touch on social media!
Laudemus visits Dorser every summer (except for 2020) with what might be described as a ‘festival of choral evensong’. For 5 consecutive evenings we sing cathedral style choral evensong in churches across Dorset, this summer between 13 and 17 July. Check our website for details: http://www.laudemus.org.uk.
Thank you so much for the recommendation Marianne – I’m adding this into the main post now so everyone can see it 🙂
Hi
You don’t have listed the Purbeck Film Festival 2022.
Thanks.
Thanks, I’ll get it added. Do you know when it is?
Hi there,
You might like to add HOD22-Discover Dorchester from 16th to 18th September.
Here is a link with more details:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/hod22-discover-dorchester-1110259
Feel free to contact me if you need any further information.
Best wishes,
Miranda
07934 253060
Thanks so much for the tip Miranda. I was away in September and unfortunately didn’t see this message 🙁 Will the event be back on next year?
The Weymouth Seafest is no longer free and around the harbour. For the last few years, it’s been on the peninsula by the pavilion with a £10 pp entrance fee.
Thank you – I didn’t realise that I’d forgotten to update the location when I changed over the name and other info (it used to be the Dorset Seafood Festival). Fixed that now. I haven’t said it was free, though – I don’t give ticket prices in this post.
Mudeford Arts Festival 27th and 28th of July 2024
Mudeford Quay Green Near Christchurch Dorset
Over 80 Art/Craft stalls.
All day entertainment and food stalls catering for all tastes.
The Mudeford Arts Festival is a free to all event.
Oooh thanks so much Fiona, I’ll add it to the list!