PEPPA PIG SPACE ADVENTURE

Designed for preschoolers and early-years children, Peppa Pig Space Adventure blends storytelling and play in a calm, welcoming environment ‘where families can explore together’. The experience is a walk-through adventure rather than a stage show, with each space inspired by Peppa’s world.

NEC, Birmingham, until Sunday 8 November

---

HISTORY WEEKEND

This special Sudeley Castle event celebrates over 1,000 years of history with three days of talks, tours and interactive experiences. 

The event explores Tudor, Civil War, Georgian and Victorian stories connected to the estate and its famous residents, including Queen Katherine Parr. 

Visitors can enjoy expert-led sessions, storytelling, archive displays, themed tours and special evening talks from renowned historians, with many activities being included in the general admission price. 
The weekend concludes with a traditional Evensong service in the castle chapel.

Sudeley Castle, Cheltenham, Friday 26 - Sunday 28 June

---

STEP BACK TO THE 1940S

The Severn Valley Railway’s much-loved Step Back To The 1940s event returns across two weekends this summer, transforming the heritage railway into a living celebration of wartime Britain. 

Visitors can board steam trains and travel along the line, stopping at stations to check out vintage vehicles, live music, dance performances, military displays and immersive reenactments. From Winston Churchill speeches and Home Guard patrols, to wartime marketplaces and classic entertainment, the event recreates the sights and sounds of the British home front. Evening big band shows add to the atmosphere, making this a nostalgic and entertaining family experience for people of all ages.

Severn Valley Railway, nr Kidderminster, Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 June and Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 July

---

JURASSIC FUN AT THINKTANK

Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum is bringing dinosaurs to life this month with a series of family-friendly events that combine creativity, storytelling, cinema and hands-on animal encounters. 

Young visitors can unleash their imagination in the Head Workshop with Tat Vision on Wednesday 22 July, creating their own wearable dinosaur-inspired creations made from recycled materials... 

Budding palaeontologists can enjoy DinoSTORY Time (Thursday 23 & 30 July), an interactive storytelling session packed with prehistoric adventures, audience participation and plenty of dinosaur roars... For movie lovers, Cinema Under The Stars: Early Man (Saturday 25 July) offers a unique planetarium screening experience, combining comedy and prehistoric fun in an immersive setting... 

Jurassic Encounters with Zoolab (Tuesday 28 July) provides an up-close introduction to numerous creatures through themed animal-handling sessions, helping families explore the links between modern animals and their ancient ancestors.

Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum, throughout July

---

HANBURY COUNTRYSIDE SHOW

The Hanbury Countryside Show is promising a full day of rural entertainment, farming traditions and family activities this month.

Now in its 79th year, the popular event attracts around 14,000 visitors annually and features more than 1,500 exhibitors, over 200 trade stands and hundreds of competitions. Highlights include livestock and equine classes, countryside displays, local food & drink, shopping opportunities, rural crafts, vintage vehicles and live entertainment.

Sheep shearing, farriery demonstrations, heavy horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, show jumping and the Young Farmers’ tug of war also feature. 

Park Hall Farm, Hanbury, Worcestershire, Saturday 4 July

---

TRUCKFEST

Bringing together truck enthusiasts, families and industry professionals for a weekend packed with entertainment and vehicle displays, Truckfest returns to Three Counties Showground at the start of the month.

The event showcases hundreds of trucks, including customised show trucks, American rigs, vintage vehicles, emergency-service trucks and modern haulage fleets. 

Visitors can enjoy arena attractions such as monster truck car-crushing demonstrations, freestyle motocross displays, wrestling shows, truck-pull challenges and monster truck rides. Alongside the entertainment, truck owners can enter judged competitions across various categories, celebrating vehicle presentation, customisation and craftsmanship.

Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 July

---

THE FESTIVAL OF BRILLIANT

The Festival Of Brilliant returns mid-month with an impressive line-up of authors, poets, illustrators and performers as part of the National Year of Reading.

Taking place on 10 July for schools and community groups, and the following day for families, the children’s book festival will celebrate the joy of reading through a packed schedule of talks, workshops and interactive experiences.

Festival contributors include Joseph Coelho - a former Children’s Laureate - Bethan Woollvin, Jenny McLachlan, Chris Haughton, Lisette Auton, Kieran Larwood and EL Norry.

Young visitors can enjoy comic-making workshops with Marc Jackson, creative storytelling and drawing sessions with Matt Buckingham, and poetry activities led by Charlotte Rowley and Gabriella Gay.

The festival will also bring to life a variety of stories through performances and installations. These include The Magic Lantern, Working Boys Club’s interactive Noisy Noise Noise sound library, and Cat & Mouse Theatre’s immersive Bookbooster Factory.

Biddulph Old Hall, Staffordshire, Friday 10 & Saturday 11 July

---

NEWPORT SHOW

The award-winning Newport Show is back at Chetwynd Deer Park this month, offering visitors a packed day of family entertainment, agriculture and countryside attractions.

Named the Best Rural or Farming Event of the Year at the Farmer Rural Awards, the show has been a staple of the region’s summertime calendar for more than a century. Attractions include livestock displays, horses, cattle, sheep, vintage tractors, steam engines and a programme of main-ring entertainment, with live music, shopping opportunities and a diverse food festival also featuring.

New for 2026 is the Rural Lifestyle - Bloom, Make And Bake marquee, celebrating the growing interest in crafts, gardening, baking and traditional rural skills. 

Families can also sample in excess of 50 free activities, including falconry displays, dog scurries, laser clay shooting and educational experiences highlighting the farm-to-food journey.

Chetwynd Deer Park, Newport, Shropshire, Saturday 11 July

---

1940S WEEKEND

The Black Country Living Museum is once again turning back the clock for its much-loved 1940s Weekend, inviting visitors to experience the sights, sounds and spirit of wartime Britain. 

The weekend sees reenactors, costumed characters and period settings bringing stories of resilience and community to life. 

Visitors can enjoy live 1940s music, watch street entertainment, explore historic shops and workplaces, and even try activities inspired by the wartime Home Front, from sandbag making to air-raid fire-fighting demonstrations.

Black Country Living Museum, Dudley, Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 July

---

MEDIEVAL DAY

Step back in time and experience life in medieval Birmingham - courtesy of this Weoley Castle Medieval Day. 

Taking place in and around the castle’s historic ruins, the event features costumed reenactors bringing the medieval period to life through demonstrations of everyday activities, crafts and combat displays. Visitors can enjoy guided tours that explore the history of the castle and its inhabitants, while families can take part in a range of hands-on activities suitable for all ages. 

The event also includes opportunities to discover archaeological finds and learn about local history from specialists involved with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Weoley Castle, Birmingham, Saturday 18 July

---

SUMMER GALA

Railway enthusiasts can enjoy a weekend of steam, diesel and heritage rail action at the Severn Valley Railway’s Summer Gala.

The two-day event will celebrate some of the smallest locomotives in the railway’s collection, alongside a number of special guest engines operating a busy timetable between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth. Visitors will have the opportunity to ride behind a variety of locomotives, including the visiting Kerr Stuart ‘Witch’ class No 4388.

Away from the main line, Kidderminster Station will host a live-steam Gauge 1 model railway.

Severn Valley Railway, Worcestershire, Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 July

---

CLASSIC NOSTALGIA

Historic motorsport festival Classic Nostalgia is back for a two-day celebration of the golden era of motor racing, bringing together iconic Formula One cars, NASCAR machines, legendary rally cars and historic competition vehicles from across the decades. 

Visitors can enjoy hill-climb action, demonstration runs, car-club displays, open paddocks and special vehicle parades, providing rare access to both the cars and their drivers. 

­­Beyond the track, the festival offers live music, concours competitions, trade stands, food vendors and a program

Shelsley Walsh Climb, Worcester, Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 July

---

MEDIEVAL MOMENTS

Families can enjoy a medieval adventure at Sudeley Castle & Gardens throughout the school summer holiday.

Included with general admission, young visitors can check out an interactive Knight Trail set around the castle and grounds, in the process discovering what it took to become a medieval knight. Children can pick up a trail map and take part in a range of activities, including target practice, dressing up and challenges inspired by life as a squire and knight.

Costumed storytellers will also be on hand, sharing tales of chivalry and castle life. 

Storytelling sessions run from Wednesday 29 July to Monday 31 August, with falconry displays taking place on selected days.

Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire, Tuesday 21 July - Monday 31 August

---

THE GAME FAIR

One of the UK’s biggest celebrations of countryside life, The Game Fair returns to Ragley Hall across the last weekend of the month. 

Showcasing rural traditions, outdoor pursuits and country living, the event boasts a packed programme of displays, demonstrations and competitions, including shooting, fishing, falconry and gundog events. 
Opportunities to try activities such as clay shooting, fly fishing and dog scurries also feature.

Hundreds of exhibitors will be in attendance, selling countryside clothing, artisan crafts, outdoor equipment and food & drink. Camping is once again available, with more than 1,300 pitches on site, and options for caravans, motorhomes, campervans and roof tents. 

Ragley Hall, Warwickshire, Friday 24 - Sunday 26 July

---

FESTIVAL OF SPORT

The Festival Of Sport returns to Packington Estate this month, bringing together children, parents and sporting legends for four days of coaching, competitions and entertainment.

Children aged four to 17 can take part in more than 20 sports, including rugby, hockey, athletics, football, rowing, boxing, archery and netball. 

Sessions are led by much-admired sporting stars. Paralympic archer Jodie Grinham, Olympic hockey champions Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh, former athlete Derek Redmond, rugby internationals Ben Youngs and Alex Goode, and BMX champion Matti Hemmings will all be in attendance.

Adults can get involved in the event via a programme of fitness classes, wellness activities, yoga, pilates and expert-led talks.

Away from the sports fields, visitors can enjoy live music, DJs, an outdoor cinema, circus performers, food stalls and camping or glamping options. 

Friday only tickets are £35 and kids go FREE.

Packington Estate, Warwickshire, Friday 24 - Monday 27 July