Events and what's on in Dorchester
The historical town of Dorchester has built a range of strong communities over the years, and is now home to many fun and interesting events. Shows, fairs, music festivals and historical events regularly occur in Dorchester.
Dorchester welcomes the ever-popular Dorset County Show on an annual basis, an event certainly worth going to.
For most Dorset towns and villages, Dorchester is relatively easy to get to, so take a look at the upcoming events below.
View Dorchester Events by Date:
The next 20 events in Dorchester appear below.
12 Apr 2025 to 13 Apr 2025
Dorchester Roman Festival
Dorchester, Dorset
Experience Roman life (and death?!) in a real Roman Amphitheatre!
Imagine sitting in a real Roman amphitheatre, hearing the roar of the crowd around you, and witnessing Roman gladiators fighting in the area.
You can experience this for free this Easter at Dorchester’s spectacular Roman Festival on Saturday 12th and 13th April 2025 from 10:30 am to 4 pm each day.
This amazing, unmissable new festival will be hosted in the iconic Roman amphitheatre of Maumbury Rings, visitors of all ages ...
05 Apr 2025 to 21 Apr 2025
GLADI-EGG-TOR Trail
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery,
Dorchester, Dorset
Join us at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery this Easter for an exciting adventure on our “GLADI-EGG-TOR” Trail!
Available daily during museum opening hours (with ticket entry—kids go free!)
Explore the Museum as you search for hidden Roman and gladiator-themed eggs scattered throughout the exhibits. Can you find them all?
Perfect for families, this trail promises fun, and a chance to test your egg-hunting skills. Don’t miss out on this egg-citing challenge!
26 April 2025
Spring Market - Sat 26 April 2025
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
We have invited a host of Dorset producers, growers and makers to sell their produce on Athelhampton's West lawn. The market is free to attend and is open to all to allow everyone the chance to purchase the finest products Dorset has to offer. Athelhampton House & Gardens will be open as well (normal admission charges apply).
It’s the perfect opportunity to shop for a wide selection of delicious products and artisan crafts. Grab a bite to eat and enjoy a tipple as you shop with local ...
03 May 2025 to 04 May 2025
Dorset Spring Show
Dorchester, Dorset
Presented by the team behind the Dorset County Show, the Dorset Spring Show blooms to life on 3rd & 4th May 2025 near Puddletown.
Get ready to celebrate Food, Farming, Flowers, and everything rural life in Dorset at Spring! Whether you’re looking to savour local delicacies or discover how they are created. Experience captivating demonstrations, exhilarating entertainment, have-a-go sessions, indulge in local shopping, savour delicious treats, explore educational zones, and even make the ...
25 Jan 2025 to 11 May 2025
Gladiator Trail
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery,
Dorchester, Dorset
Step into the thrilling world of gladiators with our Gladiator Trail, a fun-filled family activity that will take you on an exciting journey through the museum in search of gladiator-related objects. From mighty swords and gleaming helmets to intricate mosaics and ancient artefacts, each discovery will reveal incredible stories about the life and battles of gladiators in Roman times.
The trail is free with museum entry (kids go FREE) and is available daily during museum opening hours ...
25 Jan 2025 to 11 May 2025
Gladiators of Britain
Dorchester, Dorset
A British Museum Partnership Exhibition with Colchester + Ipswich Museums will delve into the lesser-known history of gladiatorial contests in Roman Britain. Launching at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery on 25th January - 11th May, the exhibition will tour four UK venues, tracing the footsteps of gladiators who once fought in Britain’s amphitheatres.
The exhibition showcases iconic objects like the Colchester Vase, depicting a real gladiatorial battle, and the Hawkedon Helmet, the only ...
10 May 2025 to 18 May 2025
Dorchester Walking Festival
Dorchester, Dorset
Dorchester Walking Festival, 10 – 18th May 2025
Experience the beauty of Dorchester and the Jurassic Coast at the Dorchester Walking Festival, 10 – 18th May 2025.
Lace up your boots and get ready to explore stunning landscapes and rich history. An exciting programme of varied walks led by experienced and knowledgeable volunteer walk leaders will soon be available to book.
Held during National Walking Month, this friendly and inclusive festival promises a week of unforgettable walks ...
05 June 2025
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
Join The Lord Chamberlain’s Men this summer, in our 21st year, for Shakespeare’s best-loved romantic comedy, Twelfth Night. With a history stretching back to William Shakespeare’s original company, we present this joyous play as he first saw it – in the open air, with an all male cast and Elizabethan costumes, music and dance.
“If music be the food of love play on!”
With identical twins separated by shipwreck, a cross-dressing heroine and everyone in search of love, Twelfth Night is ...
30 Mar 2025 to 14 Jun 2025
Arthur Neal Exhibition in the East Wing Gallery
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
Arthur Neal Exhibition in the East Wing Gallery at Athelhampton House and Gardens. 30th March - 14th June 2025.
Ultramarine rippling at the edge of the strand fades to dusky twilight meetings and partings; red folds of the linen dress resonate to the ivory of the Ukrainian pianist’s hands; infinite shades of green and ochre span the seasons of his garden.
Across fifty years Arthur Neal has progressively reimagined the use of colour to interpret reality, and this exhibition takes us on ...
21 June 2025
Wind in the Willows
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
Pack your picnics and join Ratty, Mole, Badger, and the fantastically irrepressible Toad as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime culminating in a colourful battle to save Toad Hall from the mischievous weasels!
Multi-award nominated Immersion Theatre proudly bring their trademark style and energy to the riverbank with heaps of interaction, stunning costumes, toe-tapping music, and larger-than-life characters,
A TOAD-ally terrific treat whether you’re 4 or 104!
Genre: Musical / ...
28 June 2025
Summer Market - Sat 28 June 2025
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
We have invited a host of Dorset producers, growers and makers to sell their produce on Athelhampton's West lawn. The market is free to attend and is open to all to allow everyone the chance to purchase the finest products Dorset has to offer. Athelhampton House & Gardens will be open as well (normal admission charges apply).
It’s the perfect opportunity to shop for a wide selection of delicious products and artisan crafts. Grab a bite to eat and enjoy a tipple as you shop with local ...
18 Jul 2025 to 20 Jul 2025
Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival
Dorchester, Dorset
There has been an annual gathering to mark the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs since 1930s. It began as a Sunday afternoon event with wreaths laid on the grave of James Hammett, followed by a procession of banners and speeches. Today, the annual event sees thousands of trade unionists from around the UK and the world descends on the small village of Tolpuddle in Dorset to celebrate the memory of the Tolpuddle Martyrs and the legacy they left behind.
The Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival ...
02 August 2025
Jane Eyre - Chapter House Theatre Company
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
Young governess Jane Eyre arrives at the mysterious Thornfield Hall deep in the Yorkshire Moors and meets her enigmatic new employer Mr Rochester. Sparks fly between the pair, but when a terrifying secret from the past returns to haunt them, can Jane and Rochester’s passion survive the forces that might tear them apart forever? Join Chapterhouse Theatre Company as we bring the windswept moorland of Brontë’s masterpiece to life in Athelhampton's stunning gardens.
Running time: Approx. 120 ...
16 August 2025
The Big Bad Wolf
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
Come with The Big Bad Wolf on a musical journey of plotting and scheming, and find out whether he really is as bad as he would have you believe! The Big Bad Wolf has been banished from Fairy Tale Land after years of causing nothing but trouble. Living in exile in the forest, he parties every night with his villainous cronies, playing rock music and sticking his claw up at the goody goody townspeople. Until one day he hears that his arch nemesis, Little Red Riding Hood, is organising a ...
06 September 2025
ABBA by Moonlight
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
ABBA by Moonlight’s faithful recreation of ABBA’s signature harmonies and iconic looks makes for one electrifying live performance. Expect to hear all of ABBA’s greatest hits, including Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Waterloo and many more! Decked out in full disco costume, ABBA by Moonlight combines stunning vocals, talented live musicians, and a uniquely beautiful outdoor setting to make one unforgettable concert.
Come along with family and friends, picnic in picturesque surroundings before ...
06 Sep 2025 to 07 Sep 2025
Dorset County Show
Dorchester, Dorset
A celebration of all things Dorset and the countryside.
Dedicated to superb family entertainment, showcasing agriculture, great shopping and so much more!
14 Jun 2025 to 14 Sep 2025
Jane Austen: Down to the Sea
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery,
Dorchester, Dorset
14 June – 14 September 2025
‘A little sea-bathing would set me up forever.’ Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice
Celebrating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth in 1775 this exhibition will explore the sea as a setting for her fictional worlds and its influence on her. She loved a dip in the sea, often went there on holiday and had two brothers in the navy. Focussing on the Dorset coastal towns Jane visited or wrote about it will explore leisure, fashion, entertainment and ...
11 October 2025
Autumn Market - Saturday 11th October 2025
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
We have invited a host of Dorset producers, growers and makers to sell their produce on Athelhampton's West lawn. The market is free to attend and is open to all to allow everyone the chance to purchase the finest products Dorset has to offer. Athelhampton House & Gardens will be open as well (normal admission charges apply).
It’s the perfect opportunity to shop for a wide selection of delicious products and artisan crafts. Grab a bite to eat and enjoy a tipple as you shop with local ...
27 Oct 2025 to 31 Oct 2025
Tudor Week - Living History at Athelhampton
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
Step back in time to 1580, and meet the Martyn family of Athelhampton, as our living history specialists take on the characters of the 16th-century Martyn family of Athelhampton Hall
All levels of society from gentlefolk to servants will be around the house and gardens to talk with and learn from. Activities throughout the day range from trying Tudor food, dancing, and clothing; to writing with a quill or kicking a Tudor football. Come and see demonstrations of how a whole host of crafts ...
08 Nov 2025 to 09 Nov 2025
Dorset Food & Drink Winter Fair 2025
Athelhampton House & Gardens,
Dorchester, Dorset
Our annual Winter organised by Dorset Food and Drink - Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th November 10am until 3pm. Tickets go on sale 1st September 2025!
Attractions
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The latest Dorchester articles from Resort Dorset are previewed below.
26 Feb 2025
Dorset’s Egg-stravaganza of Easter Activities!
The Easter holidays are upon us! Whether you’re visiting Dorset for a holiday or live here and want to explore more of your county, there’s never a shortage of places to go and activities for the kids – and big kids! – to get involved in. But what’s on?
Dorset is chock full of family-friendly attractions, and many will be hosting Easter Egg Hunts or other fun activities for kids to enjoy over ... Read more...
13 Feb 2025
So, it’s the half term and you may be wondering how you’re going to keep the kids entertained!
Well don’t worry, whether you are local resident or are staying in Dorset on a break, there’s lots to do throughout the seasons. If you're looking for things to do in Dorset we have found lots of Dorset events to keep you entertained. Our Resort family has children of different ages, here are some of the things we plan to enjoy; perhaps you will too. If you ... Read more...
3 Feb 2025
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A Drop of Snow to Herald Spring
Belinda Fewings, Unsplash
Whilst meteorological spring doesn’t start until 1st March this year, the first sight of snowdrops, which bravely push their way up through the cold ground in January and February, can certainly put a spring in our step! Determined to put on one of the first flower shows of the year, these hardy white blooms are a welcome reminder that warmer days are just around the corner.
Galanthus nivalis (snowy milk flower) ... Read more...
11 Nov 2024
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For families looking for sen-friendly christmas events, we have compiled a list of what's on in Dorset from attractions and businesses who are hosting sensory-friendly events.
Read more...
6 Nov 2024
Whether you call him Santa Claus, Father Christmas, St Nicks or simply Santa, your little one will want to meet the real Santa in Dorset this year. Lucky for you, many of Dorset's businesses have arranged magical experiences and Santa's Grottos throughout Dorset for you and your family to do just that.
Maybe you're looking for breakfast with Santa, a winter wonderland, a meet and greet Santa, or a SEN Santa visit.
We are building up all the best local events, so ... Read more...
More articles available in the features section.
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