Events

Stuck for ideas on what to do in South East England? The South East hosts thousands of exciting events all year round, from internationally renowned star-studded events that welcome thousands of visitors to family friendly entertainment over the school holidays and weekends.  You'll find sporting events, food and drink festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, historical enactments, anniversaries and much more that we know you will love. Take a look at what's happening near you with our events calendar and find memory-making inspiration for all ages. 

Events near me

Whether you live nearby or are travelling to the South East for a day trip or longer holiday, find what's happening near you with our local events pages, showing you what's on in a specific county. You can either scroll through the search results, use our online calendar or the map view button to guide yourself through each county, or explore the top events for the county on our featured list, providing you with ideas and inspiration. Keep an eye out for the many free events (F) taking place throughout South East England. Search for what's on today or this weekend by selecting a date range, or choose the area you are visiting with the drop-down box and see what is happening right on your doorstep. It's definitely another Event-ful year across the South.

Bekonscot Model Village & Railway delights visitors of all ages and is perfect for family adventures with lots to keep your mini explorers entertained. Book online at least 48 hours in advance & enjoy 10% off the standard ticket price.

• Events in Kent
• Events in Hampshire
• Events in Sussex
• Events in Berkshire
• Events in Surrey
• Events in Oxfordshire
• Events in Buckinghamshire
• Events on the Isle of Wight
• Events in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

If you are heading to the South East for an event, don't forget to take a look at some of the great places to stay or things to do and make a long weekend of it!  With so much to see and do, choosing what to do first is often the hardest decision!

Most Popular Events

Grab those diaries and start adding some of the most popular events happening across the destination to your calendar. 

Autumn & Winter Events

In September with world famous International Boat Show returns to Southampton (19th - 28th September 25) with watersports, demonstrations and of course super yachts to explore.The event that changed the course of English history - The Battle of Hastings re-enactment will be fighting its way into the South East event calendar (11th - 12th October 2025), whilst the annual torchlight procession and fireworks display, one of the hightlights of the autumn calendar, will be filling the streets of Winchester (8th November). The annual Burning of the Clocks in Brighton is on a pause this year, but will return in 2026.

Most Popular Events for 2026

2026 will see a some of South East England's most popular events returning for another year, including the fantastic free (F) Airbourne with its sensational flying displays over Eastbourne seafront (13th - 16th August 2026), Portsmouth's popular Victorious Festival, which welcomed around 160,000 festival goers in 2025 (28th - 30th Aug 2026) and the colourful creative Brighton Fringe - the largest open-access arts festival in England - (1st - 31st May 2026).  The New Forest & Hampshire County Show will be trotting into Hampshire (28th - 30th July 2026), whilst The Big Eat Festival at Royal Victoria Country Park, Southampton (F) will be offering a tasty treat or two for its visitors to enjoy.  We can't wait to see what 2026 brings, can you? Another Event-ful year ahead.

Travelling by train?

Travel sustainably and experience comfort and ease while hopping on board a South Western Railway (SWR). Operating over 1,500 services each weekday across the network, SWR provides commuter inter-urban, regional and long distance services to passengers in South West London and southern counties of England and Island Line services on the Isle of Wight.