18 Jul 2025
Get set for a summer of unmissable events in Lancashire
The sun has already been shining, and over the next few months, we're expecting more where that came from. So, make the most of it with unmissable events this summer in Lancashire!
With the school summer holidays upon us, the weather brightening up and the opportunity to enjoy some top-class events, this time of year is perfect for bringing families and friends together.
Lancashire offers amazing attractions, pretty places to stay and the county's events calendar is jam packed with wonderful things to do. These include more traditional family fun days and festivals like Wanderland in Poulton-Le-Fylde on 26th July, and the Blackpool Illuminations switch on in August. Or more unique events like Preston's open-air wrestling on August 16th... and in fact, if want that wrestling with a side of gravy that is not a problem – head to Rossendale on the 25th of the month!
To celebrate the brand-new July – September 2025 Events Guide produced by Visit Lancashire, we have pulled together ten great events taking place during the summer holidays across the county.
Take a look below, and for more inspiration check out the Events Guide here, or head to visitlancashire.com where you can find out more information about places to stay, eat and things to do in the region.
18th July – 24th August
The Wizard of Oz: The Dukes Play in the Park
Lancaster, Lancashire
https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/theatre/the-wizard-of-oz
Lancaster's iconic Williamson Park becomes a magical stage each summer when The Dukes Outdoor Theatre presents its interactive adventures, welcoming back hundreds of families who arrive armed with picnic blankets and a feast ready for another unforgettable experience.
This year guests will be transported from Lancaster and immersed into the world of The Wizard of Oz. Join the Dukes' team as they invite you to follow the yellow brick road and enjoy an encounter with the extraordinary.
The cast will use the settings of the park in incredible ways and the audience will follow as they make a stage in front of the Ashton Memorial, the Dell waterfall, the duck pond and more. The show will be a production created by the theatre and has been written by Lancaster based theatre maker Daniel Bye and directed by Elvi Piper.
This is an adventure suitable for the whole family and will truly captivate people of all ages.
Prices: Children £17, Adults £24
Where to stay: A brand-new boutique hotel has opened its doors in Lancaster just in time for the summer season. Domain Boutique Rooms is a renovated 300-year-old Georgian townhouse offering seven individually styled rooms ideal for a short break to the city.
Where to eat: Lancaster is packed with amazing eateries and brunch venues and some amazing pubs right on the doorstep to enjoy a bite to eat. Check out the newly refurbished The Toll House for some great pub grub, or Quite Simply French for a formal dining experience.
25th – 27th July 2025
Chorley Flower Show
Chorley, Lancashire
Price: Early Bird tickets available until 21st July - £15
Chorley Flower Show has been wooing the crowds for a decade and what better way to help them celebrate their 10th anniversary than by partaking in the fun! Each year the event has got bigger and better, and 2025 will be no different. Expect excellent exhibitors and traders, spectacular show gardens, incredible entertainment, and super special guests, not to mention mouthwatering food and drink. Visitors will have the chance to explore Astley Hall, peer at some vintage cars and motorbikes and enjoy a photography exhibition too!
Where to stay nearby: Enjoy a spot of glamping at nearby Royal Umpire Holiday Park, with its large family pods which are dog friendly too!
Where to eat nearby: The Flower show has plenty of food and drink options for during the day, but for an evening meal head into the countryside for some real Lancashire produce at The Eagle and Child at Bispham Green
26th July 2025
Wanderland Festival
Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire
Price: £12
Looking for a place where the kids can blow off steam and enjoy a fun filled day of music, fun and games? Look no further than Wanderland! Now in its second year Wanderland offers an incredible day of fun with special guests stars such as Bluey and Bingo, music from the Boogie Monsters, superheroes, dinosaurs and more to interact with! There will also be an animal roadshow, a giant inflatable storytelling whale, a 70-foot inflatable assault course and there will be face painting, selfie stations and more! This family festival is the ideal day out to mark the beginning of the summer holidays, so do not miss out and book your tickets today.
Where to stay nearby: Stay for longer at Newton Hall Holiday Park and get to experience everything Wyre and Blackpool have to offer for the kids this summer, while also enjoying fantastic facilities right on site.
Where to eat nearby: Enjoy an authentic deep south taste experience at Hickory's Smokehouse in Thornton Cleveleys, with a menu that celebrates America's southern states there is something for everyone, and fabulous desserts too!
9th August 2025
Clitheroe Food Festival
Clitheroe, Lancashire
Price: free
Returning this august is the fabulous Clitheroe Food Festival which takes place in the pretty market town of Clitheroe in the Ribble Valley. Bringing together a whole host of local produce and culinary talent, the festival has so much to offer to foodies, families, and friends alike. with food stalls from around eighty traders, you will find a host of different delicacies supplied and the smells alone will send your taste buds into a flurry. You will also find plenty of drinks options, from soft drinks to spirits, beers, and more!
This is all after the multi day event which is the Ribble Valley Taste Fest, a series of events at farms and food and drink establishments across the district from the 4th to the 8th August.
Where to stay nearby: Stay at the heart of the action with a break at Spinning Block Hotel, the beautiful hotel situated at Holmes Mill in the town. While there you can also enjoy duck Pin Bowling and the Bowland Beer Hall, with an everyman cinema just next door.
Enjoy a break for longer: While in the area you can find so many wonderful things to see and do with the family. Why not stay for longer and explore great attractions nearby like Mrs Dowsons Farm Park, Go Ape Blackburn, or Samlesbury Hall.
16th – 17th August
1940s Weekend
Lytham, Lancashire
Price: Free
https://www.discoverfylde.co.uk/lytham1940s/
Re live the wartime era on the coast at the 12th annual Lytham 1940s weekend! The weekend will offer re-enactments of the era, singing, dancing, vehicle parades, a fashion show and more! There will be a whole host of events throughout the weekend, with a full programme expected soon. Previous years have included spitfire flyovers, vintage fairgrounds, weapon displays and battle re-enactments and this year is set to be just as big and fabulous as ever.
Where to stay & eat nearby:
23rd August
Amazing Accrington Soapbox Challenge
Accrington, Lancashire
Price: Free
https://www.amazingaccrington.co.uk/soapbox-challenge/
Have a great deal of fun at the Amazing Accrington Soapbox Challenge! This year not only can you join in with the racing, but you can also watch the amazing creations others have made as they whizz down the course, which includes chicanes, jumps, water blasters, giant screens and more! Brand new to the race will be a two-level height ramp at the start line, which competitors will need to take on before facing the 170-metre-long track with many surprises along the way, including jumps, chicanes, water pistols and much more. Last year's event attracted over 15,000 people to the town and was an enormous success with entertainment, local food stalls and more.
While in the town enjoy a visit to the historic Howarth Art Gallery, home to the stunning Tiffany Glass Collection, and visit the local market hall for wares from local craftspeople, local food produce and more.
Stay nearby: Spoil yourself with a trip to Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spato enjoy a relaxing break and fabulous food.
24th August
Burnley Canal Festival
Finsley Gate Wharf, Burnley, Lancashire
Price: Free
burnleycanalfestival.org
Visit the beautifully refurbished Finsley Gate Wharf and along the towpath nearby as part of the Burnley Canal Festival this August Bank Holiday Weekend. Enjoy lots of family-friendly and creative activities such as performances from The Green Man, Paris Bubbles and make your own Textile Biennial tote bag, or dancing flowers! There will be live music from an array of artists including the The Burnley Alliance Silver Band, Ben Farmer, Back o'th Bush, and Hiroshima Twinkie. There will be many opportunities for eating lots of lovely street food and to get on to the water too.
Burnley Canal Festival is a fantastic way for visitors to celebrate the fantastic resource that is the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, and Burnley's unique canal-side heritage.
Stay Nearby: Head out into the countryside and enjoy a weekend away at Higher Trapp Hotel, a great place to use as your base while exploring everything East Lancashire has to offer.
Eat nearby: If street food isn't your thing head along to Finsley Gate Wharf for some great food and drink. This historic forge offers an ideal place to spend some time close to all the action.
25th August
World Gravy Championship
Rose & Bowl Pub, Stacksteads, Lancashire
Price: Adults £3, Children £2
https://worldgravywrestling.com
Its back! This year marks another year for the World Gravy Wrestling Championships in Rossendale. Without a doubt this is one of the World's craziest culinary competitions. A wild and whacky wrestling competition in a pool full of Lancashire Gravy!
Watch as contestants don fancy dress and wrestle in gravy for 2 minutes, with points awarded for best dressed, comedic effect, entertainment, and wrestling ability. In addition to the contests, there are many activities for the family, the event has included cheer leading groups, BB gun shooting ranges, bouncy castles, face painting, craft beer stalls, cake and tombola stands. The kids also get a chance to get a go in the gravy!
Stay nearby: Rossendale Holiday Cottages and Glamping Site offers a fantastic selection of holiday homes for the whole family to enjoy, including your four-legged friends.
29th August 2025 – 4th January 2026
Blackpool Illuminations
Blackpool, Lancashire
One of the world's most famous light installations, Blackpool Illuminations has been dazzling residents and visitors to the town for over 140 years. With six miles of traditional festoons, tableaux, and interactive features along the Promenade, it is commonly known as the greatest free light show on Earth!
Traditionally the event took place over September and October, but recent years there has been an extension through the Christmas period to offer more people the opportunity to see the world-famous lights for themselves.
Be sure to check out Spitfire Island; a collaboration between Blackpool Illuminations and designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and the huge Blackpool Sign on the Comedy Carpet, as well as all the fabulous new additions for the 2025 season.
If you love to get on your bike, then visit Blackpool early and enjoy the iconic Blackpool Illuminations on your bike! The annual Ride the Lights event allows you to experience the illuminations ahead of the official switch on, and without a car in sight, for one night only ahead of the main Illuminations on 26th August! The whole 6-mile stretch of the promenade featuring the lights will be closed to cars, allowing cyclists to take in the full experience together. Cyclists are invited to decorate their bikes for the event too. How wild will you go?
Prices: Free
Where to stay nearby: Ribby Hall Holiday Village is perfect for summer breaks to the area, with plenty of fun activities, and if you are planning on attending Ride the Lights, they even offer bike storage and hire to those looking to join in the fun but who don't have a bike of their own.
29th – 31st August 2025
St Annes International Kite Festival
St Annes, Lancashire
The award-winning St Annes Kite Festival returns in 2025! The incredible teams at Smilefactor10 will once again bring the sky to life above the sand as kites of every colour fly for the whole weekend. An illuminated kite display will take place on the Friday, with kites, entertainment, food, and drink expecting throughout the entire weekend. Plus, the towns splash park will be open for the kids to have a play. Pack a picnic, the kids cossies, and head along to the beach for some good old fashioned seaside fun.
Price: Free
Where to stay nearby: Offshore in nearby St Annes is an ideal place to spend the weekend so you can explore everything the Fylde coast has to offer. The hotel also has a fabulous inn style restaurant offering an array of meals suitable for the whole family.
Let the fun continue!
If like us, you know you will not want the summer to end, then the following events are a perfect way of extending the fun into September and beyond.
21st – 22nd September
Lancashire Encounter Festival
Preston, Lancashire
https://www.lancsencounter.co.uk/
Head to Lancashire to celebrate the county's diverse cultural offering through a series of art, theatrical and musical performances. Building upon the success of previous years, the 2024 Encounter Festival is set to captivate audiences with a programme that brings together local talents and national organisations for an extraordinary cultural experience.
The full Encounter Programme will be announced soon so keep your eyes peeled. The festival always has incredible street performances to enjoy.
Price: Free
Stay nearby: Just outside the city you can find the fabulous Barton Manor Hotel and Spa which has recently added another 49 brand new rooms to its roster. With great links to North Lancashire and the Blackpool and The Fylde Coast, the hotel is a fabulous place to stay to fully explore the area.
Where to eat during your stay: Looking for a wonderful place to enjoy fabulous food and delicious drinks while in Preston? Look no further. Chew's Yard is the place for you! With five street food vendors and a brilliant, stocked bar, plus entertainment throughout the weekend it is a great place to catch up with friends.
2nd October – 2nd November
British Textile Biennial
Various Locations, Lancashire
https://britishtextilebiennial.co.uk/
A free festival of contemporary art, commissioning artists and designers from across the world to make work inspired by the context and legacy of the textile industry in East Lancashire, the British Textile Biennial is not one to be missed.
For 2025, the festival will explore innovation and invention from over the years, and what the future has to hold for the industry, throwing a spotlight on the high-performance materials made in Lancashire, that clothed explorers and pioneers in extreme environments including Amelia Earhart for her transatlantic crossing and Hillary and Norgay on their conquest of Everest.
There will be exhibitions in former mills and historic buildings throughout Lancashire, including the newly refurbished Harris Museum in Preston, Blackburn Cathedral Crypt, Queen Street Mill, Turton Tower and The Whitaker Museum, as well as many more.
Price: Free
Stay nearby: As the festival takes place across large parts of the county, and over a number of weeks, Lancashire is your oyster when it comes to places to stay to enjoy the exhibitions! Check out Visit Lancashire's' Places to Stay pages to get some inspiration.
2nd October – 2nd November
Gaia at Blackburn Cathedral
Blackburn, Lancashire
https://britishtextilebiennial.co.uk/
The internationally renowned Gaia will be on display at the Blackburn Cathedral throughout October and November, with openings all day and special events taking place on selected evenings. Head along to the cathedral to enjoy activities like Yoga and Sound Bath sessions, or a Gin and Run festival, and even a performance of the soundtrack of Christopher Nolan's epic film Interstellar by the organist on the original soundtrack.
Price: Free viewing during the day, evening sessions must be booked in advance costing £5.58 per adult and £3.41 per child. Activities each have their own cost.
Stay nearby: The Millstone at Mellor provides a charming selection of rooms in a traditional countryside pub just outside of the town, perfect for visiting Gaia and exploring the Forest of Bowland and the wider area.
If any of these events, or those outlined in the Events Guide on the link above, take your fancy and you wish to visit Lancashire this summer, we are happy to arrange overnight press visits or day passes. Please get in touch.
ENDS
_____________________________________________________________________
For media enquiries please contact:
Raimy Greenland, Senior PR & Content Executive
Tel: 07918 714887
Notes to Editors
- Marketing Lancashire is charged with promoting Lancashire nationally and internationally, as a leading leisure, learning and business destination powered by Lancashire County Council. Activities through our Visit Lancashire brand, Visit Lancashire Partnership and stakeholder engagement help attract 66.7* million annual visitors, who generate £5.4 billion for the local economy, which in turn supports 57,311 jobs. (*source STEAM research 2023)
- Marketing Lancashire, leads the Lancashire LVEP (Local Visitor Economy Partnership). Part of a national portfolio of strategic and high-performing LVEPs that work in collaboration locally, regionally and nationally on shared priorities and targets, to support and grow the visitor economy. The Lancashire LVEP is a partnership between Marketing Lancashire and VisitBlackpool, with the support of Lancashire's District Councils.
If you would like to be removed from our media contacts list please click here
