What’s On – Local events guide

Join us for a fun-filled day of activities, catering to all ages – including two very special Hairy Coo guests! Games, skittles, village stocks, junior tug of war, bouncy castle, kids enterainer Smarty Pants the Clown, music from Nina Garcia, bar and BBQ. Traditional stalls, cream teas, cash raffle and Dog Show. All set in the beautiful grounds of this 18 century Manor House.

Walk around 18 beautiful gardens of all shapes and sizes.Join us in the village hall for delicious homemade cakes, teas and coffees and stock up on your plants at the popular plant stall. The children of the village have designed their World in a Pot display and there is a Grand Raffle with prizes including a gas barbeque, a barrow of beverages worth over £200 plus a Family Ticket to Abbotsbury.

Hi, our annual June fete is nigh. Entry £1.00, under 5’s free. An afternoon full of entertainment for everyone with all the usual stalls plus Tumbling Gymnastics, Classic Cars, Autumn on violin, Punch & Judy, Alpacas, singing from Chris Payn, Bouncy Castle. The Three Compasses with their beer tent, food and of course, the mighty Duck River Race. All proceeds for the Charminster Village amenities.

You are warmly invited to our monthly, cathedral-style service of Choral Eucharist on Sunday 8th June at 10.30am in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes: Durufle ‘Ubi caritas’, Jannacconi ‘Missa alla Palestrina’ and Ives ‘Listen sweet dove’. All are very welcome to this free service and for refreshments afterwards.

Once again Dorchester & District Lions will be organising Summerfest in 2025 – a free family fun day on the Great Field, Poundbury. As well as raising money for the Lions, the event provides a platform for local charities & organisations to come along , showcase & promote their own charities. There will be over 12 attractions, food & refreshments on sale and bar by the Convivial Rabbit.

7:30 pm. A concert by The West Dorset Singers .The choir was founded in 1966 and has since grown to become the largest choir in West Dorset. For over 60 years they were known as The New Elizabethan Singers, but in 2023 they decided to change our name to the West Dorset Singers. The director is Matt Kingston.
Also in the programme will be items from The Broadoak Choir. Tickets via web link below.

Flower Festival, Art exhibitions and Music Concerts in the glorious setting of St Mary’s Church. The event is raising funds for Weldmar Hospicecare. Free Admission. Artisan stalls on Friday and Saturday, 13th & 14th. Meet Ben McGregor the winner of Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 on Saturday 14th. Floral demonstration on Saturday 14th 11am.

7:30 pm. Get ready to be swept away by the harmonious sounds of the Dorchester Rock Choir! This talented and versatile choral ensemble invites you to an unforgettable evening filled with a diverse range of popular music that will resonate with audiences of all ages. Also joining the concert will be guest artists. All ticket sales support Weldmar Hospicecare. Tickets via web link below

Start your adventure with a scenic boat ride from Poole Harbour. Set up your picnic and get ready for a performance filled with laughter, romance, and a touch of magic. Ice-cream will be served during the interval by the island’s food and beverage team. Bring your friends and family for an unforgettable evening of theatre in one of the UK’s most beautiful settings.

7:00 pm (doors open 6:30 pm). For the first time at St. Nicholas Church, Dr Jazz (4 retired doctors & well known in Dorset) will be playing ‘medicine for your ears’, in their easy jazz style. Tickets £10 (under 16’s Free). Cash Bar. 1/2 of the ticket sales will go to Julia’s House Children’s Hospice & the other 1/2 to the St. Nicholas Church Restoration Fund. Contact Susana for tickets.

Almost sixty brightly decorated elephants have transformed the west of Dorset into a vibrant, fun, and free art trail that local families and visitors will never forget. Each designed and painted by talented artists and local schools. Before the large sculptures are auctioned to raise funds for Weldmar Hospicecare, and the Mini Herd are returned to the schools who designed them, there is a final gathering of the herd in the Corn Exchange – the only time to see every elephant together under one roof! Follow the web link below to book tickets.

7:30 pm. This concert promises a captivating blend of classical and contemporary music. Matt’s musical journey began at Downside School, and he later earned an organ scholarship at Homerton College, Cambridge, while studying classics. He is currently on a UK tour of Cathedrals and Churches across the UK. Supporting Weldmar Hopsicecare. Tickets via the web link below.

Last chance before our summer break! At Repair Cafe Weymouth’s June 14 event, volunteers fix: electrical, electronics, IT, mechanical, gluing, tool sharpening, clocks, leather, jewellery and sewing. You watch as skilled local volunteer repairers fix your broken items. You might have to wait for the most appropriate repairer to become free – but we’ve 20 of them!

A fun family treasure hunt searching for clues, collecting stamps and exploring the gardens to unlock the treasure chest and win goodies at the end! The event is raising money for Taylors Rehoming Centre to help animals across Dorset. Entry is £5 per child and cash only.

The evening starts with a scenic journey aboard the vintage Dorset Queen yacht, with fish and chips (vegan option available) The evening adventure will start at the new hide overlooking the lagoon, watching and listening to the nesting birds calling and catching fish. Afterwards, we will be using bat detectors to locate and identify a variety of different bat species.

Money on your mind? Get your finances back in order with CAP Money Coaching. The course is free, independent and effective with a six year track record in Dorchester. Full details and how to sign up are on our website. Dorchester Poverty Action and Dorchester Foodbank have generously offered a £20 Co-op voucher to all DT1/DT2 residents who complete the course. Max eight people per course.

Join us at St Peter’s Church on Dorchester Saturday 21st June between 12.30pm and 1pm for our free lunchtime concert. This is a thirty-minute programme of music for trombone, performed by Kevin Morgan. Kevin is the principal trombonist in the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. You can expect an eclectic programme with informative.

You are warmly invited to our monthly, cathedral-style service of Choral Evensong on Saturday 28th June at 4.30pm in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes Duruflé’s ‘Tu es Petrus’, the ‘Preces & Responses’ by Richard Ayleward, Sydney Watson’s ‘Evening Canticles in E’ and Jonathan Dove’s ‘Seek him that maketh the seventh stars’. Admission is free and there is a glass of wine to follow.

Dorchester Choral Society will be performing a lovely programme of anthems by English composers spanning five centuries. The choir will be conducted by Duncan Emerson and accompanied on the organ by Heather Reed. This free, unticketed and informal concert takes place in the historic church of St Mary’s Cerne Abbas. Refreshments will be sold and collection taken in aid of Weldmar Hospicecare.

11:00 am. A talk on genealogy & family history by experienced researcher, Val Brenton. The talk will discuss: How the law regarding school attendance changed. What entries on the 19th-20th century census returns might mean. How to identify which school your ancestor may have attended. What records may exist to help you add to your family history. Tickets are £8 for DAT members or £10 for non-members.

Summer Fayre – refreshments -BBQ- bacon rolls. homemade Cake stall. Raffle, Tombola, craft stalls spaces available either inside or out for craft stalls, games etc. £5 per pitch/table. Please contact cycc@mail.com or click on email link below for more information

They’re creepy and they’re kooky… and they’re coming to Thomas Hardye School! Tickets are now on sale for our delightfully dark production of The Addams Family musical! Join Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, and the rest of the quirky clan for an unforgettable evening of laughs, love, and the unexpected. Tickets Adult £13/Student £9. This is a fundraising event for the Performing Arts Department.

Join the #WillDoes Bus Pull Challenge! On Saturday 12 July 2025 at Dorchester Rugby Club, teams of 8 will battle the clock to pull a bus in just 25 seconds — all to help raise £25,000 for Dorset charities supporting young people. Sign up via the web link below.

You are warmly invited to our monthly, cathedral-style service of Choral Eucharist on Sunday 13th July at 10.30am in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes: Ole Gjeilo’s ‘Ubi caritas’, Michael Haydn ‘Missa brevis in C’ and Philip Stopford’s ‘An Irish Blessing’. All are very welcome to this free service and for refreshments afterwards.

Join us at St Peter’s Church on Dorchester Saturday 19th July between 12.30pm and 1pm for our free lunchtime concert. This is a thirty-minute programme of music given by soprano Verity Joy, who will be accompanied by Jonathan Prentice. Verity is in the last few months of postgraduate study at Arts University Bournemouth, where she is a music scholar.

Free activities including Punch and Judy shows, face painting, a treasure hunt and music provided by Keep 106. More activities to be confirmed.

We are running both morning and afternoon 1 hour Bushcraft taster sessions every Friday during school holidays. Starting at 11am, 1pm & 3pm. Master skills including basic knife techniques, fire lighting, shelter construction, and identifying plants and trees. at the birthplace of Scouting.

Join us at DHC for a free conference of talks celebrating Dorset’s history on rail! Featured talks include: Dorset’s first railway; British Rail’s employment of women in the late 1980s; migration of railway workers; and Dr Beeching’s railway closures in the 1960s. Explore original railway plans, photographs and more from DHC’s collections. Tickets are free. Please call us to book your place.

The Villagers of Milton Abbas invite you to their 18th Century Street Fair Whatever the weather, we hope you join in the fun of our Street Fair. We have tried to recreate the flavour of a country occasion using costume, rural crafts, entertainment and craft demonstrations. We expect to have a large number of stalls, with food and drink venues throughout The Street and Lake Field.

You are warmly invited to our monthly, cathedral-style service of Choral Evensong on Saturday 26th July at 4.30pm in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes Parsons’s ‘Ave Maria’, the ‘Preces & Responses’ by David Trendell, Howells’s ‘St Paul’s Service’ and Bainton’s ‘And I saw a new heaven’. Admission is free and there is a glass of wine to follow. All are very welcome.

Get Safe for summer: 5 days for middle school students upwards to learn how to help if someone is in danger esp near the beach and water. Cost for week : £37.50

Join us for a fun evening of live music with The Mother Ukers, begin your night with a scenic harbour cruise aboard the Dorset Queen, with a complimentary drink. Enjoy the quirky performance, featuring unique and lively ukulele tunes. Savour a delicious pasty as you soak in the music and the stunning island views. The event price is all inclusive.

The superb annual Sunflower Trail to raise funds for local good causes. Check dates. The trail will be throughout August, but check exact dates nearer the time.

We are running both morning and afternoon 1 hour Bushcraft taster sessions every Friday during school holidays. Starting at 11am, 1pm & 3pm. Master skills including basic knife techniques, fire lighting, shelter construction, and identifying plants and trees. at the birthplace of Scouting.

We are running both morning and afternoon 1 hour Bushcraft taster sessions every Friday during school holidays. Starting at 11am, 1pm & 3pm. Master skills including basic knife techniques, fire lighting, shelter construction, and identifying plants and trees. at the birthplace of Scouting.

From 12:00 pm. Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is a small festival set on a farm on the beautiful Jurassic Coastline. We’re a festival that’s loved by everyone because there’s loads for kids to do, loads for parents, and loads for the old folkies too! This year’s lineup is already shining with Buster Sledge, John Bramwell, and Ellie Gowers—and there’s more to come! Stay tuned!

We are running both morning and afternoon 1 hour Bushcraft taster sessions every Friday during school holidays. Starting at 11am, 1pm & 3pm. Master skills including basic knife techniques, fire lighting, shelter construction, and identifying plants and trees. at the birthplace of Scouting.

Join us for a fun evening of live music with The Mother Ukers, begin your night with a scenic harbour cruise aboard the Dorset Queen, with a complimentary drink. Enjoy the quirky performance, featuring unique and lively ukulele tunes. Savour a delicious pasty as you soak in the music and the stunning island views. The event price is all inclusive.

We are running both morning and afternoon 1 hour Bushcraft taster sessions every Friday during school holidays. Starting at 11am, 1pm & 3pm. Master skills including basic knife techniques, fire lighting, shelter construction, and identifying plants and trees. at the birthplace of Scouting.

We are running both morning and afternoon 1 hour Bushcraft taster sessions every Friday during school holidays. Starting at 11am, 1pm & 3pm. Master skills including basic knife techniques, fire lighting, shelter construction, and identifying plants and trees. at the birthplace of Scouting.

We bring live performance to unexpected places – town centres, village squares, beaches and hilltops – for everyone to enjoy. At the heart of what we do is a belief that performing arts should be accessible for all – no matter what your experience or background. Therefore, all of Inside Out Dorset 2025 events are free to attend. Featured will be artists from as far away as India and Catalonia – as well as UK and Dorset-based companies. In addition to Corfe Castle and Weymouth, other locations include Christchurch, Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, and Yeovil.

We are running both morning and afternoon 1 hour Bushcraft taster sessions every Friday during school holidays. Starting at 11am, 1pm & 3pm. Master skills including basic knife techniques, fire lighting, shelter construction, and identifying plants and trees. at the birthplace of Scouting.