What’s On – Local events guide

Mark Philips who runs a local shoot will talk to us about the conservational, social and wildlife benefits that a small rough shoot brings to the land.

West Dorset CAMRA and Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary Club proudly present the 37th Dorchester Beerex. Over the years, Dorchester Beerex has raised over £300,000 for local good causes. This year’s event takes place on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th February 2026. We will have 84 real ales, a large selection of ciders and perry, seating for 100 upstairs and 50 downstairs.

The Nothe Fort Garrison, are looking for additional members to join the group, giving authentic Victorian military displays at Nothe Fort and at other events and brining history to life.
We are looking for people to join all aspects of the group, infantry, artillery, engineers and also people I treated in starting a military band. If uniform isn’t your thing there could still be a way to join in.

This is a free event. Come and play or learn to play Canasta, mah jong, Scrabble, Rummicub, Upwords and much much more. Refreshments provided.

The Dorchester Committee of The Children’s Society invite you to a winter tea at St George’s Hall, Fordington on Monday 9th February from 2.30 – 4 pm. Tickets are £4 per person (pay on the door) for tea, Dorset Apple Cake and crumpets. There is waitress service and some accompanying background music. The atmosphere is always friendly with everyone welcome. Bring a friend or meet some new ones.

7:30 pm. More than a soldier, more than an emperor, Napoleon was also very human. This talk looks not only at his military and political career, but also his love life, including Josephine and the string of other women in his life. Speaker, James Porter is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with a long and impressive military career. He is head of Dorchester Military History Group.

7.30pm on 12th and 13th, 2.30pm and 7.30pm on 14th. Sinbad in Space – written by group member Ron Karley. A pantomime for all to enjoy. Tickets are £9.00 currently available from Box office telephone as below, also can be purchased at Londis shop at Milborne St. Andrew. For more information follow web link below.

Join us at St Peter’s Church Dorchester on Saturday 14th February between 12.30pm and 1pm for our lunchtime concert. This is a thirty-minute organ recital given by renowned musician, broadcaster and former organist of Salisbury Cathedral, Simon Lole. Admission is free and all are very welcome. For more information follow web link below.

12:30 pm. Carvery Lunch at The George Albert Hotel, small plate, £14.50, large plate £18.25. There is a £5.00 subsidy for members. Please confirm by 31st January.

7:00 pm. Matt Rashleigh who describes himself as knowing a little about a lot and Judy Dodworth will look at items of interest that members and guests bring to the evening and will tell us what they know about them. There is a chance that they might offer to buy from you!

2:00 pm. Free Community Event this Half-Term. Written by and for the charity People First Dorset, come & listen to the books illustrator Catherine L Owen tell the story of Susie the ‘Not Lost’ Dorchester Cat, one of Dorchester’s best loved celebrities & whose hometown adventures have earned her a worldwide following.

Over seven weeks every Tuesday this runs until 31st March, actor and musician Alastair Braidwood reads Thomas Hardy’s beloved novel of love, honour, and betrayal, bringing the book to life with music and discussion. Buy a drink from the bar, bring a craft if you like, and relax and just enjoy the story. Every Tuesday from February 17th – March 31st, 7pm to 9.30pm – Casterbridge Room, The King’s Arms Hotel, High East Street, Dorchester.

Friday 20 Feb 7.30pm. Saturday 21 Feb 1.30pm and 7.30pm. Event description: Prepare for a magical mash-up as two legendary worlds collide in our spellbinding new pantomime! Will Dorothy and her new friends find their way home? Will Barry Trotter defeat the Evil Mouldywart? This laugh-out-loud adventure is the perfect treat for all ages!

7:00 pm for 7:30 pm. A Fun Quiz Night 🤣 for all -answers on trivia, general knowledge and the simply ridiculous..! You may not be competing for a place on Mastermind but you’ll go home with a smile on your face..! Teams of 4 or 6, £10 per head, to include a ploughman’s supper – and there will be a bar to keep the brain cell lubricated….all profits to Dorchester Lions charity work in our community.

Music at St Peter’s present ‘Mozart by Candlelight’ – an opportunity to enjoy performances of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik K.525 and the Clarinet Quintet K.581 (soloist Natalie Burton)  in the evocative, candlelit setting of St Peter’s Church Dorchester. The programme is presented without interval. Tickets are £15 and available to buy online – follow web link below.

Join us at Dorset History Centre for an afternoon celebrating the heritage of Dorset’s LGBTQ+ Community! The afternoon will include a short talk from Mark Chutter on Sylvia Townsend-Warner at 1.15pm, an exhibition of archival documents highlighting the heritage of the LGBTQ+ community in Dorset, a make your own print craft session and complimentary refreshments! Free Entry! All are welcome!

You are warmly invited to our cathedral-style service of Choral Eucharist on Sunday 22nd February at 10.30am in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes: Howells’s ‘Collegium Regale’, Purcell’s ‘Thou knowest Lord’ and Messiaen’s iconic motet ‘O sacrum convivium’. All are very welcome to this free service and for refreshments afterwards.

Sylvia and her partner, Valentine Ackland, fell in love with Dorset and lived in Chaldon Herring and Frome Vauchurch near Maiden Newton from 1930 till the end of their lives. Mark Chutter will talk on the life and legacy of this important Dorset-based writer to mark LGBTQ+ history month. Tickets £8 for DAT members, £10 for non-members. Please book via ticketsource (web link below). Tickets include wine & nibbles.

You are warmly invited to our monthly, cathedral-style service of Choral Evensong on Saturday 28th February at 4.30pm in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes Eriks Esenvalds’s ‘O salutaris hostia’, the ‘Preces & Responses’ by Morley, Leighton’s ‘Second Service’ and Brahms’s ‘How lovely are thy dwellings’. Admission is free and there is a glass of wine to follow. All are very welcome.

7:00 pm. During WW1 around 60,000 volunteers served with the British Red Cross Society in auxiliary hospitals across the UK. Luke Mouland will talk on the pivotal role played by the VADs during the Great War & highlights how this remarkable contribution was largely sustained through the efforts of female voluntary labour. Tickets are £8 for DAT members or £10 for non-members. Please book via Ticketsource as per web link below.

Come and join us for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Rummicub, Scrabble, mah jong, canasta and much much more. Refreshments available. This is a free event.

7:00 pm. Join us at DHC for a talk by Colin Divall, Professor Emeritus of Railway Studies at the University of York, to mark the 60th anniversary of the closure of the Somerset and Dorset Railway in March 1966. Tickets are £8 for DAT members or £10 for non-members. Please book via Ticketsource as per the web link below.

Selected dates between 14/3/26 and 1/4/26. See website for details. Heartfelt at Nothe Fort showcases sentimental objects donated by Dorset residents, each paired with the personal story behind it, alongside artworks by Artwey members. Free with fort admission.

Who remembers country dancing at school? We are holding a country dance to raise money for Dorset nightstop. There will be recorded music and a caller. Broadmayne village hall, doors open 6.30pm. Tickets £12.50 per person and includes ploughman’s supper. Bring your own drinks. There will be an Easter egg raffle.

7:30 pm. A clever and witty comedy starring Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Dépardieu. This story turns the battle of the sexes on its head as trophy housewife Suzanne saves the day – and the family business – in a man’s world. Funny, charming, uplifting and stylish! Comedy/Drama—Cert 15. In French with subtitles. £6 cash or card on the door (members £5)

Embark on a fascinating journey through Brownsea Island’s rich history as you explore the island and the castle’s picturesque grounds. A rare opportunity to enter the castle itself, view the paintings and artefacts of past owners. Afterwards, head to the Morning Room and help yourself to a warm drink and a delicious scone with cream and jam. Two walks per month except Mar/Aug & Dec.

7:00 pm. Come and join The Oddfellows for an evening of Spanish Tapas and cocktails at the Crossroads Cafe, Poundbury. Cost £20.00 with a £5.00 subsidy for members of The Oddfellows. Please confirm by 10th March if you would like to join us.

Dorchester Choral Society will be performing a concert featuring Mozart’s majestic Requiem. The programme will also include Elgar’s Serenade for Strings as well as two short choral pieces: Stanford’s Te Deum Laudamus and Rachmaninov’s Bogoroditse Devo. Conducted by Duncan Emerson and with a professional orchestra and soloists: Amy Carson, Miro Treharne, Richard Rowntree and Andrew Kidd.

Come and join us for a coffee and a chat at The Kings Arms, Hotel, Dorchester. The first two drinks are free. Snacks available to buy. No need to book just turn up.

Brownsea Island is a haven for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Our guided walks, led by an expert Dorset Wildlife Trust ranger, take you through the island’s beautiful wetlands. Brownsea Lagoon is one of the best birdwatching sites in England. The lagoon’s shallow, nutrient-rich waters draw in thousands of birds annually, creating an ever-changing avian spectacle.

7:30 pm. Come and join The Oddfellows for an evening of music at The Pavilion in Weymouth. Ticket price from £22.50, subsidy of £10.00 for members of The Oddfellows. There is an opportunity to join members for a pre-show supper in The Pavilion Restaurant.

Practical Workshop: With a mix of working solo and in pairs, Principal Archivist Claire Skinner will help you discover how to read common types of documents in both English and Latin (particularly from the 16th-18th centuries) and give you links to resources which will allow you to explore these topics in more depth. Tickets £12 for DAT members, £15 for non-members. Please book via ticketsource (follow web link below)

12 noon for 12.30. The New Inn was voted the third best carvery in Dorset (2025). Small plate £11.95 and large plate £17.95. There is a £5.00 subsidy for members of Oddfellows. If you would like to join us please confirm by 5th April.

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.

Brownsea Island is a haven for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Our guided walks, led by an expert Dorset Wildlife Trust ranger, take you through the island’s beautiful wetlands. Brownsea Lagoon is one of the best birdwatching sites in England. The lagoon’s shallow, nutrient-rich waters draw in thousands of birds annually, creating an ever-changing avian spectacle.

7:00 pm. A Talk by Mike Randall. Learn about the sufferings of “unfortunate and melancholy souls” convicted at Dorchester Assizes in the late 18th and 19th centuries and what befell them and the families they left behind. Tickets are £8 for Dorset Archives Trust members, or £10 for non-members. Please book via ticketsource (web link below)

Get ready for an epic clash of titans! Join us for a thrilling charity football match as the South Western Ambulance Service takes on Dorset Police in a battle for bragging rights and, more importantly, to raise vital funds for four incredible charities. Tickets on sale now – Check out our website!

The Hand in Hand Lodge is renting The Lake House which is situated within 26 acres of glorious countryside. Home of renowned sculptor Simon Gudgen. Guests can arrive from 10am to walk around the beautiful lakes. We will take a picnic and afternoon tea to enjoy on the privacy of our own island. Tickets cost £40.00 with a discount of £15.00 for members of the Oddfellows.

The Hand in Hand Lodge is renting The Lake House which is situated within 26 acres of glorious countryside. Home of renowned sculptor Simon Gudgen. Guests can arrive from 10am to walk around the beautiful lakes. We will take a picnic and afternoon tea to enjoy on the privacy of our own island. Tickets cost £40.00 with a discount of £15.00 for members of the Oddfellows.

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.

Event description: A concert of short choral pieces for choir with chamber orchestra including Handel’s ‘Let God Arise’, Mendelssohn’s Psalm 42, The famous soprano aria ‘Scherza Infida’ from Handel’s Ariodante. They will be joined by the outstanding young Soprano Sumei Bao-Smith. Entrance is FREE. There will be a retiring collection for Weldmar Hospicecare.
Everyone is most welcome.

Brownsea Island is a haven for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Our guided walks, led by an expert Dorset Wildlife Trust ranger, take you through the island’s beautiful wetlands. Brownsea Lagoon is one of the best birdwatching sites in England. The lagoon’s shallow, nutrient-rich waters draw in thousands of birds annually, creating an ever-changing avian spectacle.

12:00 noon. The Hand in Hand Lodge of Oddfellows is meeting for a midweek carvery lunch at The Sun Inn. Cost is £16.50 with a £5.00 subsidy for members of the Oddfellows. Please contact Rosemary to confirm is you would like to join us.

Come and join us for a coffee and chat at the Kings Arms, High East Street, Dorchester where the first two drinks will be paid for by The Oddfellows. Refreshments available to order from the bar.

7:30 pm. Come and joint The Oddfellows at the theatre to see ‘the best Abba show’, ‘Most authentic Abba Show’ (2024). Weymouth Pavilion, tickets from £30.00. Subsidy of £10.0 for members. Come and join us for supper in the Pavilion restaurant prior to the show.

Come and join us for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Rummicub, Scrabble, mah jong, canasta and much much more. Refreshments available. This is a free event.

12:30 pm. Come and join us for a midweek carvery lunch. Cost £16.50 with a £5.00 subsidy for members of The Oddfellows. Please confirm by 17th June if you would like to join us.

Brownsea Island is a haven for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Our guided walks, led by an expert Dorset Wildlife Trust ranger, take you through the island’s beautiful wetlands. Brownsea Lagoon is one of the best birdwatching sites in England. The lagoon’s shallow, nutrient-rich waters draw in thousands of birds annually, creating an ever-changing avian spectacle.

Come and join us for an afternoon of tabletop games at PIP cafe Poundbury.  Come and play or learn to play Scrabble, Rummicub, Canasta, mah jong, crib and much much more!

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.

The Hand in Hand Lodge of Oddfellows is going on a cruise from Poole Quay to Swanage, cruising for about an hour along the Jurassic coast. There is a live commentary and a bar on board. Cost £22.00 for adults and £16.00 for children. members of The Oddfellows enjoy a £10.00 subsidy.

Come and join us for a coffee and chat at The Kings Arms, Dorchester where a warm welcome awaits you.  The first two drinks are paid for by The Oddfellows.  Refreshments available to order from the bar.

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.

12:30 pm. The Hand in Hand Lodge of Oddfellows is going on a guided tour of Shepton Mallet Prison. Please if you need transport there will be plenty of opportunity for a lift. Cost £25.00 with a discount of £10 for members.

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.

Come and join us for a coffee and a chat at The Kings Arms where a warm welcome awaits you. The first two drinks are paid for by The Oddfellows. Refreshments are available to buy at the bar.

Brownsea Island is a haven for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Our guided walks, led by an expert Dorset Wildlife Trust ranger, take you through the island’s beautiful wetlands. Brownsea Lagoon is one of the best birdwatching sites in England. The lagoon’s shallow, nutrient-rich waters draw in thousands of birds annually, creating an ever-changing avian spectacle.

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.

Brownsea Island is a haven for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Our guided walks, led by an expert Dorset Wildlife Trust ranger, take you through the island’s beautiful wetlands. Brownsea Lagoon is one of the best birdwatching sites in England. The lagoon’s shallow, nutrient-rich waters draw in thousands of birds annually, creating an ever-changing avian spectacle.

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.