The Garden Festival is firmly established as one of the foremost events in the horticultural calendar of the northwest of England. It is hugely enjoyed by all the visitors who greatly appreciate the intimate and friendly atmosphere. This year we are celebrating our 30th Anniversary show!
NEW for 2025 AND INCLUDED IN YOUR TICKET in celebration of our 30th Anniversary, we are introducing Creative Corner Garden Design, full details are available on this website but with the absence of The RHS Tatton Flower show for 3 years in the North West we are giving designers, both young and old, the opportunity to continue gaining experience in garden design.
Jonathan Moseley will be joining us in the Question Time marquee on the showground where he will be giving a floral demonstration followed later in the afternoon, in Olympia, with a further floral demonstration, Q&A session and pop-up shop. Please note that both these demonstrations are included as part of your ticket, so it will operate as a first come first served basis but by having 2 sessions each day we hope you wont be disappointed!
Hartford WI will be joining us this year in their own marquee where they will be showcasing their crafts. Categories for judging will include, Produce including cakes and preserves, Art, Hard Crafts such as cards and pottery and Soft Crafts such as sewing, embroidery and knitting. Floristry displays will also be judged
Our garden tours running throughout the day, lead by Gordon Baillie our Head Gardener, will be taking place and are included in your ticket. Visitor entry to the hall and gardens (and FREE parking) is also a part of your ticket. As ever there will be dedicated plant nurseries and high-quality garden accessory traders at the show as well as experts on hand from The Professional Gardeners Guild to help with any questions you may have. A programme of talks and demonstrations will also be running throughout the day.
In the Countryside Marquee visitors will be able to learn about Wood Carving and Dry-Stone Walling along with finding out about the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Badger Conservation, Lower Moss Wood Rescue Centre and the Mid Cheshire Beekeepers. Near by will be Andrew Worthington demonstrating stone carving and close to this marquee will be the Cheshire Guild of Wood Turners where again you and the whole family can ‘have-a-go’ at wood turning.
Last year we were delighted to welcome Animal Teach who brought a hands on experience to Arley and who now have over 30 species of animals and invertebrate in the Animal Team! As well as that we held a fun dog show organised by Tails Animal Rescue based in Northwich. Classes included Best Male, Best Female, Best Waggiest Tale, Best Puppy under a year, Golden Oldie and Best Trick! They will be joining us again this year with the first class at 11.30, £3 to enter one dog into one class, cash ideal, money raised goes towards the Tails Animal Rescue charity, prizes and rosettes given. It’s a great family day out with children’s entertainment also including, face painting and our playzone including a zip wire, willow domes and picnic area. We are delighted they will be back at our 2025 show.
PLEASE NOTE you need to buy a ticket to the garden festival for entry to the show before you can take part in the fun dog show.
There will be a selection of food outlets offering a choice of brownies, pies and pasties, chocolate, rum and gin, preserves and peanut butter! as well as our exclusive caterers who run The Gardener’s Kitchen Café on the stable yard and also provide a marquee on the showground where you can sit and enjoy a lunch of sandwiches cakes, hot food and drinks.
We will also be holding our Schools Gardening Challenge at the show, we invite local primary schools to plant an 8ft x 4ft raised flowerbed (which we provide) with some (but not all) plants that have been grown by the children themselves, the theme can be anything and we regularly attract up to 10 schools, everyone is welcome. The amazing prize for the winner, who will be chosen by our gardening judges on Saturday morning will win an actual 8ft x 4ft wooden raised flowerbed which we also deliver to the winning school! This amazing prize is sponsored by Huws Gray Buildbase in Northwich, who have provided all the materials to build the flowerbed.
There will also be a public vote taking place over the weekend with the winning school receiving free child entry tickets to Arley Hall & Gardens for use during the year.
Creative Crafts will play host to a large selection of high-quality gift and craft traders in their own marquee and can be found close to the entrance marquee.
The Wabash Jazz Trio will put you in the mood for a great day as they play foot tapping music as you arrive. Lymm Concert band will then be playing in the afternoon and all day in the Stable Yard, the band Street Jazz will be playing. The iconic English Lotus cars will once again be outside the Hall on Saturday and the elegant Morgan cars will be on display on Sunday.
Admission
Adult pre-booked online £20.00 gate price £22.00
Child (4-16) pre-booked £5.00 gate price £6.00
10% discount available for Annual Pass Holders
Groups (15+) £18.00