Somerset Day 2026: 32 Best Ways to Celebrate

Somerset Day is back this weekend – Saturday 9 May 2026 – and I can’t think of a finer excuse to spend two days eating local cheese, sniffing scrumpy fumes and walking somewhere with seemingly-endless West Country views.

From picnicking on the Levels, to raising a glass at a cider farm, or climbing King Alfred’s Tower (the man who’s behind the whole reason we celebrate), I’ve grouped my 32 favourite ways to I’ve put together the best ways to celebrate Somerset Day, that will leave you with a deep appreciation for this beautiful corner of the UK. Pick what suits you, or string a few together for a proper Somerset weekend!

Quick links – jump to a section:

• What is Somerset Day?
• Headline events for the weekend
• Walk in King Alfred’s footsteps
• Music, song & spoken word
• Cider, wine & Somerset spirits
• Farm shops & food festivals
• Stately homes & historic gardens
• Wild Somerset: hills, gorges & coast
• Arts, crafts & community
• Family-friendly Somerset Day events
• Where to stay for Somerset Day weekend

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What is Somerset Day?

Somerset Day is celebrated annually on the second Saturday of May, which in 2026 falls on Saturday 9 May. The month holds historical significance for the county as it marks the month when Alfred the Great called the people of Somerset to arms in 878 AD, gathering them at Egbert’s Stone before the Battle of Edington, where he sent the Vikings packing and changed the course of English history.

Run by the not-for-profit Passion for Somerset Community Interest Company, the day has grown into a county-wide celebration of the things that make this corner of England so unmistakably itself: the produce, the cider, the heritage, the businesses, the villages, and the people who make all of it tick.

Somerset Day proper is Saturday 9 May 2026, but most events run across the whole weekend (9-10 May), with a handful spilling into the week before and after. I’ve flagged dates throughout – book ahead for the ticketed ones, in case they sell out.

At a glance: the headline events for Somerset Day weekend

If you only do four things this weekend, make it these – but if you can squeeze in a Friday curtain-raiser too, even better.

Don’t Miss – Friday 8 May curtain-raisers: Try Somerset Day Sundowners at Market House, Castle Cary (6pm) for a proper countryside-pub welcome, or An Evening of Poetry at ACEarts, Somerton (6.30pm) if you want something quieter and more atmospheric. For a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the Somerset Hot Air Balloon Flight from Maunsel House, Bridgwater lifts off at 6.15pm – clear skies and the Levels at dusk.

1. eat:Taunton food festival

• Around Taunton Minster, Hammet Street & East Street. Saturday 9 May 2026, 10am-4pm: Free entry

Taunton’s county-town food festival is a great entry point to Somerset Day. Over 100 producers cluster around the Minster – think rare-breed sausages from the Levels, raw-milk cheeses from the Mendips, and more sourdough than is sensible plus live cookery demos and hands-on workshops. Get there before 11am if you want a seat anywhere near the demo stage. Full details on the eat:festivals site.

If you can’t make Saturday’s eat:Taunton, its smaller sister festival eat:Nailsea runs in Nailsea town centre on the same day, with the same emphasis on local producers.

2. The Big Somerset Picnic 2026

• Across the county. Weekend of 9-10 May 2026

The flagship Somerset Day event is essentially a county-wide invitation to spread a blanket somewhere lovely and eat local food with people you like. You can host your own and raise money for a cause that matters to you (sign up at somersetday.com), or join one of the pre-organised picnics popping up everywhere – a few of my favourites for 2026:

• Maidenbrook Country Park, Taunton – Sat 9 May, 2-10pm. Doubling as the Grand Opening of the park, with dog show (2-5pm), live music, beacon lighting and fireworks (9.30pm). Food served 3pm and 6pm – Hog roast/other choices.
• Aller Recreation Ground BBQ on The Levels organised by St Alfred’s Church) -running across the whole weekend.
  • Begin with the Pilgrimage Walk from St Andrew’s Church at 9.30am Saturday for a properly atmospheric Saxon-themed start, then return Sunday for the BBQ in the Park (11.30am) and the picnic itself (12.30-4pm). King Alfred-themed crafts for kids, drinks from The Pound Inn, and the Langport Mummers performing their gloriously silly play about Alfred and Guthrum the Viking (who, fittingly, was baptised in Aller’s church).
• Teals, near Ilchester – Sat 9 May, 10am-4pm. Live music from Kings of Lounge, BBQ, bouncy castle, flower pressing with Wilder & Wren, and a pop-up shop from the Somerset Collective. All in aid of Somerset charity Help for Homeless.

Wyke Farms returns as Headline Partner for 2026 – expect plenty of their cheddar in evidence.

3. Follow the Journey of the Somerset Dragon

• Touring across the county. Throughout April and May 2026

The centrepiece of Somerset Day 2026 is The Journey of the Somerset Dragon – a county-wide storytelling tour that’s been winding its way from town to town all spring. The dragon has already appeared in Wells, Minehead, Evercreech, Weston-super-Mare, Sparkford, Watchet, Street, Somerton, Nailsea and beyond, with live interactive readings of The Tail of The Somerset Dragon.

Somerset residents are being invited to submit a name for the dragon, with the chosen name revealed as part of the Somerset Day celebrations. If you’ve got a small dragon-fan in the house, this is the weekend to get involved.

Check the dragon’s tour stops and submit a name on the Somerset Day site.

4. Saxon Somerset Day, Avalon Archaeology

• Next to Avalon Marshes Centre, Westhay . Saturday 9 May 2026, 10am-4pm

Travel back to Saxon Somerset for a day! Discover what life was like in the time of King Alfred and why he was such an important figure in the county. Costumed reenactors from Draca Beorder will be bringing 9th century Somerset to life at Avalon Archaeology. Sword and spear demos, blacksmiths working iron over the forge, weavers and woodworkers in the reconstructed Anglo-Saxon longhall.

Tickets: Adult £5.50, Concessions £3.75, Under 5s free, 5-17 £3.75. Tickets stay valid for the rest of 2026. Book through SW Heritage Trust.

Don’t Miss: the Choral Evensong on the Eve of Somerset Day at St John’s Church, Taunton on Sunday 10 May at 4pm.

Walk in King Alfred’s footsteps: Somerset’s Saxon heritage

Somerset Day exists because of one man and one extraordinary year. Spending a few hours of your weekend tracing his story turns the celebration from a picnic into a pilgrimage.

5. King Alfred’s Tower, Stourhead Estate

This 160-foot Grade I-listed folly on the edge of the Stourhead Estate marks the spot near Egbert’s Stone where Alfred rallied the men of Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire in 878. Built in the 1760s, it’s triangular, red-brick, and the view from the top, on a clear day, takes in three counties (although it wasn’t open the last time we visited to don’t set your heart on this!) Book entry through the National Trust.

6. Step back in time at the Isle of Athelney

This is the spot – now a quiet patch of raised ground in the Levels near Burrowbridge – where Alfred is said to have hidden from the Danes, plotted his counter-attack, and (allegedly) burned the cakes. The 19th-century monument here marks the site of the monastery he founded as a thank-offering. It’s a humbling, atmospheric little detour, especially at dusk. More on Historic England’s listing. More on Historic England’s listing.

7. Axbridge – Somerset’s smallest town

One of the burhs (fortified towns) Alfred established to defend Wessex from Viking raids, Axbridge is a tiny, beautifully preserved market town with a cracking little museum: King John’s Hunting Lodge, housed in a 1460s wool merchant’s house. Combine it with a leisurely loop of nearby Cheddar Reservoir for a perfect, leg-stretching morning.

Local Insight: If Alfred’s story has piqued your interest, the Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury has a free Saxon-era trail booklet you can pick up at reception – it threads together six sites across the county.

8. Glastonbury Abbey and Tor

Few places carry as much mythological weight as Glastonbury – Avalon to some, the burial place of Arthur and Guinevere to others, the alleged final resting place of the Holy Grail to the more romantically-inclined and brimming with leyline energy to the aura-sensing among us. Whatever you believe, it makes for a fascinating and spiritual Somerset history lesson, the Tor at sunset is reliably astonishing, and the Abbey ruins are some of the most atmospheric in England.

Read my full guide: Best things to do in Glastonbury

Music, song & spoken word

9. Somerset Song Prize

• Temple Methodist Church, Taunton. Saturday 9 May 2026, 1.30pm

A county-wide singing competition featuring young vocalists from across the region performing classical and folk repertoire. Stunning acoustics in the chapel, free to attend. Details on the Somerset Day site.

10. The Lost Somerset Singers

• St Andrew’s Church, Aller. Sunday 10 May 2026, 1.30pm

Part of the Somerset Day on the Levels programme – an a cappella performance of forgotten Somerset folk songs in the very church where Guthrum the Viking was baptised. Find it here.

11. Missouri Baptist University Chorale

• St Cuthbert’s Church, Wells. Monday 11 May 2026, 7pm

A visiting US college choir performing in one of the loveliest parish churches in England, with Wells Cathedral just down the road. Booking via Somerset Day.

12. An Evening of Poetry

• ACEarts, Somerton. Friday 8 May 2026, 6.30pm

Local poets and open-mic readings in ACEarts’ lovely gallery space, glass of wine in hand. Booking recommended. More info here.

13. Dragon Spiral Mobile Workshop

• ACEarts, Somerton. Saturday 9 May 2026, 2pm

A hands-on craft workshop tying in with the Journey of the Somerset Dragon – make your own spiral dragon mobile to take home. Brilliant for primary-age children. Book a place.

Cider, wine & Somerset spirits

Cider isn’t just a drink in Somerset – it’s a heritage industry, a local language, and (frankly) a very good reason to spend a Saturday afternoon in an orchard.

14. The Cider Bus Saturdays at Burrow Hill

The Somerset Cider Brandy Company and Burrow Hill Cider host one of their famous Cider Bus Saturdays on Saturday 9 May 2026, 10.30am-5.30pm. Celebrate Somerset Day in the orchards, curated and hosted by The Kingsbury Time Travellers.

Expect a full day of music, craft and countryside tradition, with Morris dancers, live music and a lively ceilidh, plus willow workshops, wildlife displays, delicious food by A Pizza Heaven, and cider, of course.

15. Dowding’s Cider open day

Dowding’s runs an orchard open day across the weekend from 10am-8pm, with Pitcombe Rock Falconry, food from Desi Cafe with Indian style fare on Saturday, while on Sunday Kate – The Intuitive Chef will be cooking up a storm.

16. Somerset’s other big cider names

Other cider farms to get you started are Perry’s, Sheppy’s, Harry’s, Thatchers or Torre Cider Company.

17. Somerset’s English wine scene

Less expected, and quietly excellent, Somerset is now home to several award-winning vineyards. Book a tasting at Wraxall, Fenny Castle or Oatley for the weekend.

Read more: 9 Somerset vineyards where you can go wine tasting

18. Gin tastings at local distilleries

And if you’re partial to a G&T, Somerset’s got you covered on that front too. Somerset Spirit Co. and Exmoor Distillery both run distillery tours and tastings.

Farm shops & food festivals

Indulge in some of the county’s finest foodie offerings with a visit to one of its many farm shops. Treasure troves of Somerset’s agricultural bounty, you’ll find local meat, foraged jams, fresh bread, fruit and veg inside.

19. Somerset Farm Shops

With our county bursting with farmers, you won’t have to look far to fill your basked with locally-sourced goodness. Go directly to the source of Somerset’s delectable offerings, like Westcombe Cheddar’s Dairy Shop, which stocks its flagship, traditional clothbound cheddar, Duckett’s Aged Caerphilly and Ricotta, plus small batches of hand-made charcuterie. Try The Trading Post in South Petherton, White Row Farm in Beckington. Buffalicious makes mozzarella, ice cream and meat from a herd of 250 grass-fed water buffalo. You can get your hands on these gastronomic delights from their onsite farm shop near Yeovil.

20. Frome Farmers’ Market

Frome Farmers’ Market takes place on Saturday 9 May, 9am-1pm. Situated close to Cheap Street and Catherine Hill, it’s a great destination to meet and buy from local farmers, cheesemakers, market gardeners, and bakers.

21. Cheese tours

Maturing cheese in the Mendip Hills is a centuries-old tradition.

Book a VIP tour with The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company and you’ll be taken into Gough’s Cave, where they mature their cheddar at constant temperature. Watching the milk turn into curds in the morning, then tasting an 18-month-old wheel matured in the rock, is the kind of thing that re-rewires how you think about cheese.

Nearby Wookey Hole Caves also provide the optimum environment for Cave Aged Cheddar, with constant temperatures and humidity allowing it to develop a moist texture and earthy flavour. Visitors can explore these spectacular caverns on guided tours and group cheese tours are also available by arrangement.

Stately homes & historic gardens

Somerset Day weekend is a brilliant excuse to tick a couple of beautiful country estates off your list!

22. Spend a day at one of Somerset’s stately homes and gardens

Somerset is home to all kinds of National Trust-managed landscapes, historic properties and stretches of coastline. Some of the most intriguing estates include Lytes Cary, surrounded by enchanting gardens, acres of fields and lovely woodland. Barrington Court, previously owned by Colonel Lyle, has an incredible kitchen garden and garden blooms.

Montacute, a masterpiece of Elizabethan architecture, built from the county’s gleaming ham stone, and the spectacular Dunster Castle, set in fairytale Somerset surroundings.

Read the full guide: 23 Stately homes in Somerset you need to visit

23. Yarlington House Plant Fair

Calling all plant lovers! Yarlington House opens its private gardens (not normally open to the public) to budding botanists for a Specialist Spring Plant Fair on Saturday 9 May, 10am-4pm. Thirty stalls of organic veg plants, summer bedding and cut-flower beauties. Entry £5.

Wild Somerset: hills, gorges & coast

24.  Go adventuring in Exmoor National Park

Europe’s first International Dark Sky Reserve, high moors full of wild ponies and red deer, rugged cliffs that fall straight into the Bristol Channel, and 8,000 years of human history written into the landscape. Exmoor National Park is a sight to behold in May and a fascinating place to explore.

25. Cheddar Gorge

Three miles long, 122 metres deep, and Britain’s biggest gorge. The four-mile Cheddar Gorge Trail is one of the great walks of southwest England. Gouged out of the Mendips’ rugged cliffs since Ice Age times, spectacular rock formations and dramatic caverns characterise the landscape here.

Below ground, the caves are where Britain’s oldest complete human skeleton was found.

26. The Mendip, Quantock, Blackdown & Cranborne Chase Hills

Somerset is one of only a handful of counties to be home to four National Landscapes (the new name for AONBs), places so special they have been designated in the national interest. Pick one for Somerset Day – the Quantocks are wildest, the Mendips most dramatic, the Blackdowns the most underrated.

27. The marine lakes at Clevedon & Weston-super-Mare

Two refurbished 1920s tidal infinity pools – Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare – with photogenic Bristol Channel backdrops. You’ll need a thick skin or a wetsuit to brave a dip in the water, or you could always take a paddleboard. Even if you’re not venturing in, it’s nice to just walk the perimetre, and watch life unfold on the North Somerset coast.

For 2026, Clevedon Marine Lake and Clevedon Pier have teamed up to put on a day of fun (11am-3pm) on 9 May with live music – a rock choir and sea shanties, facepainting, knitathon, human slot machine, stalls and lots more.

Explore more in the area: 28+ Things to do in North Somerset

Arts, crafts & community

28. Get inspired by art 

Somerset has inspired many an artist over the centuries, including the likes of JMW Turner, William Hogarth and Stanley Spencer. These days, the county continues to attract artists to live and work here and has a range of arts venues. Watchet’s East Quay, ACEarts in Somerton, Somerset Rural Life Museum and The Hanging Gallery in Langport are all great venues to see work from emerging and established Somerset artists.

Family-friendly Somerset Day events

29. Shoemakers Museum and Clarks Village

Get ready for a roaring dose of West Country pride on May 9 as the Somerset Dragon makes a grand appearance at Clarks Village, Street! Hosted alongside Shoemakers Museum, the event kicks off at 2.30pm, followed by a live reading of The Tail of The Somerset Dragon at 3pm, with an animatronic version of the legendary beast itself. Books will be available to buy on the day.

There will also be tons for families, including an inflatable assault course, bouncy castle, disco dome and more!

30. Meet the Maker at Coates English Willow Centre

• Coates English Willow Centre, Stoke St Gregory. Saturday 9 May 2026, from 10am

Tucked away on the Levels, Coates is the last working willow craft centre of its kind in England. The Meet the Maker day is an open-house with the basket-makers and growers themselves. Don’t miss Explore the Willow Sculpture Trail (running until 10 October, closed Sundays) – 12 jungle characters to find, a wordsearch and prize at the end! Trail £4.75 each.

31. Party in the Park, Minehead

• Blenheim Gardens, Minehead. Saturday 9 May 2026, from 12pm

Minehead’s Somerset Day flagship – live music, food stalls, family entertainment and a proper West Somerset community feel. Free, drop-in.

Quirky one-offs for Somerset Day

32. Ilminster Town Criers’ Competition

The Ilminster Town Criers’ competition including the Somerset and West of England Championships, will be held on 9 May 2026, 10am-2pm.

Town criers from across the UK will showcase their vocal talents, with a special category for Junior Town Criers. Participants and their escorts will also be judged on the quality of their colourful regalia. This lively, traditional event celebrates Merry England and Somerset’s rich cultural heritage, and all are welcome to join in the fun.

Where to stay for Somerset Day weekend

If you’re travelling in for the weekend, here’s where I’d point you from places I’ve reviewed already.

By area:

For the Levels, cider country and South Somerset

Two stays I particularly love and have reviewed in full – Holm Somerset, a fantastic restaurant-with-rooms in the beautiful village of South Petherton, and Yeabridge Farm Hideaway for off-grid style glamping in rural countryside.

For Glastonbury, Bruton & East Somerset:

Hadspen Glamping is my pick if you want hot-tub luxury within twenty minutes of the Tor – read my full review. For hotels closer to Glastonbury, browse availability on Booking.com.

For Exmoor & West Somerset:

Combe Head House for the full manor house, country cottage experience – read my review.

East Quay Watchet is the standout – quirky sea-view cabins and arty vibes. Read my full review.

By mood

For a wellness reset:

42 Acres near Frome – a grown-up, spiritual retreat with sauna, lake swimming that resets your nervous system.

For families: Browse my full 6 best family glamping spots in Somerset for cabins, lodges and bell tents.

For couples: My round-up of the best shepherds huts with hot tubs in Somerset.

Browse all my Somerset accommodation reviews for more recommendations.

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