The Ashbourne Festival

If you’re visiting Wheeldon Trees Cottages in June, you may wish to put the Ashbourne Festival on your list.

The Festival takes place every June and July in the small market town of Ashbourne, which is just a twenty-minute drive from Wheeldon.

This year’s festival takes place from 16 June to 2 July 2023. Its rural location and Georgian buildings make it the perfect location for this small and eclectic festival. However, the festival is not just about this heritage, it aims to bring the best possible classical and contemporary arts for the town, the surrounding area and its many summer visitors.

Ashbourne Festival has hosted some of the best street theatre, musicians, comedians, artists and writers working in the region, nationally and internationally.  The Festival is now established as one of the town’s unusual mix of traditions, which include Shrovetide football and the Highland Gathering.

2023 Festival Highlights

Ashbourne International Streetfest – Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 June

A weekend of international street performances throughout the town. The event is free and kicks off at 10 am each day.

Out of the Deep Blue – Autin Dance Theatre – 17 June

Autin Dance Theatre brings its amazing dance and puppetry skills to Streetfest. Watch out for the giant sea puppet Eko, suddenly appearing around corners and walking through the streets of Ashbourne. Enjoying a moving tale about the Earth’s climate emergency told through dance, movement and masterful puppeteering.

Karen Darke MBE – from Olympic Gold to Antarctic Cold – 20 June

Paralympic cyclist Karen Darke describes her incredible journey to Rio Olympic Gold, subsequent world record-breaking achievements and a perilous trip across the ice-covered Antarctic. Tickets are £15 and the event takes place in St John’s Church, Buxton Road.

Saturday Blast Off – National Space Centre Family Workshops – 24 June

On Saturday 24 June, the National Space Centre comes to Ashbourne to run a series of interactive rocket-building workshops. The fun starts at 11 am. Tickets are £7.50 for adults and £2.50 for children and all events take place at St Oswald’s Church Hall.

Stay in an award-winning cottage

The Wheeldon Trees Cottages luxury Derbyshire retreat has everything you need for your break away – free EV charging, an honesty shop packed to the brim with goodies, a fantastic games room where you can play pool, air hockey or ping pong and a range of new electric bikes for you to borrow to explore the local area.

The best thing about Wheeldon Trees Cottages is our 10 award-winning properties. Five are rated 5-Star Gold by VisitEngland and the retreat is also the winner of a Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice Award – won by just 10% of the world’s self-catering properties.

You can view our availability and pick your perfect cottage by following this link – view our availability.