What’s On at Alnwick Castle

Hours, prices and access verified by the Alnwick Castle Tours team — last checked September 22, 2026.

What is actually programmed at the castle this season, with dates. Everything below is published by Alnwick Castle; nothing here is a guess at what a castle might put on.

This season’s programme

Published by Alnwick Castle and checked on 22 September 2026. Programmes change — confirm on the castle’s own site before you travel for a specific event.

An Evening of Food History with Ivan Day

25 September 2026 · 6:00pm. An evening exploring — and tasting — the history of food at Alnwick Castle. Runs after the castle closes to ordinary admission.

Tastes Through Time

26–27 September 2026 · 10:30am to 4:30pm. Victorian kitchen cookery demonstrated live — the tools, ingredients and menus of the period.

Newcastle Garrison — Bang!

3–4 October 2026 · Hourly firings from 11:00am. Live firing demonstrations of a replica Napoleonic cannon.

Tastes Through Time

10–11 October 2026 · 10:30am to 4:30pm. A second run of the Victorian kitchen cookery demonstration.

Heritage Craft Day

17 October 2026 · 10:30am to 4:00pm. Traditional crafts at the castle, with live demonstrations and hands-on activities.

Northumbrian Pipes

17–18 October 2026 · From 10:30am. The Northumbrian pipes at the castle, across a weekend of music and heritage.

Tom Fool

18–20 October 2026 · 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm. A family show of medieval slapstick comedy in the castle grounds.

Book Talk with Dan Jones — Castles: A Fortified History of the World

27 October 2026 · Doors 7:00pm, talk from 7:30pm. Historian and broadcaster Dan Jones discusses his book on castles through history, with a display of items from the castle archives connected to it. Runs after the castle's general visiting season has closed for the year; ticketed separately.

Alnwick Castle Christmas Fair — Preview Evening

24 November 2026 · Evening. An evening preview of the two-day Christmas Fair in the Guest Hall, in support of the Smile For Life charity. Ticket price not yet published.

Alnwick Castle Christmas Fair — Market Day

25 November 2026 · Daytime. The daytime Christmas Fair in the Guest Hall — handcrafted gifts and seasonal food, in support of the Smile For Life charity. Ticket price not yet published.

What has just finished

Five events from this season’s programme have already run. If a listing still names one of these, it has not been updated.

What your castle ticket already covers

The programme above runs inside the castle grounds and is part of a normal admission, not a separate ticket. So is Broomstick Training, so is Have-a-Go Archery, and so are the resident performers — knights, ladies, artisans, wizards, dragons, jesters and falconers — who work through the season. What that ticket costs is on the visiting page.

The one thing it does not cover is next door. The Alnwick Garden and Lilidorei run their own programme on their own tickets, on adjoining ground — the distinction is explained on the things to do page.

The performers who are there anyway

Beyond the dated programme, the castle runs a resident cast through the season: knights, ladies and artisans, plus wizards, dragons, jesters and falconers appearing across the grounds. They are not ticketed separately and they are not announced by date — they are simply part of what is happening while you are there, which is why an ordinary afternoon in July feels busier than the calendar suggests.

Broomstick Training and Have-a-Go Archery work the same way. Both run on the Outer Bailey to a timetable set on the day rather than published weeks ahead, so the way to catch them is to ask as you come through the gate. What else is on inside the walls is set out on the things to do page.

Events and the two closing times

The grounds close at 5pm and the State Rooms at 4:30pm, and the daytime programme above sits inside those hours. Three events do not: the food history evening (25 September, 6pm), the Dan Jones book talk (27 October, doors at 7pm) and the two-day Christmas Fair (24–25 November) all run outside ordinary admission, and the Christmas Fair runs after the castle’s general visiting season has already closed for the year. None of the three is included in a day ticket — book each directly with the castle.

For the daytime programme, the practical question is whether your visit overlaps the display rather than whether you have a ticket for it. An hourly cannon firing is generous; a single-sitting show against a coach that arrives mid-afternoon is not. The stop each listed tour gives you is compared on alnwick castle harry potter tour.

Planning a visit around an event

• Check the season first. The general day-ticket season closes on 22 October 2026 and reopens at the end of March 2027 — an exact 2027 reopening date is not yet published. The Dan Jones talk and the Christmas Fair run after that close, on their own separate booking.
• Evening events are different. The food history evening, the book talk and the Christmas Fair preview evening all start after the grounds close at 5pm, and no listed day trip from Edinburgh will still be there.
• Timed events and coach stops fight each other. An hourly cannon firing is easy on your own ticket and a matter of luck on a two-hour coach stop.
• Cancellation is free. Every listed tour refunds in full up to 24 hours before, so a date built around an event carries no risk if the programme moves.