2023 at Capel Manor Gardens was packed full of events, shows and exciting activities. Take a look at the highlights of our most popular events and save the date for new events and returning favourites for 2024.
Hoppy Easter Fun
In April, we welcomed families to the Gardens for a fun-filled Easter bank holiday weekend. Children took part in an Easter bingo activity, tracking down giant eggs hidden around the estate to crack the code and receive a chocolate treat. Over at the Showground, there was the chance to meet the Easter bunny, enjoy a magic show with balloon modelling, watch and even take part in Morris dancing. Under the cover of the marquee children were able to enjoy the hop around area and even plant a sunflower seed to take home and grow. Indoors, families could get creative with a range of Easter-themed crafts. No trip to the Gardens would be complete without visiting the residents of Capel Manor’s mini zoo, where talks and feeding took place throughout the day for all to enjoy.
If exploring the 30-acre Gardens in beautiful spring bloom and all of these activities was not enough, for an additional fee there was the option of face painting, bouncy castles and a wide range of hot and cold food from the Garden’s Café, as well as ice cream, food and snack stalls on the Showground amongst all the action. As one of our most popular and best-loved events, Capel Manor’s Easter Egg-stravaganza will be returning this year for a three-day event from Friday 29 March to Sunday 31 March. Packed with a wide range of egg-citing indoor and outdoor activities for the whole family to enjoy, you would be hopping-mad to miss it!
Herts Heavy Horse and Country Show
A beautiful day in the June sunshine saw the return of the Herts Heavy Horse and Country Show for the 21st year at Capel Manor Gardens. Visitors were able to see these gentle giants of the horse world in action through a full timetable of shows and competitions. An event for all animal lovers, visitors were able to enter their four-legged companions into the afternoon’s fun dog show. An audience favourite, they took part in a much-enjoyed series of obedience challenges for a chance to win and show off a rosette (along with a treat or two!). 2023 also saw the much-anticipated return of the dray rides, offering visitors a unique journey through the Gardens.
Surrounding the ring on the show field were also trade, craft and food stalls, a chance to meet the heavy horses and their owners, farrier demonstrations and bouncy castle for children. The show will be returning for its 22nd year on Sunday 2 June 2024.
ABBA Open Air Tribute Concert
New in 2023, we all put on our dancing shoes and sang-along to much-loved classics from the 21st Century ABBA Open Air Tribute Concert, brought to the Gardens by Chapterhouse Theatre Productions. Visitors could purchase food and drinks from the catering stalls, or bring their own picnic, and enjoy the concert as the sun went down. Decked out in full disco costume, the band provided stunning vocals and live musicians to make for an unforgettable night against the backdrop of our grand Manor House.
Gardens activities
All year round, but particularly during half terms, children can take part in a variety of nature trails which are available from our friendly Reception team. Our ever-popular stamp trail is a firm favourite and families can spend many hours enjoying the Gardens exploring the estate, mini zoo and get lost in our holly maze. In summer 2023 we launched our first interactive mobile game where visitors used a free GPS app to take them on an adventure through the grounds. Fun for all ages, quiz questions were answered at each marked location and names added to a leaderboard which saw one lucky visitor win an annual Gardens membership! Brand new fun and engaging nature trails will be available during February and May half-term weeks in 2024. Visit our website later in the year to see a full range of planned activities and workshops.
Classic and Vintage Car Show
On Sunday 3 September 2023, we hosted our annual Classic and Vintage Car Show. We welcomed over 500 fabulous classic and vintage cars from car enthusiasts and car clubs across the UK. Car fanatics and families enjoyed a variety of performances and activities, including a programme of live music throughout the day, with performances from a live 60s band. And, new for 2023, we had music performances from Enfield Brass Band as well as cream tea and cake on the back lawn of our 17th Century Georgian Manor House. Visitors browsed the autojumble and trade stalls, and then indulged in a wide range of food and drinks stalls with options to suit all taste buds, with thanks to British Event Catering, Burger Buzz and Wills Horsebox Bar. Thank you to all of our exhibitors, car clubs, suppliers, partners and visitors for making our car show another great and successful event. Save the date as we look forward to welcoming you back next year on Sunday 1 September 2024, it is an event to not be missed!
With special thanks to David Burrows Electronic Security for their continued support.
Read our customer reviews :
‘Classic Car Show always popular. Another great event’ – Neil Chatterton
‘Brilliant classic car show’ – Alec Bradshaw
Videography credit P16 UK
Bee and Honey Centenary Show
Hosted for another year at Capel Manor Gardens on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September 2023, the Enfield Bee Keepers celebrated their 100th year. Marking this special milestone, visitors could witness honeybees at work in an observation hive, engage with exhibitors, purchase locally-produced honey and beeswax items, listen to educational talks throughout the day and take part in candle rolling. Shows such as this are important in educating people about protecting and supporting bee populations in our environment. Save the date for 2024 where the Enfield Bee Keepers will be returning on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 September 2024 for another fabulous show.
Haunted Halloween
From hair-raising haunted trails to pulse-pounding immersive experiences, our spook-tacular week-long event is one of our most popular events in the calendar.
Children embarked on a bewitching journey through our haunted Halloween trail to solve riddles and receive a yummy treat. Our partnership with The Dread House delivered daring visitors a spine-chilling 15 minute immersive experience where only the bravest emerged unscathed! We had plenty of free activities including indoor crafts, animal talks and encounters with the creepiest creatures in our mini zoo. New to the scene in 2023 was our Halloween disco where visitors danced away their fears to the beats of popular Halloween-themed music. Our fun zone, complete with a pumpkin patch, carving tables, bouncy castles, slides, and an inflatable assault course, ensured there was something for every thrill-seeker. Our Halloween Extravaganza returns in 2024 on Saturday 26 to Thursday 31 October 2024, it is going to be a scream!
Read our customer reviews 2023:
“Another brilliant day at Capel Manor Gardens for their Halloween event. Never fails, kids love it, staff fantastic, and the interactive show is always sooo good. Lots of fresh air, walking, and things to see and do.” – Jenny Stoughton
“Probably the best Halloween stuff for kids we’ve seen. Well thought out.” – Caroline Poisson
Read the full post-event blog here.
We look forward to welcoming back all new and returning visitors to the Gardens in 2024. Visit our events page and save the dates now!
