Looking for things to do in Surrey this month? Then, look no further - here are the best events taking place in the county this August...
1. Set Sail
📍 Canal Centre, Mytchett 📅 Every Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun in August; Four trips a day at 11.30 am 12.30 pm, 2.00 pm, 3.00 pm (Tickets: adults £6.50, child 1-12 years £4)
Come and enjoy a 55-minute return trip down the beautiful Basingstoke Canal from the Canal Centre in Mytchett aboard the 12-seater boat ‘Rosebud’. Book in advance or on the day. Free parking at the centre. For more information call: 01252 370073
2. Summer storytime
📍 Seasons Café, Guildford Cathedral 📅 Aug 7, 14, 21 & 28; 10am-10.30am (Free)
Join in with the free Summer Storytime and Song Sessions, held in the welcoming Seasons Café at Guildford Cathedral. Let your little ones hear songs and stories, as well as joining in with the words and actions. Age 7 and under (all children must be accompanied by an adult). For more information call: 01483 547880.
3. Open-air Theatre
📍 Hatchlands Park 📅 Aug 26-27; 6pm-8pm (Tickets: adult £12, child £8, family £32)
Immersion Theatre brings its trademark energy to its most spectacularly bonkers show to date to Hatchlands Park this month. Follow Alice and the White Rabbit as they set off on a colourful, topsy-turvy adventure and meet a host of outlandish characters including the notorious Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire cat and of course, the Mad Hatter. See this classic story brought vividly to life and meet the characters after the show. For more information call: 01483 222482.
4. Stagestruck
📍Guildford Theatre School 📅 Various dates and times (Tickets: £140 (£120 siblings) or £190 (£170 siblings))
Are you between 4 and 16 years old? Join the Guildford Theatre School for its one-week show course.
Ages 4-7:
- Disney’s Jungle Books Kids, 9 am -12.30 pm: 29th July - 2nd August
- Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Kids, 9 am - 12.30 pm: 5th August - 9th August
Ages 8-16:
- Annie Jr, 10am-5pm: 29th July - 2nd August
- Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr, 10am-5pm: 5th-9th August
For more information call: 01483 501200
5. Waterworks
https://www.visitsurrey.com
📍 Dapdune Wharf 📅 Until Aug 4; times vary (Tickets: £2.50)
Kick-off your summer holiday with the Festival of Sport at Dapdune Wharf. Bring your bike and ride the cycle course, play table tennis, disc golf or get on the water and learn to canoe on the River Wey. All sports priced £2.50 per child, with extra cost for canoeing. For more information call: 01483 561389.
6. Pets welcome
📍 RHS Garden Wisley 📅 Aug 21; 6 pm to 8 pm (Tickets: free for RHS Members, Adult £7, Child £5)
RHS Garden Wisley welcomes visitors and their four-legged friends for a special Wednesday evening Walkies at Wisley. Open after hours for a walk around the garden from, last entry 7.30pm. Two dogs permitted per person; No dogs inside catering outlets; dogs must be kept on a lead at all times; visitors must pick up after their dogs and place in bins provided. For more information call: 01483 224234.
7. Knock on wood
📍West Byfleet’s Great British Woodshop 📅 Aug 5; 9.30am-1.30pm (Tickets: £65)
Students of all ages are welcome at West Byfleet’s Great British Woodshop – and this summer there are lots of courses to keep children entertained including, Build a Deckchair. Participants will learn skills such as respect for tools and carpentry, as well as measuring, sawing, drilling, sanding and painting. Age 11-18.
8. Bat walk
📍 The Winkworth Arboretum in Godalming 📅 Aug 10; 8pm-10pm (Tickets: adult £10, child £5)
Join our expert guide as dusk falls over the Winkworth Arboretum in Godalming, and see if you can track down the brilliant bats that call Winkworth home. For more information call: 01483 208477.
9. What’s on at Watts
📍 Watts Contemporary Gallery, Compton 📅 Until Sep 1; 10.30am-5pm (Tickets: £11.50 for adults)
Watts Contemporary Gallery in Compton is hosting Greenwich Printmakers at 40, an exhibition celebrating the esteemed London art group’s 40th anniversary. The show will feature prints by all 35 members, many of which have been created in response to the surroundings of Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village.
10. Bug bonanza
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📍 Birdworld 📅 Aug 5-9; 11am-4pm (Tickets: see website)
Birdworld is holding Bug Bonanza Week, a national initiative run by BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoo’s and Aquariums) to raise awareness of the importance of invertebrates. The activities will include bug-themed arts and crafts, a creepy-crawly activity trail and lots more.
11. Screen Grab
📍 Shere Village Cinema 📅 Thurs Aug 1; 8 pm
Shere Village Cinema presents the Oscar-winning Green Book (Thurs Aug 1; 8 pm) which tells the story of a working-class bouncer who becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist.
12. Hit Factory
https://www.atgtickets.com
📍New Victoria Theatre, Woking 📅 Aug 20-24; 7.30pm (Tickets: from £13)
Head to the New Victoria Theatre, Woking for Motown the Musical featuring classic songs from Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and many more.
13. Bubbleicious…
📍The Lightbox, Woking 📅 Aug 2, 16 & 30; 1:30pm-4pm (Free)
Pop into the Lightbox in Woking and enjoy constructing a variety of bubble makers, see how they work in our courtyard or at home. An alternative workshop will take place in the Education Studio in case of inclement weather.
14. Food Festival
📍 Hampton Court Palace 📅 Aug 24-26, 10am-6pm daily (Tickets in advance, from £21.30 and includes free entry to Hampton Court Palace)
Over the August bank holiday, you can feast on delicious street food, sip on cocktails, explore the gardens and maze, enjoy live music, children’s entertainment, masterclasses and cookery demos with the likes of Nadiya Hussain and Raymond Blanc.
15. Glow in the Park
📍 Kempton Park Racecourse 📅 Aug 31, 8.15pm (£10 registration fee per participant which includes a charity glow in the dark t-shirt, headband and medal and there is a minimum sponsorship target of £50)
Get your glow on and raise money for Kingston Hospital by doing a neon night 5K. A fun event for the whole family from ages 6 and up, you can run, jog, walk or dance your way around the course. Electrifying light shows and energising beats will carry you around the course as you have fun in the Foam Zone, get messy in the UV Paint Blast Zone and get grooving in the Time Tunnel. Click here to sign up.
16. Moving Art
📍 Riverhouse Barn 📅 Aug 7-Sept 1, daily 10am-4pm (Admission free)
Further to its successful launch in 2017, Elmbridge: Moving Art is a bi-annual showcase for artists aged 15 and over, who live, work in the borough or who have an affiliation with local arts groups. Pieces cover various genres and use a wide range of media, including oil, acrylics, watercolour, photography, mixed media and porcelain.
This summer’s exhibition is run in partnership with the RC Sherriff Trust and Elmbridge Borough Council and is curated by Astrid McGechan, a photographer, lecturer and author, well-known for her commitment to the local arts scene.
17. Camping Out
📍 Kingston History Centre 📅Until Sept 28. Weds-Sat 10 am - 5 pm, 7 pm on Thurs (free)
A display looking back at memories of Kingston schools summer camps, which were an institution in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Former staff and students share fond – and often colourful – memories of trips to Hampshire, Holland and Yorkshire. The Kingston History Centre is situated at the Guildhall, where you can also access resources revealing over 800 years of history.
18. Get set for RIDELONDON!
📍 London, six festival zones 📅 Aug 3-4
The world’s largest cycle festival returns this month and as well as seeing some of the world’s top professionals putting the pedal to the metal through London and Surrey, you can enjoy eight miles of traffic-free roads in the capital during the FreeCycle on Saturday, August 3. Perfect for families, there are Led Rides from every London borough to deliver you to and from the FreeCycle route and there’s bike-based fun going on all over the city at six festival zones.
19. Elmbridge Play Day
📍 Hurst Park Open Space 📅 Aug 7, family event – children must be accompanied by an adult
Free family fun play day. Join in arts and crafts, sports, dancing, bouncy castle, painting and much more. Hurst Park Open Space, West Molesey, KT8 1SU (also accessible behind East Molesey Cricket Club, Hurst Park, East Molesey). 11 am to 3 pm, for all ages.
20. West End Village Show
📍Esher 📅 Aug 24- starts noon (Entrance to the ground is free, marquee admission 50p)
Traditional bank holiday afternoon fun for the whole family on West End Green.
21. Dance-tastic
📍 Reigate School of Ballet 📅 Aug 6-8; 20-21 (Tickets: £69 (3 days); £120 (6 days); £25 (per day))
Dance School of the Year, Reigate School of Ballet is holding a series of summer schools to keep your budding ballerinas busy through the holidays. Join Jo and her fantastic team of professional performers and teachers for these fun sessions which combine ballet, basic acro, singing, drama and craft. Booking essential. Ages 4-11.
22. Step back in time
📍 Epsom Playhouse 📅 Aug 1; 7.30pm (Tickets: £26)
Epsom Playhouse heads back to the 50s for the Best of That’ll Be the Day – a nostalgic, musical extravaganza, taking in the show’s greatest hits along with sketches and comedy.
23. Take aim
📍 Bookham Rifle Club 📅 Aug 5-10; 10am-4pm (Tickets: £240)
Bookham Rifle Club is offering a week of Air Rifle, Air Pistol and Archery for young people aged 10 to 18. The five-day course includes an introduction to archery, with the rest of the week spent training in air pistol and air rifle. For more information email: sheenabassett1@gmail.com.
24. Musical with meaning
📍 The Harlequin Theatre, Redhill 📅 Aug 8-10; 7:30 pm (Tickets from £14)
YESPA, the award-winning East Surrey youth theatre group, is staging the smash-hit comedy Urinetown the Musical at the Harlequin Theatre in Redhill. Director Fiona Kuhn-Thompson says: “At its heart, Urinetown the Musical is about climate change. And for those worried it could be rather serious, it’s packed full of fantastic songs and lots of laughs for all ages.”
25. Summer screen
📍Beare Green Village Hall 📅 Aug 10; 7.30pm (doors open at 6.45pm) (Tickets: £5)
Beare Green Village Hall is showing the highly-acclaimed film, Stan and Ollie, this month. No need to book. Refreshments are available.
26. Up, Up and Away…
📍 Epsom Methodist Church 📅 Aug 27-30; 10am-12.30pm (Tickets: £5)
...with EMC Airways! Join Epsom Methodist Church’s Children’s Summer Holiday Club for a morning’s adventure comprising fun Bible stories, fantastic craft, crazy science and challenges. For more information email: pambrogan28@gmail.com.
27. In bloom…
📍 Banstead Community Hall, Park Road 📅 Aug 28; 2 pm (Tickets: £6 (non-members))
Banstead Flower Club invites you to spend the afternoon with national demonstrator Pat Dibben, who will be holding a talk entitled Flower Powder. The club meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at Banstead Community Hall in Park Road. Refreshments will be available and there will be a raffle too.
28. Fame the Musical
📍 The Leatherhead Theatre 📅 Aug 14-18; 7.30pm, Aug 17, 2.30pm & 7.30pm (Tickets: £18)
LondonDanceCo Productions presents Fame – The Musical in celebration of its 30th anniversary of the show. Based on the hit film about New York’s illustrious High School for the Performing Arts, the musical follows the ups and downs of both students and teachers.