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Guildford Borough Council celebrates a standout year of events across parks, countryside and town centre

Guildford Borough Council celebrates a standout year of events across parks, countryside and town centre

Guildford Borough Council is celebrating a vibrant and successful year of events held throughout 2025, with thousands of residents and visitors enjoying a diverse programme across the borough’s parks, countryside and town centre venues. 

2025 saw Guildford’s much loved outdoor spaces host a rich mix of festivals, markets, performances and community activities. Together, these events attracted around 140,000 attendees at parks-based events and a further 3,000 visitors to the popular Castle Grounds bandstand concerts. From these, significant income was generated through hire fees, reflecting their growing reputation among event organisers and audiences alike. 

With a clear ambition to re-establish itself as the beating heart of Surrey’s economy, embracing modern, efficient digital tools is a crucial part of that journey. In the latter part of the year, the Council introduced a digital tool, EventApp, to help them deliver a more streamlined, transparent and coordinated approach to managing events and activities across the borough.  

By moving to an online booking system used successfully by councils across the country, the Council significantly reduced administrative pressures on teams while improving communication with event organisers, ward councillors and key safety partners ensuring events can be planned and delivered more efficiently, more safely and with a greater focus on community and economic benefit. 

This practical step supports their long-term economic strategy and helps unlock Guildford’s full potential as a vibrant and welcoming place to live, work and visit. 

Cllr Julia McShane, Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Events, said: 

“We’re delighted by the incredible success of our event bookings service over the past year. The wide variety of activities showcased the diversity and vibrancy of our parks and countryside open spaces and venues. From community and charity initiatives to commercial and cultural highlights, these events have brought our community together. 

“To complement these, visitors to the town have also been treated to farmers and specialist markets, as well as our free family focussed events such as Guildford Green Day and the Festive Family Fun Day, ensuring we have something for everyone to enjoy. 

“This event success is a testament to the seamless, often behind-the-scenes efforts of our team – people who are mostly invisible, working to ensure that Guildford’s open spaces remain safe, accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for all.”

Cllr McShane added: 

“These events align with our commitment to making Guildford a more inclusive and prosperous borough. I’m delighted we’ve been able to facilitate them and look forward to another exciting programme of events in 2026.” 

Image: Crowd shot taken at Guilfest

***NOTES TO EDITOR*** 

Event highlights from 2025 include:   

Parks & Countryside Events 

  • 10 Festivals / large events 
  • 3 Circuses & funfairs 
  • 40 Medium / small events 
  • 2 Outdoor theatre productions  

Town Centre & Specialist Events 

  • 12 Farmers’ Markets 
  • 12 Specialist Markets 
  • 24 Rotunda bookings 
  • 31 Advertising board bookings  

Community & Cultural Programme 

  • 9 Civic events 
  • 4 Corporate events 
  • 11 Bandstand concerts 
  • 18 Fitness licences 
  • 12 Filming licences 

Consolidated list of parks events for 2026: 

Duration Venue Event 
1 – 4 & 8 – 10 May 2026 Shalford Common Burnett’s Family Funfair 
9 May 2026 Stoke Park Inflatable 5k 
30 – 31 May 2026 Stoke Park Action Arena 
3 – 7 Jun 2026 Northside Circus Zyair 
4 – 5 Jul 2026 Stoke Park Guilfest 
18 Jul 2026 Stoke Park Pretty Muddy / Race4Life 
18 – 19 Jul 2026 Shalford Park Cheese & Chilli Festival 
24 – 26 Jul 2026 Shalford Common James Richards Circus 
25 – 26 Jul 2026 Stoke Park Magic of Thailand 
08 Aug 2026 Stoke Park Pride in Surrey 
21 Aug 2026 Stoke Park Ibiza Orchestra 
22 Aug 2026 Stoke Park Sausage & Cider Fest 
23 Aug 2026 Stoke Park Summer in Nashville 
11 – 20 Sep 2026 Northside Charles Mayne Funfair 
7 Nov 2026 Stoke Park Fireworks Festival 

Guildford town centre events for 2026: 

Duration Event 
17 Feb 2026 Pancake Races 
21 – 22 Feb 2026 Healthy Guildford Day 
22 April 2026 Guildford Lions’ Classic Cars 
17 May 2026 Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride 
14 Jun 2026 Guildford’s Big Green Day 
8 Jul 2026 Town Centre Races 
19 Sep 2026 Heritage Open Day 
18 Oct 2026 Guildford 10k 
8 Nov 2026 Remembrance Sunday 
15 Nov 2026 Festive Family Fun Day 


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Press contact: Stephanie Maynard – email Stephanie.Maynard@guildford.gov.uk