What's On at Beltain 2025
Celebrate the beginning of summer with us! Get ready for an afternoon and evening of spectacular entertainment, with a packed agenda of live music, living history, battles, ancient crafts, talks, fun, festivities, and, of course, fire.
Private photography in a roundhouse
Get your photo professionally taken in a roundhouse at (5)! New for 2025, this year we’re offering private photography sessions in one of our ancient buildings, full of replica artefacts and perfect for a photoshoot! From intimate couples pictures to joyful group photos, show off your Beltain style and get a timeless memento of the festival.
A 15-minute session costs £30 and include two professionally-edited photos, with more available for additional purchase. Pre-booking is advised to make the most of your festival!
Crafts & activities
Get hands-on with activities and crafts all over the festival, running while stocks (and the light) last!
Make a Beltain headdress or traditional corn dolly at (5)
Learn to turn plant fibre into a bracelet at (9)
Craft an origami flower and wish on the wickerman at (14)
Try your hand at archery or axe throwing at (13)
Plus even more around the festival!
food & drink
Enjoy a wide range of delicious food and drinks, with great options for all tastes!
Grab a pizza or coffee by (1), or dig into a barbecue, vegan hot dogs, or sweet and savoury crepes (9)
Go for a classic Beltain hog roast, or mix it up with dirty fries or a loaded flatbread outside the shop (near first aid)
Enjoy delicious locally-sourced beers, bitters, and ciders at the bars by (6) and (9), as well as great alcohol free beer and fresh apple juice, or try a sweet elderflower, hawthorn, nettle, or sparkling mead by (2)
Win big this Beltain!
We’re giving away over £400 worth of prizes, including a handcrafted Celtic torc and free tickets to Equinox 2025!
Enter our raffle at (9) for a chance to light the wickerman, win a Celtic torc, or go home with a hand-picked item from one of our traders!
Go for a spin on the Wheel of the Year at (9) to win a range of goodies, as well as the chance to grab free tickets to Equinox 2025!
Follow our Iron Age coin trail and find the Hampshire coin for a free spin on the Wheel of the Year!
FAQs
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Your tickets were emailed to you when you placed your order; try searching ‘Beltain’ or ‘Butser’ in your inbox. There’s no need to print your tickets, on your phone is fine!
You can download your tickets from the email, or just show the confirmation email itself.
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The festival starts at 4pm, and last entry is at 7:30pm.
The Hilltop car park opens at 3:20pm.
The Premium and Accessible car parks open at 3:30pm.
The festival ends at 10pm and all car parks will be closed by 11pm.
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You can follow these directions to Butser, or follow brown signs from the A3 by Petersfield.
For the Hilltop car park, follow the red signs.
For the Premium car park, follow the green signs.
For the Accessible car park, follow the blue signs.
Please do not follow these signs if you have not booked parking, as the roads are one way and you will not be able to park or turn around.
Please check your tickets to see if you have booked parking. You will not be able to park at the festival without a pre-booked ticket.
If you need dropping off, please use the lay by opposite the main Butser entrance.
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Cash — this is a cash-only event.
Appropriate clothes & practical shoes — we're a rustic working farm and the evening can get cold. If it's wet (boo hiss) dress appropriately.
Chairs & picnic blankets — please avoid tall chairs that may block the view of people behind you.
Historical or fantasy garb — we love it when folks dress up, and you're welcome to bring a tankard or drinking horn if you have one!
Practical items — a torch to find your car, an umbrella in case it rains, blankets for when it gets cold etc. are all a good idea to bring.
We will hold a bag check on your arrival. Please do not bring:
Any animals. Assistance dogs are of course welcome.
Alcohol. We've got plenty on site!
Anything to put on the bonfire. Unfortunately due to safety concerns we can't allow contributions to the pyre.
Banned items. Knives, drugs, drones, and similar items will be confiscated. We reserve the right to confiscate items not on this list if they pose a safety risk.
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Unfortunately we can only allow assistance dogs at this event, we’re sorry. We’d love to meet your dog on one of our normal open days though 💚
Please do not bring your dog and leave it in the car.
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Yes, please make sure you’ve booked a free accessible parking space with us otherwise there won’t be space for you!
To book your space, please email us at hello@butserancientfarm.co.uk with your order number and a photo of your blue badge to apply for your parking pass. Please be aware spaces are limited; we’ll do our very best to accommodate you.
You don’t need to buy a parking ticket separately.
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You may still be able to find parking tickets for sale here.
If not, unfortunately you may need to make other arrangements as there is no parking for the festival without a pre-booked ticket.
We can recommend parking at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, which is connected to Butser by a lovely footpath. The walk is about 1 mile and takes around half an hour. Please be aware the path is tarmac but hilly and involves a stile.
If you’re not into walking, it’s just a 5 min drive to Butser. Here are some local taxi recommendations:
Petersfield Taxis: 01730 303030
Petersfield Station Taxi Rank: 0845 600 0650
5 Ways Cars: 01730 260442
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That’s fine! Just make sure everyone has a copy of your tickets, and let us know on the gate that you’re expecting more members of your group.
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Unfortunately this isn’t an overnight event, so there won’t be anywhere to stay on-site. We also can’t allow overnight parking in any of our car parks.