Equinox

2026

The boat burn is back

Photo credits: Harvey Mills

Join us for an unforgettable Autumn Festival

Join us for Equinox, our immersive celebration, where Viking and Saxon warriors bring the past to life through thrilling combat displays, alongside live music, traditional crafts, storytelling, authentic living history, and the return of the Viking boat burn! Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and traditions of the early medieval period. As day turns to night, the festival culminates in the iconic burning of a Viking boat - a dramatic finale set against the atmospheric backdrop of Butser Ancient Farm.

Photo credits to Gareth Clarke

Time and Place

Butser Ancient Farm
Chalton Lane, Chalton, Hampshire, PO8 0BG

Saturday 19 September.

The event opens at 1:00 pm, with live music, Viking and Saxon displays, talks, traders, and food and drink available throughout the afternoon and evening.

Last entry is 5:00pm.

The evening ends with the Viking boat burn, and the event will finish at 8:30 pm, or once the boat burn has concluded.

Finding your way

We’re located just off the A3, making us easy to reach by car.

Main hilltop car park
If you are coming from the A3. The main hilltop car park is located at the top of Chalton Lane. Please enter through the gate next to the road junction by the A3. This will be signposted.

Premium parking
The entrance to the premium car park is the first gate on the right after you turn off Chalton Lane onto the lane leading down to the farm.

Accessible parking
Please continue down the track towards the farm entrance, where our team will direct you to the hardstanding accessible car park.

Parking must be booked in advance
All parking spaces must be selected and paid for during the ticket booking process.

Please have your tickets ready to show at the gate.

Things to do

There’s plenty to discover for adults and children alike throughout the day. Try your hand at archery, watch and try traditional blacksmithing in action, and get involved with hands-on activities inspired by the Viking and Saxon world. Choose your allegiance with Saxon or Viking warpaint, hear epic retellings of Norse myths and heroic sagas, and explore ancient skills and crafts brought to life by expert demonstrators.

Wander through our bustling market of artisan traders, where you’ll find handcrafted jewellery, leatherwork, woodcraft, textiles, artwork, and other unique Viking and Saxon inspired treasures. It’s the perfect place to discover traditional craftsmanship.

Photo credits to Matt Sills

Things to see

This Equinox, experience a day and evening of spectacular entertainment, with live music, inspiring talks, thrilling combat displays, and immersive living history. Watch fearsome Saxon and Viking warriors clash in dramatic battle displays, and discover the stories, beliefs, and traditions that shaped the Viking world. Discover how people lived, worked, cooked, and fought more than a thousand years ago.

Throughout the day, enjoy a vibrant programme of live performances, with multiple bands, ancient instruments, and powerful rhythms. Watch traditional Morris dancers take to the stage and enjoy captivating fire performances.

Food & drink

Feast on delicious food and drink! Get your supper from a food stand - you’ll have the selection of loaded flatbreads, succulent hog roast and many treats from our on-site shop - and enjoy hot and cold drinks from our shop, or alcohol and several varieties of local mead from the bar! Non-alcoholic, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options will all be available, and are sure to keep you fuelled for a day of Viking battles and adventure!

We recommend bringing cash with you, as many traders will be taking cash payments

Tickets

Butser Ancient Farm is an independent not-for-profit, and Equinox is a key fundraiser for our work in research & education.

Thank you for your support!

Monday 10th August - Butser Plus Members Presale

Tuesday 11th August - General Sale

What is Equinox?

Butser Ancient Farm is a unique experimental archaeology site in Hampshire, and Equinox is one of our biggest fundraising events of the year. We’re an independent not-for-profit, and we absolutely rely on the support we get through Equinox to allow us to continue our research and educational work in the coming year.

The equinoxes mark the only two times in the year that day and night are equal length, halfway between the longest and shortest days. Ancient peoples have been observing the equinoxes and solstices since the Stone Age - this is what monuments like Stonehenge pay tribute to!

We don’t know if the Vikings themselves celebrated the autumn equinox, but some modern Norse pagans celebrate Haustblot around this time. Our festival isn’t intended as either a historical recreation or a religious celebration; instead, we honour the end of summer with a spectacular festival of activities, performances, and storytelling! We encourage you to bring to it whatever meaning you would like - historical, spiritual, communal, or just a bit of fun! This festival welcomes all comers.

FAQs