UK’s Top 10 Easter events 2015

From Easter Egg hunts in Britain’s most beautiful palaces to bonnet competitions, afternoon tea and egg-rolling with the National Trust, here are the UK’s top 10 Easter events 2015

South-Front---Hampton-Court-Palace

Hampton Court Palace, Light show & Easter celebrations

Throughout its 500th anniversary year in 2015, Hampton Court Palace will be hosting huge celebrations and Easter is no exception. Kicking off a season of entertainment, the Easter weekend will see the Tudor kitchens fired up and the famous wine fountain flowing once more, plus a stunning Son et lumière show, featuring live music and fireworks in the Privy Garden at the end of each day.

Hardwick Hall, Eggsplorers Easter Egg Trail

For an Easter day out with a heritage twist, Hardwick Hall will have a Cadbury Eggsplorers Easter Egg Trail running from the 3rd to the 6th April, inviting families to explore the park, gardens and hall at this beautiful National Trust property.

Lancaster London, Easter Champagne Afternoon Tea

This year, Lancaster London will be offering a tasty Easter treat in the form of their themed Easter Champagne Afternoon Tea, with a rich and varied seasonal menu. Enjoy freshly baked hot cross buns and a slice of Easter Simnel Cake, washed down with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne, a ‘Royal Hot Chocolate‘ or ‘Divine Martini’. Priced from £40 and available from 3 until 6 April 2015, it will be served in the hotel’s first floor Lounge Bar from 2pm until 5.30pm.

Kensington-Palace-exterior--springKensington Palace, Four-legged Easter egg hunt

For 2015, Kensington Palace is putting on a special Easter event with an animal theme – a four-legged Easter egg hunt. A series of Easter eggs will be hidden inside the palace, with each egg providing a clue to a story from the palace’s past, not just of its monarchs, consorts and princesses but of their four-legged companions. Visitors will learn all about Queen Mary II’s dogs, whose red velvet beds lined the Queen’s Gallery and Princess Victoria’s favourite childhood pet Dash. There’ll be a chocolately prize and an animal safari encouraging visitors to spot depictions of animals painted into artworks throughout the opulent State Apartments.

Blenheim Palace, Easter weekend festivities

The birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace, is offering a fantastic variety of family activities and attractions this Easter. From the 3rd to the 6th April, the Blenheim Palace Easter Egg Hunt will take place around the famous Pleasure Gardens, which will themselves be transformed for the occasion into a traditional Victorian fairground with a Lighthouse Helter Skelter, a Victorian carousel and more. Visitors can also expect Punch & Judy shows, a bouncy castle, face painting and crafts, plus cupcake decorating and plenty of refreshments in the Pleasure Gardens Deli. But best of all, on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday families will have the chance to meet the Easter Bunny, and Peter Rabbit will be appearing during story time sessions on each day.

Claremont-Easter

Claremont Landscape Garden, Easter Egg Trail & Easter bonnet parade

At Claremont Landscape Garden this year, Easter will see not only craft activities and a Cadbury Easter Egg Trail but also an Easter bonnet parade, with prizes for the prestigious accolade of best bonnet.

Winchester, Easter Spotter Quiz & Winchester Bunny Hop

The charming city of Winchester will play host to several Easter events this spring, from the Easter Spotter Quiz located in Westgate, Winchester’s Tudor listed monument, where participants will have the task of spotting hiding Easter chicks, to the Winchester Bunny Hop, featuring colourful egg-shaped clues along a numbered trail. Winchester Cathedral will also open its doors to ‘Eggsplorers’ keen to find ten giant decorated eggs hidden within, for a prize from the Cathedral shop.

The Chocolate Boutique Hotel, Chocolate masterclass

For the ultimate Easter chocolate fix, the quirky Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth is laying on a chocolate masterclass on Saturday 4 April. The special event at this chocolate-themed establishment will include chocolate tasting, chocolate and wine pairing and chocolate truffle making.

Medieval-ruins-of-the-Banqueting-Hall-at-Sudeley-Castle-&-Gardens,-built-by-Richard-III
The medieval ruins of the Banqueting Hall at Sudeley Castle

Sudeley Castle, ‘Lost in the Willows’ maze

Just in time for Easter, Sudeley Castle & Gardens will launch a brand new family attraction on 1 April. A living willow maze and dipping pond, entitled ‘Lost in the Willows‘, it is based on classic children’s novel The Wind in the Willows and contains a wildflower meadow, a small orchard and a play area. It’s a delightful day out for the whole family, particularly as Sudeley has significant historical appeal, thanks to is its medieval Banqueting Hall ruins and the fact it is the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within the grounds. The last of Henry VIII‘s six wives, Katherine Parr, lived and died in the castle and her body remains today entombed in a restored 15th-century church found within the award-winning gardens.

Devil’s Dyke, egg decorating and egg rolling competition

Decorating hard boiled eggs, one of Easter’s most charming customs, never gets old. Though it may get quite competitive – at the famous National Trust beauty spot Devil’s Dyke, a V-shaped valley with gorgeous panoramic views, there’ll be a competition for the Best Decorated Egg, as well as an Easter egg rolling competition wherein the egg that gets furthest down the valley wins. There’ll also be an Easter egg hunt with lots of clues and a Cadbury’s chocolate egg prize for all participants.

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