One of the joys of staying at West Stow Pods is how much happens around us — from a Michelin-grade food scene and one of the country's best Christmas markets to Anglo-Saxon festivals literally five minutes from your pod. Here's our guide to the standout events for the rest of 2026 and the year ahead. We keep this page updated as dates are confirmed, and we're always happy to point you to what's on during your stay — just ask.

On Our Doorstep: West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village

Five minutes from the site, the reconstructed West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village runs events all year — living history and re-enactment weekends, archery courses, family activity days, dragon-themed festivals and outdoor theatre in the summer. Their Dragon Fest each June is a family favourite, and autumn brings atmospheric living-history weekends. Check their What's On page for dates during your stay — if there's an event on while you're with us, it's the easiest brilliant day out you'll ever plan.

The Rest of 2026

August

• Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival — Sunday 30 & Monday 31 August 2026. The bank holiday feast: two free days across the Cornhill, Buttermarket, Angel Hill and Charter Square, with food from 16 countries, local producers, live demos and family entertainment, 10am–5pm. Four miles from your pod — go hungry. Details here.
• Summer at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village — outdoor performances and family activity days through the school holidays (What's On).

September & October

• Autumn colour season begins — late September to early November is prime time in the King's Forest, and our own woodland puts on a show. Pair a walk with a living-history weekend at the Anglo-Saxon Village.
• Harvest and food events around Bury St Edmunds — see the official events calendar for what's confirmed.

November & December

• Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre — late November. One of the best Christmas markets in the country: four days, hundreds of stalls, food, drink, and the town's medieval streets lit up around the Abbey ruins. Dates are announced on the official events page — and fair warning: our pods book up fast for Fayre weekend, so reserve early and make a cosy fireside weekend of it.
• Christmas in Bury St Edmunds — lights, late-night shopping, carols at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, and the Abbey Gardens in frost. Arguably the town at its best. What's on this Christmas.
• Stargazing season at the pods — not an event as such, but December's long, dark, clear nights over some of England's darkest skies are their own show. Hire a fire pit and look up.

Your 2027 Planner

Most 2027 dates are announced a few months ahead — here's what happens every year, month by month, so you can plan your stay around it. We'll add confirmed dates as they're released.

• February–March — Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival. Author talks and events across the town's historic venues (details).
• April–May — East Anglian Beer Festival, Bury St Edmunds. A celebration of the region's brewing in the town that's home to Greene King.
• Late May/early June — The Suffolk Show. The county's great agricultural showcase: livestock, food, family entertainment, near Ipswich.
• June — Aldeburgh Festival. Sixteen days of world-class music at Snape Maltings and along the Suffolk coast — premieres, big names, and one of Britain's loveliest concert settings (events).
• June — Dragon Fest at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village. Dragons, re-enactors and family adventure, five minutes away (What's On).
• June — Forest Live, Thetford Forest. Big-name concerts under the trees at High Lodge, twenty minutes from the site.
• July — Latitude Festival, Henham Park. Suffolk's famous music and arts festival — the 2026 edition ran 23–26 July, and 2027 dates land on latitudefestival.com.
• July — Newmarket's summer racing. The July Festival at the home of horseracing, half an hour away.
• August — Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival over the bank holiday, and the Aldeburgh Carnival on the coast.
• September–October — autumn colour in the King's Forest and harvest events across the county.
• November–December — Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre and Christmas season. The big one. Book your pod the moment dates are announced — Fayre weekend sells out here first.

Make a Weekend of It

Whatever brings you to Suffolk — a festival, the Fayre, or just the forest — you're 90 minutes from London and four miles from Bury St Edmunds, with a heated pod, a fire, and the quietest woodland in the county waiting at the end of the day.

Check availability and book your stay →

Know about a great Suffolk event we've missed? Tell us and we'll add it — we like a good day out as much as our guests do.