Roman Fest 2026 at Chester House Estate: Free Family Event in Northamptonshire

The Romans are marching back into Northamptonshire this summer, and if last year’s sell-out crowds are anything to go by, you’ll want to get your free tickets booked sooner rather than later. Roman Fest is one of those events I always have flagged on my calendar for my newsletter readers, because it’s the kind of day out that sneaks proper learning in alongside the fun — the kids think they’re just watching soldiers and making crafts, but they come away knowing more about Northamptonshire’s ancient history than they ever would from a textbook. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s event at Chester House Estate.

Roman Fest is Back at Chester House Estate

The ROMANS RETURN as the Chester House Estate Roman Fest is back again on Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th of July 2026!

Admission to the event is FREE for the whole family to enjoy, but please ensure that you book a free ticket so the team can manage numbers for this very popular, previously sold-out event.

What’s On at Roman Fest 2026

A sneak preview of this year’s Roman Fest programme includes:

• Roman army displays
• Roman crafts activities and demonstrations
• Stalls with family friendly activities run by museums, local societies and professional archaeologists from Northamptonshire and beyond
• The Northamptonshire Archaeological Resource Centre (The ARC) Open Day
• Tours of the excavation
• A pop-up laboratory run by the University of Leicester School of Archaeology and Ancient History
• An art exhibition inspired by the Roman world by students at Northampton College

And so much more to be announced — keep an eye on Chester House Estate’s social media, but make sure to book your FREE ticket now to ensure you don’t miss out on all the fun!

This event is run in partnership with the University of Leicester Heritage Hub.

Roman Fest 2026: The Details

• Dates: Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th July 2026
• Time: 10am – 4pm
• Price: Free entry, ticket booking required
• Location: Chester House Estate, Higham Road, Little Irchester, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 2DH
• Book here: Book your free Roman Fest tickets

If you’re new to the estate, it’s well worth knowing that Chester House Estate also runs other brilliant family events throughout the year. With 84 acres to explore alongside the Roman Fest activities, I’d suggest making a full day of it and packing a picnic blanket for the grounds.

This is exactly the sort of free, education-meets-entertainment event I love sharing with you, and it’s a great one to pop straight into the diary for the summer holidays. If you want days out like this delivered straight to your inbox every week, sign up to my weekly newsletter — I round up everything worth knowing about across Northamptonshire so you never miss a free or low-cost family event again.

The events listed in this guide are run by third-party organisers, and all details were correct at the time of publication, based on information from their official websites. However, changes or cancellations can happen at short notice. To avoid any disappointment, we recommend double-checking the event information on the official websites before making plans.