Pub grub, folk music, and Tutankhamun – there’s something for everyone in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire in 2023, writes Natalie Li
Royal Ascot
Ascot Racecourse
20-24 June 2023
It’s one of the highlights of the sporting and social calendar and the place to be seen: Royal Ascot will return once again in June. As always, thousands of fabulously well-heeled racegoers descend upon Ascot for five days of races and, of course, the chance to observe high fashion and a glimpse of the Royals.
Each year the third day of Royal Ascot, known as Ladies’ Day, features the most glamorous attire and millinery masterpieces. It’s the day of Ascot’s longest surviving race – the Gold Cup.
Other highlights include the Royal Procession every day at 2pm in which the royal family and guests parade up the Straight Mile into the Parade Ring in carriages, known as Ascot landaus, led by four Windsor Grey horses.
Tickets for Royal Ascot are on sale now, with prices ranging from £15 for standing room on the heath to around £80 for seats in the stands.
ascot.com
Queen Elizabeth II’s Life at the Castle
Windsor Castle
2 March-30 October 2023
Out of all her residences, the late Queen Elizabeth II is considered to have been most attached to Windsor Castle.
She spent a lot of time at Windsor Castle in her final years, including over her milestone Platinum Jubilee weekend in 2022. Anyone interested in the crown and Her Late Majesty’s life are offered a glimpse into her time spent at the Castle – during her childhood, the Second World War and during her 70 years on the throne.
The Castle was where she spent her private weekends – riding horses and spending quality time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
A new tour offers private groups an insight into the function of Windsor Castle and how it shaped Queen Elizabeth II’s life.
rct.uk/visit/windsor-castle
The Castle and the Pharaoh: Guided Tours
Highclere Castle
February-April 2023
In 1922, Highclere Castle and Lord Carnarvon, alongside his archaeologist Howard Carter, were front page news around the world. Their unearthing of the untouched tomb of an ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamun has become the most famous ancient Egyptian discovery of all time. Now it’s your chance to tour the set of the “real” Downton Abbey – Highclere Castle – and celebrate the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun 100 years ago.
Highlights include a guided tour around the state rooms and galleried bedrooms to learn about the building, works of art and furniture alongside plenty of anecdotes. Down in the Castle cellars an exhibition catalogues the Earl’s fascination with Egypt, his early excavations from 1906 onwards, his relationship with his friend Howard Carter and the discovery and contents of the tomb, including a reproduction of the sarcophagus. The tour finishes with refreshments and a walk in the grounds of Highclere Castle.
Towersey Festival
Claydon Estate
25-28 August 2023
Claydon Estate in the beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside plays host once again to this year’s charming family-run Towersey Festival.
Described by The Guardian as “one of the most bravely adventurous festivals in the folk and world music calendar”, the festival began in 1965 in the village of Towersey on the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire border as a community event.
The festival, in its 59th year, continues to offer its inimitable style of music, comedy, and family fun. This year headline acts include The Divine Comedy, The Proclaimers and Thea Gilmore.
Organisers boast excellent camping facilities, in addition to the excellent programme of music and activities for the whole family.
Pub in the Park
Higginson Park, Marlow
18-21 May 2023
Marlow-based celebrity chef Tom Kerridge serves up another summer of his mouth-watering food and music festival in Marlow and nine other locations across the country.
The inaugural event launched in Marlow in 2017 and has since grown in popularity over the years. In 2022 the biggest Marlow event to date featured 30,000 festival goers in Higginson Park partying across the four-day weekend.
Expect a chart-topping line-up featuring the likes of Tinie Tempah, Clean Bandit, UB40 and Bananarama, plus the UK’s finest chefs, including Tom Kerridge’s best pals, award-winning pubs and restaurants serving tasting dishes showing their signature style.
There’s festival fun for the whole family – with chef demonstrations, the finest produce, and a kid’s area to keep the little ones amused.
Milton Keynes Theatre
9 February-5 March 2023
Gene Wilder’s odd but iconic Willy Wonka from the 1971 film of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic is certainly stuck in my memory. Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka not so much… But a fresh stage version of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic is a chance to immerse yourself once again in a world of pure imagination.
After a successful run in London’s West End and Broadway, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory embarks on its first ever UK and Ireland tour. The musical tells the tale of young golden ticket winner Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectionary wizard Willy Wonka. After Charlie wins a golden ticket to the weird and wonderful Wonka Chocolate Factory, it’s a chance of a lifetime to feast on the sweets they’ve always dreamed of. But five lucky winners soon realise that everything isn’t quite what it seems.
West End star Gareth Snook plays the eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka in this adaptation which features memorable songs from the iconic 1970s film and a host of new numbers.
