Royal Wedding & May Bank Holiday guide
Where to watch Wills and Kate tie the knot along with other ideas to fill the extra days off...
Hey, hey! The second Bank Holiday weekend in the space of three days is here!
As always, we know there may be a few of you out there who haven't yet decided how to spend that extra day off.
So, check out our guide below for a few ideas on what to do and where to go.
The Royal Wedding - Live!
Wharf Green
8.00am onwards The big day will be celebrated by thousands and you have the chance to watch it live in Swindon Town Centre in super-size!
Live content from the BBC will be shown from 8.00am, but the key wedding moments to look out for are:
11.00am - 12.10pm - Wedding Service 12.15pm - Carriage Leaves 12.40pm - Last Car Leaves 1.30pm - Fly Past There will be no seating provided, so take your own chairs and a picnic along to enjoy the celebrations! For any further information on this event, please contact InSwindon on 01793 464924.
Royal Wedding Bubbly Breakfast
Rudis Bar
Scrambled eggs with smoked streaky bacon & cherry tomatoes on toast washed down with a Kir Royal! And all before 12!
Royal Wedding Party
Brookhouse Farm
A special celebratory kids party with a Prince and Princess theme. Please contact the Brookhouse Farm on 01793 874223 for more information.
Royal Oak Garden Party
Royal Oak at Bishopstone
Come and Join the party at Next Generation
Workout with a Zumba class between 9.30 to 10.30 (cost for joining in is £5 to non-members).
After the class celebrate the Wedding with a glass of Bucks Fizz. The wedding will be shown on all their t.v. screens in the centre.
Royal Cream Tea at Stanton House
Stanton House Hotel
With a view of the lake, waitress service and enough for two for £9.95, it's a right Royal treat we can all just about afford.
Royal Wedding Croft Trail Evening Ride
Croft Trail, Old Town
All welcome of any ability level – no one gets left behind!
It will be light enough to ride the first lap or two without lights. Lights available for loan which require booking in advance. Meet in the car park for 19:30, ready to leave at 19:35ish.
Highworth Elizabethan May Day Market
Highworth Market Square
Saturday 30 April
Last year it was medieval, this year it's Elizabethan. A chance to step back in time in Highworth market square this weekend.
Entertainment includes maypole dancing, morris men, stalls, farm animals, spinners and weavers, hog roast, the stocks and even bear bating!
Live music on the podium
Top local band
Missin' Rosie will also appear live on the market square podium from 6.30pm
May Day Weekend at Roves Farm!
Saturday 30 April - Monday 2 May, 10.30am - 5.00pm
This Bank Holiday, Roves Farm is going back to the good old days with traditional fun for the whole family.
There will be May Pole Dancing, Quoits, Hop Scotch, Tin Can Alley, Skittles, candy floss and lots more!
Additionally, on Sunday 1st May there will be Children’s Pony Rides, with all proceeds going to the Great Ormond Street Hospital.
For any further information and admission prices, please visit the Roves Farm website.
May Day Fayre
Wanborough Village Hall and Recreation Ground
Monday 2 May, 12.00pm – 4.00pm
All the fun of the May Day Fayre! Dance around the Maypole or test your skill and try your luck on the stalls.
A day of family fun, with welly wanging, pony rides, crafts, a coconut shy, bouncy castle, beer tent for the grown-ups, BBQ...and much much more! Entry to the Fayre is FREE and all proceeds from the event will go the Wanborough Village Hall Fund.
Wanborough Scarecrow Trail
Friday 22 April - Sunday 8 May
Start at Wanborough Village Hall, follow the trail and guess which people from 'The World of Science and Discovery' the scarecrows depict!
Trail sheets are £2.50 and can be bought from Wanborough Village Stores and local pubs.
Shunters and Wheeltappers Weekend
Swindon and Cricklade Railway
Saturday 30 April - Monday 2 May, 10.30am - 5.30pm
Diesel passenger trains will be hauled on Saturday and steam passenger trains will be hauled on Sunday and Monday. Adults - £8, Children - £6, Seniors - £7, Family - £26 (2 adults+ 2 children) Please visit the Swindon and Cricklade Railway website for more information
Real Ale and Cider Festival
The Sun Inn, Lydiard Millicent
In true West Country style with The Wurzels!...
Date: Thursday 28th April Time: Doors 4pm Venue: The Sun Inn, Lydiard Millicent Tickets: £10 plus £1 bf The Sun Inn, Lydiard Millicent kicks off its 2nd Annual Real Ale and Cider Festival in true West Country style with The Wurzels on Thursday 28th April.
The Bank Holiday weekend long festival will feature over 30 ales and ciders sourced both locally and from across the country from just £2 per pint.
Bank Holiday Racing at Swindon Greyhounds
Abbey Stadium
Friday 29, Saturday 30 April & Monday 2 May
Children under 16 only £1 entry fee (adults £5) with restaurant and bar facilities available.
OR GET FREE ENTRY with mySwindonWeb - just sign-up to download the voucher!
Get Active!
David Lloyd Open Weekend
Friday 29 April – Monday 2 May Enjoy a day at David Lloyd family health and fitness club for FREE!
For one day, you and your family can try out all of the fantastic facilities on offer, from the pool to classes or even a game of tennis. There will also be a great range of kids activities, including a kids tea party for the Royal Wedding and a family BBQ! Contact the club on 01793 746560 and book your family in now. Take to the Water! Waterskiing or Wakeboarding Now you're talking! A poser's sport if ever there was one - until you fall in flat on your face and come to the surface gargling like a baby. We've tried it - and can definitely vouch that it's... absolutely brilliant fun!
Just watch the vid if you don't believe it. And with a huge range of water sports on offer at WMski it's the perfect excuse to try something new!
Westend to Broadway
Arts Centre Thursday 28 - Friday 29 April, 7.30pm
Theatre Ink present a musical theatre celebration featuring songs from classic favourites, all the way from the West End to Broadway so there will be something for everyone!
The performances will also be raising funds in aid of Prospect Hospice. Tickets - £7.00 - £10.00 Tickets can be booked online at Theatre Ink or by telephoning 01793 790431.
Journey's End
Wyvern Theatre
Tuesday 26 - Saturday 30 April, 7.30pm This Olivier-nominated, Tony and Drama Desk award winning production won critical acclaim in the West End and on Broadway and is an absolute must see of British theatre.
Based on the author’s own experience of the Front and life in the trenches, it celebrates humour and courage in the face of certain tragedy, and remains an important reminder of the horrors of war and the real, unromanticised heroes who fought it.
> Wyvern Theatre - website > Journey's End - more info
Clive Harvey’s Uke n Amaze Workshop & Concert
Arts Centre Saturday 30 April, 5.30pm (workshop) & 8.00pm (concert) A ukulele workshop - open to all abilities but the emphasis is on getting beginners going so as many players as possible can perform in Clive’s concert later in the evening.
Ukuleles will be available for sale for beginners. Clive has performed on TV, radio and has played on-stage with Paul McCartney.
Tickets - £10
The Buzzcocks
M.E.C.A. Friday 29 May, 7.00pm
Special guests The Computers will be joining the legendary Buzzcocks on stage, with local band the Charred Hearts also supporting. Tickets for this gig are on sale now from Swindon Tickets.
Tiny Fish with Support: Also Eden
Riffs Bar
Friday 29 April, 7.00pm The World's smallest progressive rock band play tracks from their album The Big Red Spark.
Please see the Riffs Bar website for more information.
The Erin Bardwell Collective
The Royal Oak, Old Town
Saturday 30 April, 8.30pm
Chill out with reggae/rocksteady band The Erin Bardwell Collective then dance into the night when DJ Joe Hawkins hits the decks with his own mix of 60s ska and boss reggae sounds.
Dance The Night Away!
Bee Gees Tribute Night De Vere Village Hotel, Shaw Ridge Friday 29 April, 7.15
Tickets are priced at £26.00 for Leisure Club members and £29.00 for non members. The ticket price includes entry to the event, a 3-course dinner (set menu), tribute act performance and a disco ‘til the early hours!
Please call Village Swindon on 0844 980 2362 to book tickets.
Grease Tribute Night
Blunsdon House Hotel Friday 29 April, 8.00pm With timeless music from the film Grease, Danny and Sandy will have you on your feet from the word go with all your favourite songs! The tribute will be followed by Skywalkers disco till 1.00am. Call Blunsdon House Hotel on 01793 721701 to book tickets.
Ozzy Osbourne
Friday 29 April
Well, he is Rock royalty after all. Not the original but pretty damn close - Supernaut. No wigs, no bull, just the music of the pioneers of British Metal BLACK SABBATH.
Viva La Diva - Show
STEAM Museum
Saturday 30 April, 10.00am - 4.00pm
A large exhibition-style event with hundreds of stands including clothes, make up, beauty treatments, products, hairstylists, nailbars, shoes, handbags, cosmetic surgery, dancewear and hair pieces. There will be a constant programme of free to attend talks, workshops and demonstrations available for anyone looking for advice so you can walk out of the event looking and feeling like a new woman!
Entrance Fee - £5.00
Viva La Diva - Charity Ball
STEAM Museum
Saturday 30 April, 8.00pm
A great opportunity to put your glad rags on and support a great cause, as a range of items are auctioned off in aid of Breast Cancer.
A black tie affair, with 3-course dinner and live entertainment from a number of acts including Swindon's very own 'Diva Divine'!
Tickets - £45.00 For more information on either of these events, contact womeninspired@hotmail.com or rachaelbooth@hotmail.co.uk
At the Zoo!
Take your cheeky monkeys somewhere they can really run wild!
Open all year round with fun activities to do and lots of animals to see.
Cotswold Wildlife Park
Catch the animals at feeding time, jump around in the play area or take a train ride! > Cotswold Wildlife Park - website The Great Outdoors
Tar 'n a Jar
Stanton Park
Saturday 30 April, 10.00am
An 8 mile walk through Stanton Park and beyond!
Discover new territory and enjoy a ‘jar’ at the local watering hole. You can book your place in advance by calling Swindon’s Rangers 01793 829704.
PDSA Walkies
- A Sponsored Dog Walk and Craft Event Lydiard Park
Sunday 1 May, 10.00am
The Pets in Need of Vets charity will be holding its 2nd craft event and sponsored dog walk - a fun event for all the family! Craft stalls, dog agility, bouncy castle, food & lots, lots more!
For any further information on this event, please contact Brent Boxley on 07725 754175 or brentboxley@hotmail.co.uk.
Dawn Chorus 2011
Lawn Woods Monday 2 May, 5.30am
As the sun rises over sleeping Swindon, join the early-birds high on a ridge in Lawn Woods, for this FREE, all-age outdoor event that marks the start of the eighteenth Swindon Festival of Literature.
Marvel at an array of amazing acts: pipers, singers, storytellers, jugglers, hoopers, high-wire walkers, aerialists, poets, and musicians.
Make new friends, meet old ones, swig a hot cup of coffee or tea, bite into an egg or bacon butty, frolic round the maypole, but most of all....celebrate Spring!
Maggie Humphreys, Les Snowdon & Cheryl Heyne on Walking
Lydiard Park Monday 2 May, 2.00pm - 4.00pm
The wonders of walking, for health and well-being!
2.00pm – a short walk, for those who fancy it, followed by refreshments. 3.00pm – a talk on the joys and benefits of walking, plus an opportunity for questions.
Bruce Tulloh, Paul Sinton-Hewitt & Emma Creighton on Running
Lydiard Park Monday 2 May, 4.00pm - 6.00pm
The joy, pain, and gain of running, at all ages and stages of life!
4.00pm – for those who fancy it, a Freedom Parkrun, followed by refreshments. 5.00pm – a talk on the joys and benefits of running, plus an opportunity for questions.
Rob Penn & Anna Cipullo on Cycling Lydiard Park
Lydiard Park
Monday 2 May, 6.00pm The pleasure of pedalling and the beauty of cycling!
6pm – a short bike ride, for those who fancy it, followed by refreshments. 7pm – a talk on the joys and benefits of cycling, plus an opportunity for questions.
> Cycling in Swindon - more info
For full information on the Swindon Festival of Literature’s events, please follow the link below.
Aspects
Arts Centre
Tuesday 26 - Saturday 30 April, 11.00am - 6.00pm An opportunity to see the many aspects of the finger-painted world of Sarah Checksfield - from early straight abstracts, through her sparkliest days to the current Suturist ventures.
Why not drop by... see the work, and meet the artist! For any further information, please contact Sarah Checksfield on 07525271191 or email sarahc300@gmail.com
Swindon Style
Lydiard House
Throughout April & May, 11.00am - 5.00pm
Feed a passion for fashion with an exhibition of rarely-seen costumes from the collections of Lydiard House and Swindon Museum.
The Staterooms have been transformed by a display of gorgeous gowns, smart suits, wedding dresses, uniforms and accessories. There are also two new quiz trails for children as well as hats, wigs and costumes to try on!
Having a Clear Out?
If you're using your extra day to sort the house out, we could be able to help....
With SwindonAds, you can sell on any unwanted items. And remember, one man's junk is another man's treasure!
Studley Grange
just off jnct. 16, M4
Take in the Tropics!
They've got hundreds of butterflies flying about plus loads more to see and do including a display a mini beats and an outdoor animal paddock with ducks, geese, rabbits and goats,
otters and meerkats!
Feeding times:
11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm
Bonkers for Fun!
Little ones always like an indoor game, and if it's a rainy day then the interactive and imaginative Bonkers indoor soft play at Studley Grange is the ideal place to keep them occupied for a couple of hours. > Bonkers - website Hitting the shops
With the biggest designer outlet centre in Europe right in the middle of town, it's no wonder the place is packed when it starts raining.
Painting and Decorating
At the Movies!
> Cinema times - full listings Bowl 'em Over! Let them rip at the bowling alley for a couple of hours. That'll tire them out. > Ten Pin - website
Thamesdown Transport
Bank Holiday Trips
>
Barnes Coaches - website
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