In partnership with Cotswold Farm Park | cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk
The home of Countryfile presenter and farmer, Adam Henson, Cotswold Farm Park is an award-winning attraction in Guiting Power, near Cheltenham. Activities include feeding lambs and holding chicks to scrambling around outdoor play areas and jumping on bouncy pillows. Plus, stay over in the campsite, glamping tents and holiday lodges.
The calendar year might be completely new, but there is already plenty of optimistic anticipation for what 2022 holds – with SoGlos handpicking 22 of the most exciting things to look forward to in the Cotswolds over the coming year.
From fresh festival line-ups to the perennially postponed events that will finally be taking place, these are the key dates to add to your 2022 Cotswolds calendars. Plus, there’s some eagerly awaited new launches to look out for too.
1. See lambs being born at Cotswold Farm Park
Cotswold Farm Park will be opening for the new season on Monday 14 February 2022, when Adam Henson and the team will be opening the doors to their long-anticipated lambing and kidding event.
Returning after a two-year break, and being held until Sunday 24 April 2022, there is lots of opportunity to see lambs and kids actually being born – with plenty of piglets, baby guinea pigs and chicks coming into the world for the first time too!
2. Watch the Barn Theatre’s brand-new season of entertainment
Stage versions of Girl on the Train and Driving Miss Daisy are just two of the Barn Theatre’s 2022 highlights.
Always impressing with its productions of national quality, the Barn Theatre is expected to once again give Cotswold audiences 12 months’ of imaginative and creative entertainment throughout 2022. And there’s cinema screenings scheduled too.
3. Relax at a Cotswolds spa
Kick-off the year in opulence as The Lygon Arms’ is giving potential members guided tours around its spa with luxurious swimming pool, at its Spa Open Day on Wednesday 27 January 2022.
Book in advance for the tour, with the £255 joining fee being waived for everyone signing up before Monday 28 February 2022.
4. Soak up a conceptual fashion exhibition in Cirencester
New Brewery Arts in Cirencester is hosting Shoes Have Names from Saturday 29 January through until Sunday 3 April 2022.
Featuring 10 internationally renowned artists, shoemakers and designers who have teamed up with a formerly homeless person to create a special exhibition that tells the untold stories of homelessness through conceptual fashion.
5. Watch a Valentine’s Day classic at the Corinium Museum
A cultural date night with a difference, the Corinium Museum will be screening the Royal Opera House’s performance of Romeo and Juliet this Valentine’s Day 2022.
On Monday 14 February 2022, the special screening of the great modern ballet classic will be beamed onto the big screen in Cirencester, when the doomed lovers attempt to find their way through Renaissance Verona.
6. Sip a stunning cocktail in Stow
The Old Stocks Inn is hosting a series of cocktail masterclasses and beer tasting experiences each month in spring, for something to look forward on a Friday night.
Taking place on Friday 4 February, Friday 4 March, and Friday 4 April 2022, tickets cost £40 and include three cocktails or beers created by the Old Stock’s in-house mixologist, with canapes; cocktail demonstration; and a discussion with a supplier too.
7. Book a table at The Old New Inn’s brand-new restaurant
Bourton-on-the-Water’s The Old New Inn has been busy preparing for its grand reopening, with The Tap Room Bar and new restaurant being unveiled in February 2022.
With a new, state-of-the-art kitchen and gorgeous new bar and restaurant interiors, diners can expect a classic Cotswolds experience in the heart of the village.
8. Take a spring stroll around Westonbirt Arboretum
Dubbed Westonbirt Arboretum’s ‘best kept secret’, while it is famous for its autumn colour, the spring season is a wonderful time to visit the attraction near Tetbury.
Stroll through sun-dappled woodland and see Westonbirt’s beautiful displays of bluebells, rhododendrons, magnolias and cherry trees in full blossom.
9. Meet a baby rhino at Cotswold Wildlife Park
While there are plenty of reasons to visit Cotswold Wildlife Park, the chance to aww at a baby rhino has to be up there!
With rhino calf births rare in captivity, visitors to the Cotswold attraction will have a unique chance to catch a glimpse of baby Molly daily in her solar-powered rhino house or in the rhino paddock.
10. See the latest Giffords Circus show
A firm annual favourite for families, Giffords Circus will be touring Gloucestershire and beyond from Thursday 14 April 2022 with new show Carpa.
A cast of talented performers, including Tweedy the Clown, promise to evoke the sights and sounds of rural Mexico in new show Carpa, with launch in Stroud, before taking in Cotswold venues including Cirencester, Daylesford and Blenheim Palace.
11. Explore gardens at Badminton House
For the first time, visitors will be a get a rare chance to explore Badminton House’s gardens on three dates in 2022 – with open garden events in April, June and September 2022.
Proving a popular event in previous years, visitors will be able to explore the beautiful private Cotswold gardens as they change through the season, with gorgeous displays of roses, precise borders and walled garden stocked with fruit and vegetables.
12. Tuck into the Big Feastival
Alex James’ Cotswold food and music festival returns in 2022 and while you do have to wait until August to attend the three-day fest, some exciting new headliners are expected to be revealed any day now.
Big Feastival-goers can expect the ‘industry’s biggest artists, renowned chefs live on stage, award-winning street food and an exciting array of family activities,’ all coming to the farm near Kingham this summer.
13. Learn something new at Daylesford
From keeping hens and mastering modern calligraphy to giving floristry a go, Daylesford’s organic farm in Kingham will be hosting a series of events and classes throughout 2022.
The beautiful Cotswold home of the organic brand is also hosting its monthly book club, supper clubs and wellness lunches, so there are plenty of reasons to keep visiting.
14. See an operatic classic on stage
Longborough Festival Opera’s season of operatic masterpieces will be returning to the Cotswolds from Monday 30 May until Tuesday 2 August 2022, with public booking opening from March 2022.
This year, Longborough regulars and first time operagoers alike can see Siegfried, Die tote Stadt and Carmen on stage.
15. Cool off at Batsford this summer
A beautiful place to amble all year, take a refreshing stroll through Batsford Arboretum’s 56 acres this summer.
Seek the shade of towering Californian Nutmeg, Dawn Redwood and Maidenhair Trees; smell wildflowers, foxgloves and orchids; and cool off beside the pools and streams at this natural Cotswolds attraction.
16. Enjoy dinner with a view at The Scenic Supper
One of the most unique dining venues in the Cotswolds, The Scenic Supper will return to Todenham Manor from April 2022, for friends and families to dine together in intimate dining glasshouses.
Discerning foodies can feast on a four- or -six-course lunch or dinner menu, made from local and seasonal ingredients, while enjoying views over the Cotswolds countryside. And there’s a gin bar too!
17. Get a glimpse inside one of the most unique houses in the Cotswolds
Opening up to visitors for this first time this year on Monday 2 May 2022, take a tour around the spectacular Sezincote – the Cotswolds’ very own 200-year-old Mogul Indian palace.
And after you’ve discovered the house reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, near Moreton-in-Marsh, you can explore the grounds complete with temples, grottoes, waterfalls and canals.
18. Take part in Tetbury’s wool sack races
A long-standing traditional Cotswolds display of strength, 2022 should see the welcome return of Tetbury’s famous Wool Sack races – with the chance to take part in the shenanigans!
Held on the last bank holiday Monday in May 2022, and attracting crowds of up to 5,000, the Tetbury Woolsack Races raise money for local charities – with previous entrants even including Eddie the Eagle!
19. Try shin kicking
Making its anticipated return this summer, the Olimpick Games will return to the Cotswolds on Friday 3 June 2022 – including its infamous shin kicking competition!
The historic Cotswolds Olimpick Games games were originally held almost three centuries before the modern Olympic Games, with 2022 seeing it celebrate the 410th anniversary of its Cotswolds revival.
20. Get ready for the return of the Royal International Air Tattoo
After a two-year break from in person shows, The Royal International Air Tattoo will be taking to the Cotswold skies once again, from Friday 15 until Sunday 17 July 2022.
Get ready to hear the roar of the aeroplane engines overhead, with hours of fantastic flying displays and plenty of family entertainment in store this summer.
21. Head to the bigger and better Cotswold Show
The Cotswold Show is returning this summer too! Taking place on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 July 2022 in Cirencester Park’s 100 acres, it promises to be a bigger, better and more exciting show than ever before.
One most popular events in Gloucestershire, attracting tens of thousands of visitors, expect a ‘world of dogs’; food festival; display of rural skills and much more.
22. Guiting Music Festival returns
Last but not least, celebrating its 51-year anniversary in 2022, Guiting Music Festival will be bringing live classical, jazz and contemporary blues music to the Cotswolds, from Friday 22 July until Sunday 31 July 2022.
One for music fans’ diaries, there’s a chance to see 10 acts across 10 days – with tickets in sale now.
By Michelle Fyrne
