The line up for festivals taking place in and around Swanage in Dorset, is taking shape for 2025 and there’s a bonus extra festival now being organised in March, that wasn’t going to happen but now is!
From jazz to folk, and pirates to fairies, there’s plenty of festivals taking place throughout the year.
The blues will be back in March
New mini blues festival
The Swanage Blues Festival has always taken place twice a year, once in March and once in October but following the sad death of the event’s founder Steve Darrington in 2024, his family wanted to keep the tradition going but decided to concentrate on just the autumn event.
However the good news is that there will now be a mini blues festival billed as the Mad March Blues taking place from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March 2025. All the details are on its Facebook page
It’s not being officially organised but many of the musicians from across the UK are still keen to visit Swanage, so there will be plenty of blues music playing across the pubs and clubs in the town over the long weekend.
Swanage Carnival’s crew of volunteers are already to go for 2025!
Carnival’s Cirque du Swanage!
Plans for Swanage Carnival are all coming together and it’s looking like it will be a total classic showstopper for 2025, so book accommodation early. There’s eight days of festivities from Saturday 26th July to Saturday 2nd August 2025 around the theme of the circus or Cirque du Swanage as it’s being called!
Swanage Lifeboat week will be extra special in 2025, as it’s the 150th anniversary since Swanage received its first lifeboat. So plenty to celebrate throughout the week from Saturday 9th to Sunday 17th August 2025.
Swanage Lifeboat Week will be extra special in 2025 as it’s 150 years since Swanage received its first lifeboat
Festivals line up 2025
March
- Mad March Blues festival – 7th to 9th
- Swanage Railway Spring Steam Gala – Friday 28th to Sunday 30th
May
- Swanage Railway Diesel Gala – Friday 9th to Sunday 11th
- Swanage Pirate Festival – Saturday 24th to Sunday 25th
- Purbeck Art Weeks – Saturday 24th May to Sunday 8th June
- Swanage Fairy Festival – Friday 30th to Saturday 31st
June
- Swanage Sea Rowing Summer and Supervets Regatta – Saturday 7th to Sunday 8th
- Swanage Fish and Food Festival – Saturday 21st to Sunday 22nd
- Swanage Railway Roads to Rail Steam Rally – Friday 27th to Sunday 29th
Swanage Railway’s Roads to Rail steam rally at Norden in the shadow of Corfe Castle, has become a popular summer event
July
- Swanage Jazz Festival – Friday 11th to Sunday 13th
- Corfe Castle Food and Drink Festival – Saturday 12th to Sunday 13th
- Wild Swimming Festival – Saturday 19th to Sunday 20th
- Wilkswood Reggae Festival – Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th
- Swanage Carnival – Saturday 26th July to Saturday 2nd August
August
- Swanage and Purbeck Rotary Summer Craft Fair and Fete – Thursday 7th
- Swanage Lifeboat Week celebrating 150th anniversary – Saturday 9th to Sunday 17th
- Purbeck Valley Folk Festival – Thursday 14th to Sunday 17th
- Harman’s Cross Field Day and Fayre – Monday 25th
- Jurassic Dance Festival at Wilkswood Farm – Friday 29th to Sunday 31st August
September
- Purbeck International Chamber Music Festival – Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th
- Swanage Folk Festival – Friday 5th to Sunday 7th
- Classic and Steam Vehicle Show at Norden – Friday 5th to Sunday 7th
- Swanage Railway Autumn Steam Gala – Friday 12th to Sunday 14th
- Planet Purbeck Festival – Saturday 20th
October
- 25th Swanage Blues Festival – Thursday 3rd to Sunday 5th
- Purbeck Film Festival – Friday 17th October to Sunday 2nd November
Further information
- More on Swanage’s Visit Dorset website
