Hampton Court Palace Food Festival 2025: A culinary extravaganza

Introduction to the Hampton Court Palace Food Festival 

Awaken your taste buds and curiosity with a fun family day out at Hampton Court Palace Food Festival (23-25 August). The gardens of Henry VIII’s historic home provide a majestic setting for this hugely popular bank holiday weekend event that’s been running for over a decade. With more than 150 food and drink stalls to sample, live music to bop to, loads of activities to keep the kids entertained, and a spectacular royal palace and grounds to explore, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy. The challenge will be deciding which delicious morsel to taste next, and what treats to take home with you.

If you’re a Boundless Plus member, you can enjoy unlimited free access to all the places in the Historic Royal Palaces portfolio, including Hampton Court Palace. You can also gain free entry to the annual Hampton Court Palace Food Festival. 

Origins and evolution of this famous London food festival

Photo: Hampton Court Palace

Running for more than a decade, Hampton Court Palace Food Festival is a well-established and favourite event on the foodie calendar, attracting around thousands of visitors each year.

Offering a great day out for families, friends, couples and seasoned food-lovers alike, it's a lively event incorporating a wide range of culinary experiences along with live music and family-friendly entertainment.

The history of Hampton Court Palace

Even if it’s the food festival rather than its venue that prompted you to book your visit, don’t miss this opportunity to see the palace and experience a slice of history. King Henry VIII brought all six of his famous wives here, and used it to demonstrate his power by putting on lavish banquets and creating a gallery of fabulously expensive art, which you can still see. 

In 1838, Queen Victoria opened the palace to the public, and since then millions of visitors have been attracted to its grandeur and history. The 500-year-old palace creates an impressive backdrop for a great day out, and the opulent building is surrounded by beautiful gardens with famous features to explore, such as the UK’s oldest surviving hedge maze and the world’s largest grape vine. Handily, the 60 acres of formal gardens and 750 acres of historic parkland also provide an exquisite environment for you to walk off your food festival indulgences. 

What can you expect from the vendors?

Photo: Hampton Court Palace

The food festival has a diverse range of cuisines and artisanal delicacies on offer, sure to please every foodie. There’s everything from churros to cheeses, smoked meats to street food, including plenty of options to suit different dietary needs. Vendors from around the world will be there to tempt you, serving up dishes from Lebanon, Italy, India, Portugal, the Philippines, Scandinavia and more. Of course, there will be British classics, too, so if you fancy gourmet sausage rolls and scotch eggs, you’ll be happy.

There will also be lots of thirst-quenching beverages available, from special non-alcoholic drinks to craft beers, fabulous wines, crisp ciders and small-batch gins. The fact is there’s simply too much here to enjoy in one day, so be sure to pick up some things to enjoy when you get home.

Entertainment and activities

Photo: Hampton Court Palace

When you’re taking a break from the food and drink stalls, there’s a fun-packed schedule of entertainment to enjoy. At the bandstand, put your dancing shoes on for some 1940s swing and jive from Hampton Court Palace Food Festival regulars The Polka Dots, a crowd-pleasing ABBA tribute act, singer/songwriter John Clapper, and acoustic trio the Underdogs, covering rock and pop favourites from the 1960s to the present day. 

There’s plenty to delight younger festival goers, too – they can get their faces painted, join in with some vintage garden games, take a ride on a Shire horse-and-cart, learn some circus skills, and get creative in the arts and crafts tent.

Photo: Hampton Court Palace

Plus, young – and older visitors will delight in exploring 60 acres of gardens, a maze, the Magic Garden adventure playground, and the palace.  

Please note: from June 2025, some rooms and routes within the palace will have reduced access or be closed as part of essential conservation work.  Find out more before your visit.

Essential information

Photo: Hampton Court Palace

Insider tips for festival goers

Even if you’re a Hampton Court Palace Food Festival regular, you’ll find new things to experience, as new vendors are added each year. 

You can take your own picnic to Hampton Court, but with so many tempting, freshly made, diverse alternatives, why would you want to miss out on all the nice things to eat? To really make the most out of the day, and because your ticket to the food festival also includes free entry into the palace and gardens, it’s highly recommended that you dedicate a whole day to see it all.

How to get there

Hampton Court Palace is on the A308 and well-signposted from all major local roads – just follow the signs. Limited parking is available on-site but can’t be booked in advance.

Onsite parking costs £1.60 per hour, paid by cash, card or the Trust app (formerly known as the Glide app). The car park has nine free disabled parking spaces for Blue Badge holders, on a first come, first served basis. Overflow pay and display parking is available on Hampton Court Green, weather permitting. The palace is just a five-minute walk from Hampton Court Palace train station.

Further information

To view more about Hampton Court Food Festival 2025, please visit the website. 

If you’re a Boundless Plus member, you can gain unlimited entry to all Historic Royal Palaces, including Hampton Court Palace (see below). Members of Hampton Court Palace go free. 

How to enter Hampton Court Palace with Boundless Plus

If you’re a Boundless Plus member you can gain unlimited entry to all Historic Royal Palaces, including Hampton Court Palace and the Hampton Court Food Festival. Members of Hampton Court Palace go free. Find out more about the benefits of Boundless Plus membership. 

Boundless Plus members don’t need to pre-book for admission to Hampton Court. Simply download your Palace Pass from your member login and save it to your smartphone or bring along a printed copy. 

When you arrive, you must present your Palace Pass, Boundless Plus membership card and a valid form of photo ID at the palace admissions office, where you will be given your free ticket(s). You cannot obtain your free ticket(s) without your Palace Pass. 

You should retain your Palace Pass for any future visits. Your tickets will be for the next available time slot, and you will be admitted as quickly as possible. Once you have your tickets, please proceed to the entry gate where your tickets will be scanned and you may enter.

Please note: your tickets will be available for the next available time slot, and you will be admitted as quickly as possible. We recommend that you arrive early to avoid disappointment. 

Do more with Boundless

If you're working in or retired from the public sector or civil service, Boundless has two great membership options to choose from: Boundless and Boundless Plus.

With Boundless, you get unlimited access or discounted entry to many of the UK’s top attractions including Kew Gardens and Wakehurst and WWT centres across the UK, as well as year-round deals on restaurants, holidays, shopping and much more. With Boundless Plus, you can enjoy additional benefits including unlimited access to Historic Royal Palaces sites, National Trust for Scotland places, access to the Ramblers' extensive group walks and routes, and peace of mind with roadside assistance and local recovery by Britannia Rescue.