What's looking good?
- The Lake: part of the original 1846 design for the Garden, the one acre lake is a beautiful backdrop to reflect seasonal colour.
- Autumn Garden: stunning foliage combines with late seasonal flowers, seedheads, fruits and feathery grasses.
- Herbaceous Beds: spectacular throughout the summer and into the autumn, with magnificent displays of bold, dramatic plants.
Main Events:
Apple Day – Sunday 20 October, 10am – 4pm
Enjoy the region’s biggest Apple Day at Cambridge University Botanic Garden!
🍎 Apple tasting: over two dozen heritage varieties to taste and/or buy
🍏 Apple identification: apple experts from the East of England Apples and Orchards Project will be on hand to identify apples. Bring your unidentified apples along to the team, preferably with stalk and leaf attached to help with accurate identification
🎨 Apple activities: get crafty with a variety of apple activities in the Schools’ Garden for the young and young-at-heart
🍂 Free highlight tours of the Garden
🎶 Live entertainment
🍕 Pop-up food trucks
💳 Other local craft stalls and sales
Please note that there is an additional charge for Apple Day (including for Friends of the Garden). Children aged 0-16 enter for free. Tickets required, see the event page for more details.
Fungi Field Day – Saturday 28 September, 10am – 4pm
Join us for Fungi Field Day at the Botanic Garden to celebrate fungi and their relationships with plants in the run up to UK Fungus Day. Highlights include:
🍄 A range of talks from expert speakers about fungi and their interactions with plants (see our event page for the full programme of talks)
🔬Science outreach stall with microscopes to view fungi that live deep inside plant roots
🎨 Using magical inks made from the natural world, help paint an underground, mycorrhizal fungi-inspired ‘artscape’ with the arts and wellbeing charity Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination (ages 3+)
🍃 Guided fungal forays around the Garden
🎯 Fungi crafts and games stall plus face painting!
NB All activities are drop-in and free with normal Garden admission, except for the Fantastical Fungi ‘artscaping’ – free child tickets for this event must be booked online. Adults do not need to book to accompany.
Cambridge Botanic Lights – selected nights, 29 November to 21 December
Tickets are now on sale for Cambridge Botanic Lights! Bringing the Garden to life after dark, Cambridge Botanic Lights returns for 2024. There will be new, original installations that are unique to the Garden, as well as the return of some of last year’s most popular pieces such as the light tunnel and water lilies on the Lake. The trail is kindly supported by Mills & Reeve.
For Families:
Autumn Art Adventure, 3 September – 12 November
Grab your pencils and head to the Botanic Garden to have a go at our self-led Autumn Art Adventure. This little booklet is free to pick up from the Ticket Offices and is full of prompts and ideas to help you observe, imagine, scribble and draw as you make your way around the beautiful Garden at autumn time. Share your artwork with us online (@CUBotanicGarden), all ages welcome to join in!
Old Oak and Little Acorn: Story and Craft with Elena Mannion, Wednesday 30 October
Join us for a magical family session at the Botanic Garden, inspired by Elena Mannion’s enchanting story “Old Oak and Little Acorn.” Enjoy a captivating reading by the author, followed by a fun craft activity where we will decorate acorns and make autumnal greeting cards. Each child will receive a signed copy of the book to take home with them.
- 2 sessions: 11am – 12 noon and 2 – 3pm
- Booking essential: £12 per child
- Recommended for ages 4-7 years
Family Saturdays Programme
Enjoy free plant and wildlife themed crafts on the first Saturday of every month, 10am – 1pm.
- Nature Pumpkins: Saturday 5 October. Use colourful autumn leaves to make a fabulous pumpkin artwork for your home
- Fungi Fun: Saturday 2 November. Find out about different kinds of mushrooms and make fungi art
For Adults:
Adult Learning Courses: the Garden offers a wide range of workshops and courses, providing a perfect place to develop an understanding of plants, learn more about garden history or get creative. Courses this autumn include drawing the Pinetum, exploring tropical botany and learning about colours with Artist-in-Residence Nabil Ali.
Tree trail: Autumn is a time for the Garden’s 2,000-strong tree collection to shine. Our tree trail takes visitors around the Garden to explore some of our most amazing giants. Take a walk around the western half of the Garden, discover how it was laid out to showcase trees in their plant families and meet some of our Champion trees.
Free Expert Led Tours: join a tour every Sunday at 11.30am and 2pm, as our expert guides lead visitors through the Garden’s seasonal highlights. Tours are free with Garden admission on a first come, first served basis. Sign up at either Ticket Office.
