Fun at the Garden continues into autumn with the spotlight on apples and fungi, a Magpie-led trail, stunning light display and much more – there are activities for all ages, scroll down to see what’s on offer!
Our Head of Horticulture’s weekly Plant Picks will highlight the must-see plants in the Garden, with tours and trails helping you discover more about our plant collection. Relax, rejuvenate and immerse yourself in the beauty of the Garden this autumn and wander around our range of plantings at your leisure.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Garden and we hope you enjoy your visit!
Apple Day: Sunday 19 October, 10am-4pm
Celebrate all things apple at the region’s biggest Apple Day! Enjoy:
🍎 Apple tasting and identification
🍏 Apple activities
🍎 Free highlight tours of the Garden
🍏 Live entertainment
🍎 Pop-up food trucks
🍏 Local craft stalls and sales
Fungi Field Day: Saturday 4 October, 10am-4pm
Learn about fungi and their relationships with plants this UK Fungus Day. Fungi Field Day Highlights include:
🍄 Talks from expert speakers
🍄 Fungi crafts and games
🍄 Fungi art adventures
🍄 Guided walks and stands
Cambridge Botanic Lights: Friday 28 November – Tuesday 23 December
Our spectacular lights display returns! The Garden will be illuminated after dark on 17 nights for visitors to enjoy the stunning displays and celebrate the world of plants. Tickets are available to book here.
For Families:
🦋 The Magpies’ Magic Forest: This free trail will take you on an adventure around the Botanic Garden to learn folklore and mythology of our common British trees.
🦋 Autumn Art Adventure: grab your pencils. pick up a free booklet and head to the Botanic Garden to have a go at our self-led trail.
🦋 Family Saturdays Programme: Enjoy free plant and wildlife crafts on the first Saturday of every month. This autumn you can enjoy:
- Pinecone Bats – 6 September. Create your own spooky bats from pinecones.
- Seed Keepers – 4 October. Make and decorate your own seed packets.
- Tree Stump Prints – 1 November. Use branches and trunks from the Botanic Garden to make unique prints
- Yule Wands – 6 December. Craft your very own Yule Wand from natural materials.
🦋 Half-term drop-in activity: Plant prints in clay – 29 October. Create nature-inspired art by pressing leaves, flowers or twigs into air-dried clay.
For Adults:
🍂 Free drop-in tours: Every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 11.30am from the Main Lawn, by the Fountain and lasting an hour.
🍂 Adult Learning Courses: develop an understanding of plants, learn more about garden history or get creative. Courses this autumn include:
- First steps in fungal identification with Nathan Smith – Thursday 25 September.
- Beginners’ tankard carving with Fay Jones and Nick Gosman – Tuesday 14 October.
- Lichen dyes with Nabil Ali – Tuesday 21 October.
- Illustrating Rosa Mundi with Janie Pirie from Tuesday 11 November – Thursday 13 November.
- Exploring tropical botany with Ángela Cano – Monday 17 November and Tuesday 18 November.
🍂 Tree Trail: autumn is a time for the Garden’s 2,000-strong tree collection to shine. Our Tree Trail allows visitors to explore our most amazing giants.
