What’s on this autumn 2026

Autumn is a beautiful and busy time in the Garden, with trees putting on a blazing colourful display and much-loved events to add to your calendar. Whether it’s celebrating all things apple at Apple Day, enjoying a night out at Cambridge Botanic Lights, exploring the Garden with one of our trails or getting creative and discovering more about plants, there’s something for all ages. 

The Garden is also a place to slow down and take some time out. Enjoy a leisurely stroll amongst the amazing autumn colours, pause to take in the seasonal views, or simply spend some time outdoors, away from the everyday. 

And there are even more reasons to visit: book your Garden visit online in advance and save 10% on admission, and don’t forget that children 16 and under always visit for free (excluding Apple Day and Cambridge Botanic Lights). 

🍂 Autumn Garden: A celebration of autumn colour, with fiery reds, rich oranges and golden foliage creating a beautiful display. Late flowers, seedheads and grasses add texture and interest, making it a lovely place to take a stroll and enjoy the season. 

🌳The Lake: A beautiful place to enjoy the colours of autumn, with rich reds, golds and russets reflected in the water. Take a leisurely walk around the water’s edge and look out for the Garden’s wildlife along the way. 

🍄 This UK Fungus Day, join us for Fungi Field Day to celebrate fungi and their relationships with plants. Enjoy fungi arts, crafts and games, face painting, guided Garden walks talks and more. Come along to learn, engage, play and discover what we can do to help conserve the fungal diversity around us. Find out more here.

🍎 Celebrate all things apple at our much-loved Apple Day, the region’s biggest celebration of apples! Sample a delicious selection of apples, pick your favourites to take home and bring along any unidentified apples for our experts to help identify. There’s plenty more to enjoy, from family activities, live entertainment and local craft stalls to expert-led Garden tours, advice on growing your own bumper crop and pop-up food trucks to keep you refreshed. Find out more here.

✨ Come and watch the Garden glow! Explore a spectacular trail of light, colour and sound celebrating the amazing world of plants. Now in its fourth year, gates open at 4.30pm, with more off-peak tickets than ever before, with groups of six or more enjoy 10% off. And this year, your garden gnome could join the festivities! Donate a good quality, family-friendly gnome at either Ticket Office and give it a new lease of life in a special display. Find out more here.

🍁 Cool Cucurbits, 28–29 October, 10.30am–1.30pm: Make the most of October half-term with autumn-inspired crafts and activities for all ages, from creating beautiful artwork to discovering the wonders of this amazing plant family. Drop in to the Garden Room in the Schools’ Garden, free with standard Garden admission.

🎨 Family Saturdays: Get creative with fungi-inspired artwork on 3 October or make a new leafy friend at My Stick Family on 7 November. These fun, plant-themed activities are suitable for all ages 3+ and free with standard Garden admission.

🪶 The Magpies Magic Forest, 23 October–2 November: Step into a world of tree folklore and forgotten magic as you follow this enchanting autumn trail through the Garden. Pick up a booklet at either Ticket Office

🌲 Welly Walks: Little explorers can discover the Garden through seasonal walks, creative activities and stories on Thursday 15 October and Thursday 19 November. Free child tickets must be booked in advance online.

📸 International Garden Photographer of the Year, until 31 October: Get creative with our free-to-enter ‘Whatever the Weather’ photography competition and capture the Garden through the seasons, from autumn mist and frosty mornings to raindrops on petals and dramatic skies.

🌱 Autumn Tours and Talks, 24 October–1 November: Discover the Garden’s seasonal highlights with free daily tours and bitesize talks during October half-term. Explore the collections with an expert guide or get to know one of our plants in a 15-minute talk with a member of staff.

🚶‍♀️ Free Garden tours throughout autumn: Join our expert guides every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 11.30am for a leisurely stroll through the Garden’s seasonal highlights. Tours are free with Garden admission and start from the orange flag on the Main Lawn.

📚 Short courses: Learn something new, get creative and discover more about plants with our autumn programme of short courses, from creating your own Christmas scents and capturing seasonal colours through printmaking to exploring the fascinating diversity of tropical botany.