Gloworm

About Gloworm Festival

Gloworm Festival 2027 takes place at Thoresby Park, near Ollerton, Newark, Nottinghamshire, as a family festival built around children's entertainment, live music, theatre, workshops and circus.

2016 was the first year, when Gloworm debuted at Clumber Park in August and attracted over 16,000 people. The festival now attracts about 20,000 visitors annually, and 2026 was marked by the official festival site as its 10th year.

Lineup and Programme

5 named areas are confirmed in official festival material: Main Stage, The Hive, The Beach, Into the Woods and White Post Farm Stage.

The programme includes live music and stage performances, theatre, storytelling, immersive performances, arts and crafts, outdoor play, character meet-and-greets and fairground rides. Circus acts, drumming, graffiti and DJ workshops are listed, while Into the Woods includes pond dipping, clay boggarts and den building.

No 2027 headline acts are listed here because the official terms state that no scheduled acts may be considered headline acts regardless of billing. One ticket includes shows, meet-and-greets, workshops and the fairground, with fairground rides free until 5pm daily.

Who Is It For?

0–13 is the primary child age range for Gloworm Festival, with babies, toddlers and young children described as the core audience.

Older siblings and adults also attend. Child tickets are sold for ages 2–15, under-2s need a free ticket, and under-18s must attend with the parent, legal guardian or nominated guardian who bought the ticket. Challenge 25 applies for alcohol.

The Venue and Site

Thoresby Park, Thoresby Estate, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG22 9EP is the official venue for Gloworm Festival.

Camping is available as family camping, Park & Pitch and glamping. Facilities listed for the site include toilets, showers, accessible toilets, accessible car parking, baby changing, running water taps, food and drink vendors, a quiet space or sensory retreat, first aid and lost children points.

Day parking visitors are about a 5-minute walk from the main site on hard-standing paths. The camper entrance uses NG22 9EB and White Lodge.

Thoresby Park Travel

Thoresby Park is near Ollerton, Newark, in Nottinghamshire, about 22 miles north of Nottingham city centre.

• Retford railway station is listed as the nearest train station for Thoresby Park.
• Road access includes the A614, with the A1, A614 and A616 listed by Thoresby Park as strong transport links.
• Camper access uses White Lodge and NG22 9EB, with festival and parking signage directing traffic to the campsite.
• Approaches from the north are directed past the entrance to Ollerton Island before turning back into the estate. All customers exit via Perlethorpe village.
• General campsite parking is in a designated car park next to the camping field, with one parking space included per camping booking.
• Park & Pitch allows parking beside the tent or live-in vehicle. Day parking visitors are about a 5-minute walk from the main site on hard-standing paths.

Nottingham is roughly 40 minutes by car, Doncaster about 45 minutes, Sheffield and Lincoln about 50 minutes, Derby about 1 hour, and Leicester about 1 hour 20 minutes.