Essex

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-family-fun">FAMILY FUN</h2>



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What&#8217;s first on our Essex August things to do?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.braintree-village.com/en/articles-listing-page/the-monster-is-coming-to-braintree-village">The Monster</a>&nbsp;at Braintree Village – one of the world’s largest inflatable assault courses. On until 31 Aug, it&#8217;s a 300-metre inflatable playground packed with over 40 obstacles, like the 18-metre Mega Slide, chaotic Exterminator, and House of Hell. Open 10am–9pm with timed sessions, complete as many laps as you like during 60 mins. There’s even an adult only sesh with DJs, karaoke, bar, food and festival vibes.



More inflatables now, with <a href="https://www.tickettailor.com/events/megafundays" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mega Fun Days</a> at Canvey Island, Basildon, Maldon, Colchester and Southend (selected dates; see website for where and when). Here kids enjoy bouncy castles, as well as slides, fun runs, assault courses and activity units. And a shedload more.



We also say book up for Chelmsford Theatre&#8217;s <a href="https://www.chelmsfordtheatre.co.uk/event/outdoor-theatre-the-wind-in-the-willows" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Outdoor Theatre: The Wind in the Willows</a> on 19 Aug. Taking place on the lawn of Hylands House, pack your picnics and join Ratty, Mole, Badger, and Toad to save Toad Hall from the weasels. Looks toad-ally terrific.



<a href="http://clactonairshow.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clacton Air Show</a>&nbsp;(22-23 Aug) is another must, with aerial displays plus other attractions. Twilight flights will also illuminate the night sky with lights, lasers and pyrotechnics.



Then you&#8217;ve <a href="https://www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/event/splat/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Splat!</a>, at Colchester&#8217;s Mercury Theatre on 10 Aug. Perfect for ages 3-7, it&#8217;s a physical and sensory comedy about art for ages 3-7. Take a look at their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUjTY9_Mi_A&amp;t=1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTube</a> – your kids&#8217;ll love it.



Want to watch the flicks al fresco? Check out <a href="https://www.downhall.co.uk/upcoming-events/open-air-cinema" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Down Hall Hotel</a>&#8216;s open air Adventure Cinema line-up. It kicks off on&nbsp;9 Aug&nbsp;with Wicked,&nbsp;10 Aug&nbsp;is&nbsp;Grease, and on&nbsp;11 Aug&nbsp;Moana. There’s also live music, horsebox bar for cocktails and bubbles, plus pizza.



What&#8217;s next on our Essex August things to do? Head to Braintree museum for their <a href="https://braintreemuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/extinction.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Extinction From Dinosaurs to Today</a> to find out why things go extinct and how to prevent it.



Then there&#8217;s Epping Ongar Railway&#8217;s <a href="https://www.eorailway.co.uk/events/come-and-meet-paddington/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Come and Meet Paddington </a>event (9 Aug). A steam train takes you to Ongar to meet Paddington, before a vintage bus takes you back. There&#8217;s a gingerbread train biscuit and juice carton for every little one, too.



Thomas fans should visit <a href="https://www.quaytickets.com/dayoutwiththomas/en-GB/shows/day%20out%20with%20thomas%20at%20east%20anglian%20railway%20museum/events/5?_gl=1*jnh2ls*_gcl_au*MTY1Mjc2OTg1My4xNzUzNjk4NTU4*_ga*NDcyNTU2MzgzLjE3NTM2OTg1NTg.*_ga_CVJQ54Y3TS*czE3NTM2OTg1NTckbzEkZzEkdDE3NTM2OTg2OTkkajQ0JGwwJGg3OTYxMjUzNjE.&amp;_ga=2.204437072.1990624733.1753698558-472556383.1753698558" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">East Anglian Railway</a>&nbsp;from&nbsp;23-25 Aug&nbsp;for unlimited rides with Thomas, Percy and Daisy. There&#8217;s also stories, scavenger hunt, train-themed playground and more. 



Juggling work and kids? There&#8217;s lots of drop off days from <a href="https://www.essexwt.org.uk/school-holiday-clubs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Essex Wildlife Trust.</a> They&#8217;re getting booked up fast, so get in there pronto! Running from 9am-3pm on&nbsp;various dates, kids can take part in seashore searching, fossil hunting, den building and the like.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-food-amp-drink">FOOD &amp; DRINK</h2>



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<a href="https://www.smokeandfirefestival.com/">The Maldon Smoke and Fire Festival</a>&nbsp;(16-17 Aug)&nbsp;needs to be on your Essex August things to do.&nbsp;There’s BBQ championships, battle of the bands, music, kids’ zone, bucking rodeo bull contest, chilli/hot wing challenges and plenty to drink.



Another must on our Essex August things to do is this&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BrightlingseaFoodAndDrinkFestival/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brightlingsea Food &amp; Drink&nbsp;Festival</a>&nbsp;on 23-24 Aug. Think street food and tipples, plus live music, crafts and gifts.



Southend&#8217;s Twelve Bar has a <a href="https://twelvebar.uk/event/sip-paint-fridays-august-29th/#tribe-tickets__tickets-form">Sip &amp; Paint Friday</a> on 29 Aug. With all materials provided, unleash your inner Picasso with 90 mins of bottomless cocktails. I&#8217;m not sure how my masterpiece would turn out after all that booze.



Like beer and cider? Head to The Cricketers Clavering&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thecricketers.co.uk/cricketers-beer-and-cider-festival">Beer and Cider Festival</a> in Saffron Walden (2-3 Aug). This two-dayer is packed with, well, beer and cider, plus&nbsp;BBQ faves, seasonal dishes, music and plenty of pints (hic). Just be sure to buy a pre-paid stamp card via their online shop or pick one up when you arrive for two pints for £10 or five pints for £20. Five pints for £20? Absolute steal.



Sticking with the good stuff, Clacton has its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tendringcamra.org.uk/clactonfest.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Real Ale and Cider Festival</a>&nbsp;on from&nbsp;20-23 Aug. Beer lovers should head to Colchester&#8217;s Three Wise Monkeys on&nbsp;22 Aug&nbsp;for their&nbsp;<a href="https://threewisemonkeyscolchester.com/events/summer-beer-festival-3/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Summer Beer Festival</a>. Or mark&nbsp;28-31 Aug on your calendar for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Coggbeerfest" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coggeshall Beer Festival</a>.



This looks good: Down Hall&#8217;s <a href="https://www.downhall.co.uk/upcoming-events/garden-gatherings-at-the-woodland-table" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Garden Gatherings at the Woodland Table</a> on 31 Aug. There&#8217;s drinks and canapés and seasonal sharing platters over open flames, with you dining under the sky on tables and benches made from the estate’s felled trees.



Toss a coin&nbsp;not&nbsp;to be the designated driver and book this <a href="https://www.peterwattswines.co.uk/shop/Old-World-VS-New-World-Wine-Tasting-Friday-1st-August-2025-p715676380?fbclid=IwY2xjawL0Yb5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFhb1ZuZjlaSnYxbWlnWEE3AR6yeMmnE7cnz30vPlHta4-6ehhBLZWmJUyi1zZAtwy7Frg732QzU6IvLtP2-w_aem_zR-HXP0XCOPUHPctzreAGQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Old World Wine vs New World Wine</a> event this Fri 1 Aug. Raise your glass to the ancient traditions and modern innovations that makes that delish drink so delish. Includes six wines, nibbles and cheese board.



Also on our Essex August things to do is Dedham Vale Vineyard&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dedhamvalevineyard.com/foodtruckfriday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Food Truck Friday</a> (15 Aug). It&#8217;s family-friendly and has different food trucks serving delicious street food. Plus their award-winning wines and local beers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-out-and-about">OUT AND ABOUT</h2>



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We&#8217;re properly owning it when it comes to cool festivals. <a href="https://www.stosythsummersounds.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. Osyth Summer Sounds Music &amp; Food Festival</a> is a brand new two dayer on 30-31 Aug which looks epic. They&#8217;ll be an award-winning musician and West End performer, street food, drinks and local and global treats to buy. There&#8217;s also plenty for kids, with arts and crafts, dance workshops, and interactive activities.



This just had to be on our Essex August things to do:&nbsp;<a href="https://colchestercastlesummerseries.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Colchester Castle Summer Series</a>‘ acts. Taking place in Lower Castle Park, they&#8217;ve gone all out when it comes to their brand new series of shows. Which acts? Busted (15 Aug), Craig David (16 Aug), UB40 ft. Ali Campbell&nbsp;(17 Aug), Tom Jones (18 Aug), Texas (21 Aug), James (22 Aug) and Madness (23 Aug). 



Sticking with celebs, on 23 Aug you&#8217;ve <a href="https://www.magicdisco.co.uk/event/back-to-the-80s-summer-tribute-festival-with-martin-kemp-chelmsford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Back to the 80s Summer Outdoor Festival with Martin Kemp</a>. It&#8217;s on in Chelmo, and as well as Martin hitting the decks there&#8217;s street food, live performers, cocktails and Prosecco and also a glitter station. We love a bit of glitter.



It&#8217;s also all go on the music front at Audley End House &amp; Gardens, with <a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/audley-end-heritage-live-roger-daltrey-1-aug-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roger Daltrey</a> on&nbsp;1 Aug. The next night it&#8217;s the <a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/audley-end-heritage-live/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Manic Street Preachers</a> and <a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/audley-end-heritage-live-underworld-3-aug-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Underworld </a>on 3 Aug.



This has our name written all over it: Braintree theatre The Institute&#8217;s <a href="https://theinstitutebraintree-tickets.theinstitutebraintree.co.uk/ticketbooth/shows/1173657867" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sing It Back – The Ultimate Sing-A-Ling Experience</a> (29 Aug). With a killer band backing you up, the lyrics to your fave tunes get shown across massive screens. It&#8217;s a communal karaoke session where the whole audience is the lead singer. Or singers. You get what we mean. We literally cannot wait.



<a href="https://visioncinema.co.uk/location/southend-pier/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vision Cinema</a>&#8216;s at Southend Pier is another outdoor cinema (15-17 Aug) – but this time it&#8217;s got scares for grown-ups like a screening of Jaws. There&#8217;s also classic cinema snacks, gourmet extras, milkshakes, desserts and a licensed bar (yay!). You don&#8217;t even have to get up from the comfy inflatable seating while tucked under a blanket: just order from your phone and ta-da! 



Our Essex August things to do continues with Chelmsford City Racecourse and <a href="https://chelmsfordcityracecourse.com/whats-on/armand-van-helden-summer-sessions-closing-party-3490955" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Armand Van Helden &#8211; Summer Sessions Closing Party</a> (30 Aug). The legendary DJ and music producer&#8217;s taking to the stage with his huge hits including Bonkers, My My My, You Don&#8217;t Know Me and I Want Your Soul. Loving it.



Finally, <a href="https://www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com/autumn-fair/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BBC Gardeners’ World&nbsp;Autumn Fair</a>&nbsp;is at Audley End House &amp; Gardens on&nbsp;31 Aug. There&#8217;s special guests, workshops and garden inspo. And you can also see landscapers go head-to-head to create a garden in just 16.5 hours.

Hot off the press! Essex August things to do

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