Practical Information
Opening hours
The realm of Fantasy Forest will be opened at 10:00 on both Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st of July. On Saturday the terrain will close at 23:00. On Sunday it will close at 19:00.
On Friday, the festival terrain will be open from 17:30 till 22:00.
Please note that after these hours, the staff will sweep the terrain and ask all visitors to leave.
You can enter the carpark of Fantasy Forest each day at 09:30.
Ticket sales at the gate will not start before the official opening at 10:00.
The bars close at 21:45 on Friday, 22:45 on Saturday and 18:45 on Sunday.
Parking closes at 22:30 on Friday, 23:30 on Saturday and 23:00 on Sunday.
All hours for entertainment and activities can be found in the booklet you can receive at our information stand and entry.
The campsite will be accessible to visitors from Friday 15:00 until Monday 12:00. Visitors can enter the campsite freely during the weekend between 8:00 and 22:00. At night, the gates will close.
Visitors arriving before 15:00 on Friday will be asked to wait on the castle parking.
More information on the campsite? Please go here
Festival information
Within the realm of Fantasy Forest, there is no special currency. All traders, catering and merchandise can be paid with regular sterling pounds. The ability to pay by card will vary, depending on the trader.
Tickets at the gate can be purchased by card only.
Unfortunately, there are no ATMs at Fantasy Forest. Therefore, we strongly recommend entering the festival terrain with plenty of cash on hand.
The nearest ATM is in Winchcombe Village, just down the entry road towards the festival terrain.
The use of photo and/or videos cameras is allowed on the festival terrain apart from professional equipment, for which you must obtain written permission prior to the festival.
We encourage all photographers and regular visitors to capture the wonderful realm of Fantasy Forest and share it on the internet.
The usage of drones over the festival terrain is strictly prohibited by UK law.
Please read our full terms and conditions regarding photography and filming
There will be a variety of food and drinks stalls on the festival terrain, including both vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options, of which an overview can be found in the festival booklet. We allow small quantities of food and non-alcoholic drinks to be brought on site for your own personal use or where the food is needed for medical purposes.
Beverages containing alcohol will not be sold to anyone under the age of 18.
As hydration might be the most important factor for enjoying the festival free water stations will be located throughout the event and we urge all our visitors to bring refillable bottles.
Professional safety teams will be located throughout the venue and at the entrance, where they might check bags and sharp weapons.
If you have an emergency, please find a member of the safety team, a member of the staff with a radio or the information stand.
The use of toilets at Fantasy Forest is free of charge. Multiple toilet areas can be found on the terrain, at opposing sides of the festival for optimal coverage. These toilets will be cleaned on a regular basis.
It is strictly prohibited to urinate in public.
During the festival, a first aid medical team will be present. Their location will be marked on the map and their marquee will be clearly distinguished.
If you require emergency medical assistance, please find a member of staff with a radio, a member of the security team or report to the head of the information stand. They will radio the medical staff to attend. Please do not call the emergency number (999) but allow the medical staff to assess the situation first.
Festival information
Fantasy Forest will take place at the lovely and historical venue of Sudeley Castle & Gardens, 8 miles north of Cheltenham.
Sudeley Castle & Gardens
Winchcombe Gloucestershire, GL54 5JD
On Saturday and Sunday, Fantasy Forest provides a shuttle bus between Cheltenham Spa train station and Sudeley Castle.
You can book a seat for this shuttle on our ticket page
While we do not have a yellow brick road leading to the castle, all access roads will be provided with yellow AA “Fantasy Forest Festival” signs leading directly to the parking lot.
The venue is located only 10 miles from junction 9 of the M5, 43 miles from the M4 and 61 Miles from the M40.
The closest train station to Sudeley Castle & Gardens, is Cheltenham Spa. Located just 35 minutes from Birmingham, 35 minutes from Bristol and 130 minutes from London, Cheltenham is serviced by up to 12 trains per hour. Check your journey at National Rail
From Cheltenham Spa train station, you’ll be able to take the shuttle bus to the event (see “Shuttle Bus”).
The venue is harder to reach for those who are limited to public transport .
You can reach the venue with the W1, W2 and 606 service from Marchants Coaches. Buses will travel from Cheltenham Bus Station to Winchcombe and Willersey/Broadway to Winchcombe.
Please note there is a 15 minute walk from the village centre of Winchcombe to the festival venue. We strongly advise you to order a taxi or use our Facebook Community in order to arrange carpooling.
Please find your travelling times on the Marchants Coaches website.
The festival venue is equipped with a large parking. Parking is included in your festival ticket
The parking has a dedicated blue-badge area which you can access by showing your blue badge.
Camping visitors have a dedicated parking near the campsite.
Festival Rules
We understand that some costumes might not be complete without a weapon. Prop weapons are allowed to complete your outfit. Do note they will be checked at the entrance. Make sure your props are:
– Blunt
– Unable to fire any type of projectile
– Fitted with an orange cap in case of prop guns
The final decision lies with the security at the entrance. Please be patient and understanding if your weapon is not allowed in. Please do not bring anything to the festival that could be considered under the Offensive Weapons Act.
Dogs and other pets are allowed in most areas but must be kept on a lead at all times. Dogs are not allowed in the Queens Gardens or St Mary’s chapel.
Please respect the venue and other visitors by picking up after your dog and deposit his “deposits” in a rubbish bin.
It is not permitted to distribute flyers or hang posters during the festival and on the campsite, with the exception of traders within their own marque or booth. If you wish to promote or distribute flyers or posters, please contact us and we will review the situation.
Sudeley Castle is a wonderful location with a beautiful garden, and we are very happy to host Fantasy Forest at this historic venue.
We ask you to respect the terrain and the beautiful nature surrounding it. Therefore, we would like to ask our visitors to not pick any flowers, stay on the paths, track mats or grass and to not damage any furniture. Please place your rubbish in the bin and no not throw cigarette butts on the ground.
The ticket granting access to Fantasy Forest does not grant access to the castle itself. Certain areas are not included in your Fantasy Forest ticket. These areas will be clearly marked. Please do not enter these areas under any circumstances.
The Queens Gardens, a beautiful place photographers and their models will love, and St Mary’s chapel will be opened to the festival public from 5PM until 9PM on Saturday and until closing time on Sunday. Due to the sensitive nature of the Queens Garden access may be limited to a maximum number of people at a time to prevent damage.
The construction staff of Fantasy Forest put a lot of effort and manpower into turning Fantasy Forest into the magical realm you can experience during the weekend. Any tearing, breaking or any other form of destruction to the decoration will result in removal from the festival terrain.
Tickets are non-refundable, however we have partnered with Tixel as our official re-sale partner. Tixel provides a safe and easy place for you to sell your tickets to another fan. So if you can no longer attend the event, please click here and follow the prompts.
Be sure to check our full Terms & Conditions