Wow, that was quick…..truth be told, we are all a little bit sad to see the summer has passed and the kids going back to school this week.

We wanted to take the opportunity to say thank YOU for your custom.  Thank YOU for visiting Westport House over the summer and creating what we hope were some awesome family memories. It was our pleasure to welcome you and look after you. And as you ready school uniforms and start thinking about packed lunches, we hope that you’ll plan a visit come back to see us real soon.

And so, with that in mind, we have a selection of lovely events and things to do coming up this September.

First things first, what are our opening times this September?

• Westport House & Grounds remains open daily until the end of October from 10am to 4pm
• The Westport Train Tour will run weekends in September from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday & Sunday
• The Carnival in the Farmyard stays with us until September 4th from 11am to 6pm daily
• Gracy’s Bar & Cafe stays open from 8am to 9pm until September 4th and from then onwards, Saturday and Sunday from Midday to 9pm serving coffee, cake and pizzas
• And the Caravan & Camping Park will stay open until September 12th

On top of the award-winning attractions, we have a whole range of events for Autumn/Winter….with September events as follows:

On Friday, September 9th, the Westport Festival of Chamber Music hosts the opening recital of its FOURTH annual festival in Westport House.  My oh my, the years are flying by.  And true to form, Madeleine and the festival musical directors, Catherine Leonard and Hugh Tinney, have planned a gripping opening evening.   The opening recital is unfortunately sold out at this early stage (it’s a popular one!) but we look forward to sharing the recording with you as LyricFM will be with us on the evening.  There are plenty more magical musical events lined up over the whole weekend and we hope you’ll find something to enjoy by clicking here.

Culture Night returns on Friday, September 16th from 6pm to 9pm. Through the generosity of the Browne family, Westport House opens up its doors for FREE on this particular evening.  This “after hours” experience is a truly magical time to enjoy the stunning 18th century palladian mansion. The guided tour is scheduled for 7:30pm and we highly recommend you join it – lasting 30 minutes, you’ll learn all about the artwork, antiques and architecture of the house as well as the story of the family who have been here almost 400 years.

Fossett’s Circus, the oldest continuously touring circus in the World, returns to Westport House from September 28th to October 2nd.  You can enjoy a circus act like no other with archery, feats of strength, a stunning laser act, illusion, juggling, aerial and trapeze skills, acrobatics, diabolo and beautiful horses. Read on to plan your visit!

Looking forward, please keep our upcoming Halloween Fest event in mind over the October Bank Holiday weekend or book your visit to see Santa at our magical Christmas Experience.

We hope that we will have the chance to welcome you back this September to enjoy some of the attractions and events we have on offer.  And thank you again for your custom this past summer.

Wishing you and your little ones all the very best as they return to school!