Entertainment Swindon

The Wiltshire estate has a long literary history, with Longleat House being home to one of the largest and most significant private libraries in Europe, full of rare books and first editions.

Taking inspiration from this, Once Upon an Easter invites guests to enter a land of stories from Saturday 28th March – Sunday 19th April.

Four interactive areas of the park are being created to showcase The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Guests can join the Mad Hatter’s tea party, see Ratty and Mole on riverside rambles, help find the right chair for Goldilocks and follow the yellow brick road to a storytelling haven complete with characters brought to life.

Scott Ashman, Head of Operations at Longleat, said “As it’s the National Year of Reading, it was the perfect opportunity to bring classic children’s tales to life in interactive experiences for our guests.

“We’ll have characters at each trail area, and those that complete each literary adventure can earn a chocolate treat to celebrate Easter.”

In Longleat House, guests on guided and self-guided tours can view the Easter exhibition ‘Down the rabbit hole and beyond’. With rare first editions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wind in the Willows from 1866 and 1908 respectively, alongside the famous illustrated edition of The Three Bears by Walter Crane.

2026 also marks 60 years since Longleat first opened its safari park, becoming the first Drive-Through Safari outside of Africa.

To celebrate, an Anniversary Garden Party is being held on11 – 12 April, complete with tethering of Longleat’s signature hot air balloons, Simbaloo and Adelaide, classic 1960’s cars, live entertainment, market stalls and garden games.

Scott said: “We can’t wait to celebrate our 60th anniversary with our guests. We are also celebrating those who also turn 60 in April, with free entry to the garden party.”

Tickets to Once Upon an Easter and Anniversary Garden Party can be purchased at longleat.co.uk. Buy tickets before midnight on the day of your visit for an Advanced Booking Offer.

For those turning 60 in April, the offer can be redeemed by using code sixty26 at checkout.