Home educator experience
Hampton Court Palace Home Educator Experience at ‘Henry VIII on Tour’ Festival. Thursday 26 June 2025
Bookings are now open
The year is 1522. Find out what it was like to prepare for Henry VIII’s royal progress!
Join us for our Tudor festival, in the gardens at Hampton Court Palace, as we bring to life the sights, sounds, smells and excitement of King Henry VIII and his court on tour.
During his lifetime, Henry went on several large-scale tours of the country to boost his popularity and consolidate his power. These tours were known as ‘royal progresses’ and were huge undertakings, involving hundreds of people.
Along the routes, ordinary people would clamour for sight of their awe-inspiring King. At key points along the way, there would have been feasts, pageantry, music and performances to entertain the King and his entourage, as they spent the night in royal residences and manor houses all over the country.
The festival will attempt to recreate the colour, activity and atmosphere of a royal progress through a series of demonstration tents, performances and historical characters. Through vibrant, interactive and multi-sensory activities, students will broaden their understanding of the Tudor world whilst having lots of fun!
The festival content is aimed at 7-14 year olds, though all ages are welcome.
Home Educators Coming to The Festival
What's included for Home Educators
Home Educators will be given an allocated timeslot (14.30-16.00) exclusive to Home Educating Families to explore the outdoor festival site, visiting special tents where Tudor demonstrations of such things as cooking and armour will take place. There will also be timed performances, Tudor games to play and opportunities to meet members of King Henry’s court! When not at the festival, home educators are welcome to explore the Palace and gardens, with admission from 11am. Please be aware the Palace and gardens will be busy with school groups as we welcome schools to the festival earlier in the day.
Admission to the festival
Home Education visits must be pre-booked and paid for in advance and are available to UK based home educators only. Once purchased all tickets are non-refundable.
Admission to the festival is £4.10 per child (5-16 years) and includes access to Hampton Court Palace and gardens.
Up to 1:3 ratio: Free (One free adult ticket will be provided for every 3 children. This includes under 5’s). Additional adults: £25.10
Please bring evidence that you are a home educator with you to present at our schools desk on the day of your visit. We appreciate that not all home educators will have a Local Authority letter, or membership of a Home Education group. In this case please contact us via email in advance of your visit to confirm.
Book your home educator visit
Frequently asked questions about the Schools Tudor Festival at Hampton Court Palace for Home Educators
The festival is a pre-booked event, our Home Educator afternoon will take place on Thursday 26 June 2025, with festival access between 14.30-16.00. Home Educators are welcome to explore the Palace and Gardens whilst not in the festival.
The ‘Henry VIII on Tour’ Tudor festival at Hampton Court Palace is an outdoor event that recreates the pageantry, excitement and awe of one of Henry’s progresses. During his reign, King Henry VIII liked to visit different parts of the country with a large entourage of attendants. These grand-scale tours were called ‘royal progresses’ and were a clever way of demonstrating good kingship and consolidating royal power.
The festival will attempt to recreate the colour, activity and atmosphere of a royal progress through a series of demonstration tents, performances and historical characters. Through vibrant, interactive and multi-sensory activities, learners will broaden their understanding of the Tudor world whilst having lots of fun!
The festival takes place in the East Front gardens at the rear of Hampton Court Palace. Access is via the Wilderness Gardens.
Please complete the booking form using the link below to book. Places must be pre-booked in advance.
Our registration desk at the Clore Learning Centre will be open to welcome Home Educators from 11am.
The allocated timeslot for Home Educators to experience the festival is 2.30-4.00, so we recommend arriving no later than 2.15 to ensure you have time to sign in and make your way to the festival site. However, there is lots to see and do at Hampton Court Palace, so you may arrive anytime from 11.00 to explore the Palace and gardens.
Please arrive at The Clore Learning Centre, located through the Golden gate at the top of the drive. From here, you will collect wristbands which will act as your tickets to enter the Palace and festival site, so please take care of them. From the Clore you will also be able to pick up printed maps and information to support your visit.
Admission to the festival is £4.10 per child (5-16 years) and includes access to Hampton Court Palace and gardens.
Up to 1:3 ratio: Free (One free adult ticket will be provided for every 3 children. This includes under 5’s).
Additional adults: £25.10
Groups can spend one hour and 30 minutes on the festival site. The timeslot on the afternoon on 26 June is exclusively for Home Educators.
As well as your 1 hour 30 minutes festival slot, your booking also includes entry to the Palace and gardens (including the maze). Suggestions of how to spend your time at the Palace whilst not in the festival experience will be sent to you after a booking has been made.
The festival will run in any weather condition (except for extremely high winds). There will be a limited number of covered areas on the festival site, so you should dress appropriately for hot or inclement weather.
Yes! Pre-visit resources will be sent out 4-6 weeks prior to the festival, in the meantime we have lots of learning resources available here - Learning resources | Historic Royal Palaces
Buggies can be taken into the Palace and Gardens, though the terrain can be bumpy! Buggies can be left outside the family room, located in Clock Court.
There are toilets with disabled and baby changing facilities:
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In Base Court
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In Fountain Court
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In the Clore Learning Centre
There are plenty of places to picnic within the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, we would recommend the East Front Gardens or the grassy space by the Tiltyard Café. We have a range of options if you wish to buy lunch on site at The Tiltyard Café or Privy Café.
If you have booked but found that you can no longer attend, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing us at hamptoncourtlearning@hrp.org.uk. As per our booking terms and conditions, we will be unable to refund or exchange your ticket but we will be able to offer your place to another family on our waiting list.
If you find you cannot attend on the day itself, please call us on 020 3166 6641.