# Where to stay for the Festival of Chichester 2027 > The Festival of Chichester 2027 runs from Saturday 12 June to Sunday 18 July, with events in the city and the villages around it. The Marden is three self-catering houses at West Marden, about 20 minutes’ drive from Chichester, each sleeping 4. The heated outdoor pool is open from mid-June, parking is free and you book direct with no fees. - **Dates:** Sat 12 June to Sun 18 July 2027 - **From the farm:** About 20 minutes to Chichester - **Sleeps:** 4 per house, 12 across the farm - **Events:** About 125 over five weeks ## What it is and when The Festival of Chichester is about 125 independently run events over five weeks: music, talks, theatre and walks, in venues across the city and in the villages. The festival has published its 2027 dates as a save-the-date on [its calendar page](https://festivalofchichester.co.uk/provisional-calendar): Saturday 12 June to Sunday 18 July. It is not one big weekend. It is something on most days for five weeks, so you pick the two or three things you want to go to and build a stay around them. In 2026 the festival was preceded by a week-long mini-festival in Priory Park. Check the festival’s site for the 2027 programme. ## Getting there from the farm and back Chichester is about 20 minutes’ drive from West Marden. The festival does not close roads or fill the city the way a Goodwood event does, so an ordinary evening drive is an ordinary evening drive. The exception is the last four days. The [Goodwood Festival of Speed](https://themarden.co.uk/events/goodwood-festival-of-speed) is on from 15 to 18 July, and the roads near Goodwood are slow. Allow extra time that week. Parking at the houses is free. ## Why stay out of town An evening concert in the city and a morning on the Downs go well together. From the farm you have both. Each house has its own front door, kitchen and garden, so you can eat early before a performance and come back to a quiet valley afterwards. The heated outdoor pool opens in mid-June, around the time the festival starts, and the evenings are long enough to sit out. Each house sleeps 4. [Keepers](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/keepers) has two super-king bedrooms, both en-suite, and suits two couples. [The Old Stables](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/the-old-stables) is on one storey. [Barley Cottage](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/barley-cottage) takes one well-behaved dog, at £50 per stay. Check-in is from 4pm and check-out is by 10am, so an evening event on your first night is easy to make. The farm has been in the family since 1947 and covers 1,000 acres. ## What else is on in those five weeks There are evening race meetings at Goodwood on Friday 11 and Friday 18 June. See [Goodwood racing](https://themarden.co.uk/events/goodwood-racing). The South Downs Way 100 passes over Harting Down, a few miles from the farm, on 12 and 13 June. The [Cowdray Gold Cup](https://themarden.co.uk/events/cowdray-gold-cup-polo) at Midhurst is usually played from late June to mid July, though its 2027 dates are not out. Between events, see our guide to [Chichester](https://themarden.co.uk/local/chichester) and to [food and drink](https://themarden.co.uk/local/food-and-drink). For a day without the car, the [Octagon walks](https://themarden.co.uk/local/octagon-walks) start in the village. The [Chichester Festival Theatre](https://themarden.co.uk/events/chichester-festival-theatre) summer season runs alongside. Its 2027 programme is expected in mid-February. ## When to book Most of the five weeks are easy. The weeks to book early are the last one, because of the Festival of Speed, and the half-term week before the festival starts, 31 May to 4 June. Both have a three-night minimum stay. Book direct with no booking fees, or send us a WhatsApp with the events you have in mind. ## Questions ### When is the Festival of Chichester 2027? Saturday 12 June to Sunday 18 July 2027. The festival has published those dates on its own site as a save-the-date. ### What is the Festival of Chichester? About 125 independently run events over five weeks, including music, talks, theatre and walks, in Chichester and the surrounding villages. ### How far is West Marden from Chichester? About 20 minutes by car. Allow longer from 15 to 18 July 2027, when the Goodwood Festival of Speed is on. ### Is the Festival of Chichester the same as Chichester Festival Theatre? No. They are separate. The Festival of Chichester is a five-week programme of independent events. Chichester Festival Theatre has its own season, which we cover on [a separate page](https://themarden.co.uk/events/chichester-festival-theatre). ### Is the pool open during the festival? For most of it. The pool is open from mid-June to early September and the festival starts on 12 June, so ask us if you are coming in the first week. ## Related - [A day in Chichester: cathedral, theatre, galleries and a Roman palace](https://themarden.co.uk/local/chichester.md) - [Where to stay for Chichester Festival Theatre](https://themarden.co.uk/events/chichester-festival-theatre.md) - [Farm shops and vineyards near West Marden: where to stock the fridge](https://themarden.co.uk/local/food-and-drink.md) - [A place for two in the South Downs, with a wood burner and a bath](https://themarden.co.uk/breaks/couples-breaks.md) - [Where to stay for the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2027](https://themarden.co.uk/events/goodwood-festival-of-speed.md) - [Barley Cottage: the dog-friendly one, with a walled lawn](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/barley-cottage.md) ## Booking Book direct with The Marden at https://themarden.co.uk (no booking fees), or message us on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/447822026091. West Marden Farm, West Marden, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 9EN. Page: https://themarden.co.uk/events/festival-of-chichester · Last updated 2026-11-14