Early May Bank Holiday 2026 in West Sussex
The Early May Bank Holiday weekend runs from Saturday 2 to Monday 4 May 2026. Schools are still in term time, so this is a three-day visitor weekend rather than a half-term week, and that changes the mix: car parks fill earlier, seafronts get busy from Saturday morning, and a handful of the county's best venues are either quietly closed on Monday or running weekend-only programmes. This guide covers the confirmed family events across West Sussex, the venues that need booking before you set off, and the common "bank holiday trap" that catches visitors out.
Before you book anything: two big closures on Monday 4 May
Two venues that readers often default to are closed on Monday 4 May 2026:
- Arundel Castle is closed every Monday through its 1 April to 1 November season, bank holidays included. It is open Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 May, 10am–5pm (gardens), 12pm–5pm (castle rooms), last admission 4pm. See arundelcastle.org.
- Petworth House (National Trust) closes the house on bank holiday Mondays. The Deer Park stays open 08:00–20:00 for walking with £3 parking, which is an excellent long-walk option if Petworth is your plan for Monday. See nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/petworth.
If Monday is your only available day, lean on venues that are open all three days: Nymans, Standen, Weald & Downland, Fishers Farm Park, Amberley Museum, the Bluebell Railway and most National Trust gardens.
Book these first
These are the bookings that fill up or save you money if you sort them early:
- Fishers Farm Park (fishersfarmpark.co.uk). Routinely sells out on bank holiday weekends. Online booking saves £3 per ticket versus the gate.
- Amberley Museum Motorcycle Day, Mon 4 May (amberleymuseum.co.uk). Often sells out; pre-book.
- Weald & Downland three-day ticket, £5 per person (wealddown.co.uk). Strongly recommended to pre-book.
- West Wittering beach parking (westwitteringestate.co.uk). Pre-book the night before; £11.60 for bank-holiday rate.
- Mid Sussex Marathon Family Fun Run (midsussexmarathon.co.uk). £7 in advance, £8 on the day if spaces remain. Entries close early in the week of the race.
Big family days out
Weald & Downland Living Museum: On Your Doorstep Days
Running Saturday 2 to Monday 4 May, 10:00–17:00, at Town Lane, Singleton, Chichester, PO18 0EU. A single £5-per-person ticket covers all three days. The programme includes charcoal burners camping overnight, 18th-century cottage cooking, the Tudor kitchen, a watermill talk on the Monday, folk songs on the Sunday and the Repair Shop barn. Dogs on leads are welcome, parking is free, and the café opens from 09:00. This is the best-value single ticket of the weekend and an easy all-ages call.
Fishers Farm Park
Newpound Lane, Wisborough Green, RH14 0EG. Open 10:00–17:00 all three days. Peak pricing applies on bank holidays and tickets are capacity-capped, so book online in advance: it guarantees entry and saves £3 per ticket. Under-2s are free. For more farm-park options across the county, see our best farm parks and animal attractions guide.
Amberley Museum: TVR Car Club Meet (Sat) and Motorcycle Day (Mon)
Amberley, Arundel, BN18 9LT. Saturday 2 May brings the TVR Car Club Great Southern Gathering (10:00–16:30). Monday 4 May is Motorcycle Day with more than 150 classic and modern bikes from BSA, Norton, Triumph, Ducati and Harley (10:00–16:30). Both are included in standard admission and both include free rides on the museum's railway and vintage bus. Pre-book for Monday especially, because Motorcycle Day regularly sells out.
Bluebell Railway
Sheffield Park station (TN22 3QL) is just over the border into East Sussex but is a straightforward drive from most of West Sussex. Full timetable all three bank holiday days. Adult tickets are £27 with a Kids Go Free-style offer, children from £1. Confirm the exact child fare in the booking flow. Online tickets close at midnight the day before travel. See bluebell-railway.com.
Goodwood Season Opener: Saturday only
Goodwood Racecourse, PO18 0PS. Gates open 11:30 on Saturday 2 May, first race 12:55, last race 17:05. Under-18s race free when pre-booked with an accompanying adult. Supporting entertainment includes wingwalker displays, vintage Land Rover starting-stall trips, race simulators and live music. Booking required; adult ticket prices are on the Goodwood Season Opener page.
Mid Sussex Marathon Weekend
The Mid Sussex Marathon Weekend runs across all three days and is a local institution, now in its 15th year. The full weekend consists of three races:
- Saturday 2 May, East Grinstead, 10:30: 10-mile race
- Sunday 3 May, Haywards Heath, 10:30: 10-mile race
- Monday 4 May, Burgess Hill, 10:30: 10k race
Runners can enter the full weekend (26.2 miles across three days) or any single race.
For families, the big draws are the Family Fun Run and the Mid Sussex Mile. The Mid Sussex Mile is a chip-timed one-mile race open to runners aged 7 and over, and the Family Fun Run is designed for all ages, with fancy dress welcome. Advance entry is £7 per person, or £8 on the day if spaces remain. Entries are online at midsussexmarathon.co.uk. The event is organised by Mid Sussex District Council with the three town councils and Places Leisure.
Towns involved link through to our local event pages: East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.
Historic houses and gardens
Nymans (National Trust): open all three days
Handcross, RH17 6EB. Garden 10:00–17:00, house 11:00–16:00. Adult £21, Child £10.50; members free. The Three Cheers for Pooh! story trail is running through the Winnie-the-Pooh centenary year, alongside the famous late-spring blossom. Walk-up, no booking.
Standen House & Garden (National Trust): open all three days
West Hoathly Road, East Grinstead, RH19 4NE. House 11:00–16:00, Garden and café 10:00–17:00. Adult £18, Child £9, Family (2+3) £45; members free. Nature Explorers trail runs Friday 1 May to Sunday 28 June. Walk-up.
Sheffield Park & Garden: Alice in Wonderland trail opens 2 May
Uckfield, TN22 3QX (East Sussex, but close to many West Sussex readers). The new Alice in Wonderland trail opens on Saturday 2 May and runs until 7 June, 10:00–17:00. Adult £19, Child £9.50, Family £47.50; members free.
Uppark: Garden Sculpture Trail opens 3 May
South Harting, Petersfield, GU31 5QR. The FiveTwo Designs Garden Sculpture Trail opens on Sunday 3 May and runs to 14 July, 10:00–16:00. Free with garden entry. Check for local road closures before setting off.
Parham House
Pulborough, RH20 4HS (sat-nav RH20 4HR). Open Sunday 3 and Monday 4 May only, 12:00–17:00 (not Saturdays). Elizabethan house and a four-acre walled garden. Prices are not published online; check parhaminsussex.co.uk or call 01903 742 021.
Arundel Castle: Saturday and Sunday only
BN18 9AB. Open Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 May, gardens 10:00–17:00, Keep from 10:00, State Rooms from 12:00, last admission 16:00. Closed Monday 4 May (see opening paragraph).
For year-round historic visits, see our best castles and historic days out guide.
For older kids, teenagers and adults
Chichester Festival Theatre: Magic
Oaklands Park, Chichester, PO19 6AP. David Haig's new play about Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle, starring Hadley Fraser, runs from 24 April to 16 May. Saturday 2 May performances are confirmed; check the booking page for Sunday and Monday times. Tickets £10–£59. Content warning: strong language, scenes of violence, flashing lights and smoke. Older teens and adults only, not young families. See cft.org.uk/events/magic and our Chichester Festival Theatre 2026 guide for the rest of the season.
Worthing Symphony Orchestra: A Night at the Movies
Assembly Hall, Worthing, BN11 1HQ. Monday 4 May, 19:00. Film-score favourites performed live, ideal for a family Monday night with older children and teens. Booking required via wtm.uk.
Pallant House Gallery: William Nicholson closes 10 May
Chichester, PO19 1TJ. Open Saturday 2 (10:00–17:00) and Sunday 3 (10:00–16:00). The William Nicholson exhibition closes on 10 May, so the bank holiday weekend is the final chance. Adult £17, under-18s free, students £5. Walk-up.
Coast, gardens and the outdoors
West Wittering Beach
PO20 8AJ. Car park open 07:00–20:30, last entry 19:00. Bank-holiday parking is £11.60 if pre-booked online (versus £10.30 on a weekday). Pre-book the night before. Same-day booking is not available after 1 August, and bank-holiday slots fill fast. Book at westwitteringestate.co.uk. Dogs are restricted on the main beach from May to September; East Head spit is dog-friendly year-round. For alternatives, see our best beaches in West Sussex guide.
South Downs walking
The South Downs are at their best in early May. Kingley Vale, Cissbury Ring and the Arun Valley path from Amberley all make excellent bank-holiday walks. Our South Downs family walks guide covers the family-friendly routes with parking and terrain notes. For dog owners, see our dog-friendly days out guide.
National Garden Scheme: Stanley Farm
GU30 7LW, near Liphook. The Sunday 3 May opening is cancelled. Monday 4 May 12:00–17:00 is pre-booked only. Adult £6, children free. One-acre garden, formal areas, kitchen garden, orchard, farm animals, home-made teas, dogs welcome. See ngs.org.uk. This is the only West Sussex NGS garden we could verify as open on this specific weekend; the programme picks up again from 6 May with Fittleworth House and others.
Rainy-day fallbacks
Sussex weather in early May is unpredictable. If the forecast goes sideways:
- Fishbourne Roman Palace (Fishbourne, PO19 3QR). Open 10:00–16:30 all three days, last admission 15:30. Adult £15, Child £7.50, Family (2+4) £42, under-5s free. See sussexpast.co.uk.
- Tangmere Military Aviation Museum (Tangmere, PO20 2ES). Open daily 10:00–17:00. Saturday 2 May, 14:00: "Ideas in Flight" talk by Dr Andrew Smith, included with admission. Adult £15, Child (5–16) £7, under-5s free, Family (2+2) £37. Free parking and a café on site. See tangmere-museum.org.uk.
- Indoor options for younger children are in our best soft play and indoor activities guide. For a wider indoor list across all ages, our rainy day activities guide is the starting point.
Open but without specific programming
These venues are open for general admission but do not have special bank-holiday programming on this particular weekend:
- Wakehurst (Ardingly, RH17 6TN). 10:00–18:00 daily, last entry 17:30. Adult £18.50, under-16s free. Their Community Festival is the following weekend, 8–9 May.
- Fishbourne Roman Palace. Permanent collection only.
- Pallant House Gallery. The William Nicholson exhibition is the main draw.
Practical bank-holiday planning
- Book ahead more than you think. The venues above that advise booking usually fill by the Thursday before. West Wittering parking slots are gone by Friday lunchtime for most bank holidays.
- Check the Monday closures. Arundel Castle and Petworth House are the two big ones. The National Trust also closes a handful of smaller properties on bank holiday Mondays, so check the specific venue page the day before.
- Expect peak pricing. Bank-holiday rates apply at most paid venues across all three days, not only the Monday. Online rates are almost always cheaper than on-the-gate.
- Weather-flex. Keep Fishbourne Roman Palace, Tangmere, and indoor soft play as plan Bs. Weald & Downland's three-day ticket gives you natural flexibility if one day is washed out.
Nearby events
For current and upcoming events in your town, see: Chichester, Arundel, Worthing, Horsham, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.
Event details and prices were verified against venue websites on 19–23 April 2026. Bank holiday programmes can change at short notice, so always check the venue's own website or call ahead before travelling, especially for events that require pre-booking.
Hero image: Photo by Cecep Rahmat on Unsplash.