Blenheim Palace.
We look at the highlights on offer at the world heritage site in Oxfordshire as it unveils events for 2018.
Open all-year round, Blenheim Palace in Woodstock offers an array of exhibitions, tours and talks for 2018, with group rates available.
Talks and tours
Visitors can go ‘Behind the Scenes’ at the Palace, the birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill, as part of a limited edition tour for 2018.
‘Restoration & Conservation’ will be the theme of the other guided tours on offer, beginning in the New Year.
The tours will be exclusively available from 9th January to 8th February, running twice per day, excluding Sundays, and will give an in-depth look into what is being done in each of the State Rooms.
The new tours will also tie in to the annual ‘deep clean’ of Blenheim Palace, and will look at two aspects of running the palace, including restoring a piece of art, building or tapestry to its original condition, as well as the preservation and repair of the site and its artefacts.
Guides will also examine the theme of renovation, exploring how Blenheim Palace must also modernise and remain as a comfortable family home while appealing to visitors.
Exhibitions for 2018
From 10th February to 16th April, Blenheim Palace will be staging a new Victorian-themed exhibition, allowing groups to discover the lives of Victorian staff and learn about how the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough lived during that era.
Blenheim Art Foundation will also return in autumn 2018 to showcase a contemporary artist at the Baroque Palace.
The temporary Art Exhibition has featured artists including Ai Wei Wei, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Jenny Holzer.
Calendar of events
Groups visiting Blenheim Palace in 2018 will have the opportunity to enjoy a number of activities to mark important occasions.
New for 2018 will be the Chinese New Year Celebration, which will take place at the palace on 17th February. With traditional performances, Chinese street food in the Great Court and a show of red lanterns, visitors will see in the Year of the Dog.
If your group wishes to spend the Easter weekend at Blenheim Palace, Easter Carnival Fun will take place from 30th March to 2nd April, with special entertainment arranged for the occasion.
In addition, BBC Countrylife Live will return to the palace from 2nd to 5th August, giving visitors the chance to meet the show’s presenters.
Blenheim Palace Flower Show, the annual festival of flora and fauna, will take place from 22nd to 24th June, featuring expert talks, floral displays and stalls for gardeners to enjoy.
(Photo Credit: Visit Britain Pete Seaward.)
From 26th to 27th August, the Blenheim Palace Festival of Transport will take place to showcase the best of motors – an event suitable for petrolheads and vintage lovers.
Finally, Christmas at Blenheim Light Trail will transform the ‘Capability’ Brown landscape at the palace from 23rd November 2018 to 1st January 2019.
To find the full 2018 events list, visit www.blenheimpalace.com.
Booking your group visit
Groups of a minimum 15 people wishing to book a visit at Blenheim Palace can contact the site’s Group Sales Team either via email at groups@blenheimpalace.com or by calling 01993-815600.
