Unmissable events
Festival August 25–27 Maui Waui Festival (right), Peakhill Farm, Theberton, Suffolk. East Anglia’s ‘International Festival of Fun’—in which creativity, art and extravagant decor are key—is back with live bands, circus shows, cabaret and comedy. Adult tickets from £40 (www.mauiwauievents.co.uk)
August 25–26 Sea Change Festival, Totnes, Devon. Highlights will include gypsy jazz-guitar music, a beer-and-cider festival and Laura Barton talking about her Radio 4 series Notes From a Musical Island, with venues including a restored cinema, a ballroom and a 15thcentury church. Tickets from £35 (www.seachangefestival.co.uk; 01803 866828)
August 25–28 The Suffolk Villages Festival. Historic music for voices and period instruments —including Monteverdi, Mozart and Handel—in the churches of Boxford, Hadleigh, Stoke by Nayland and Sudbury. Visit website for programme and prices (www. suffolkvillagesfestival.com; 01206 366603)
Exhibition Until September 16 ‘Matisse’, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, Duke Street, London SW1. More than a dozen original works by the artist, including paintings, works on paper, sculptures and prints. A highlight is L’artiste et le modèle nu, which includes a rare self-portrait of Matisse at work in his pyjamas (020–7734 3431; www.jacobsongallery.com)
Country show September 2 Moreton-inmarsh Show, Moreton-in-marsh Showground, Gloucestershire. Livestock and horse classes, dancing diggers, fishing demonstrations, ferrets, willow craft and much more. Adult tickets from £15 (01608 651908; www.moretonshow.co.uk)
House and gardens Until September 6 Highclere Castle Epicurean Club experience, Hampshire. Includes hardto-get tickets for Highclere’s house, gardens and Egyptian exhibition, signed books by Lady Carnarvon plus dinner, bed and breakfast at the picturesque 17th-century Yew Tree Inn. From £143pp, visit the website for full details (020–8161 0100; www.epicurean.club)
Book now September 5–10 RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show (right), Woking, Surrey. The 25th anniversary show includes the National Dahlia Society Annual Show, floral exhibits based on popular television shows and the chance to experience the new Exotic Garden. Book tickets online for a 10% discount (01483 224234; www.rhs. org.uk/wisley) September 28–October 1 Tetbury Music Festival, Gloucestershire. Classical music in the Cotswolds, with performances by the Heath Quartet, clarinettist Julian Bliss, The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble and the Arcangelo Choir. Visit website for full details of the programme and pricing (www.tetburymusicfestival. org; 01666 503552)