The Isle of Wight Spring Art & Garden Fair

Looking for a fantastic treat for the family this Easter? Then don’t miss the Island’s first big outdoor event of the season, which has free entry for children on Good Friday and Easter Saturday.

The popular Isle of Wight Spring Art & Garden Fair features a huge range of quality exhibitors from the Island and mainland, set in beautiful Northwood House park, in Cowes.

Get plants and equipment for the garden and see some of the best local artists from across the Island in the art showcase, with a lovely atmosphere and lots to enjoy over the two-day event. There will be several marquees of quality hand-made craft, produce and other artisan retailers, some of whom have never been to the Island before.

With visiting garden nurseries, such as RHS gold medal winners Hardy’s Cottage Plants, and Hare Spring Cottage Plants (new for 2025), the quality of plants available is always very high, bolstered by the Island’s own top plant nurseries and growers, including Busy Bee, Bramley Plants and Chelsea champion, Darren Everest. It’s a great way for green-fingered fanatics to get their hands on some of the best plant stock available.

The Island art showcase, inside Northwood House, is always a highlight of the event, with more than 30 incredible artists exhibiting their work for sale. As usual, visitors will get a chance to do some painting and sketching under the instruction of resident dining room artists, with free “have-a-go” lessons throughout the two days.

New for 2025 is the Roots & Shoots Plants Talk Tent, which features some top speakers and personalities from the world of gardening. Guest speakers on Friday include gardening royalty, Andy McIndoe, one of the UK’s leading shrub experts and winner of an incredible 25 RHS Gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show with Hilliers Nursery. Andy will be joined later by Darryl Moore, award-winning author and garden designer, who’ll be talking about his latest book “Gardening in a Changing World – Plants, People and the Climate Crisis”. And don’t miss Michael Perry (aka “The Plant Geek”) at 2.40pm, the former plant hunter from Thompson & Morgan, and now QVC TV’s gardening front man, will be doing a fun and fascinating talk about weird and wacky plants. Michael is also a leading digital broadcaster with ‘The Plant Based Podcast’, the number one iTunes gardening-category podcast with more than 1 million downloads.

On Saturday, the talks tent is graced with more great speakers, including the current Blue Peter gardener, Chis Collins, who’ll be talking about growing organic vegetables at 1.30pm, and the best-selling writer and BBC Gardeners World presenter, Kate Bradbury, at 2.40pm, who’ll be talking about her best-selling book “One Garden Against the World”. Kate’s passion for gardening to support wildlife and nurturing biodiversity is inspirational and not to be missed.

On both days at 12.20pm join the RHS Plant Panel, where you can ask questions to some of the top gardening experts dispatched from RHS headquarters, including the organisation’s honorary vice-president, Rosy Hardy. All talks are free to enter, but with capacity limited you can reserve a seat in advance for a small donation on the Northwood House website. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some great expertise and horticultural insight, no matter what the weather!

Children can take part in free art and craft activities, seed planting and story-telling at the Imagination Station marquee. Plus, there will be the free “Cheeky Gnome” Easter Egg Trail, with a chocolate prize for every child that takes part! Collect a trail sheet and hunt the gnomes around the fair to enter.

There’s also live music to enjoy at the popular Northwood House Lawn Bar & Tea Tent, with JC & Angelina and the Mike Jolliffe Duo, where it’s now traditional to have your first Pimm’s of the season! There will also be displays of vintage tractors and cars over both days, which are always popular with visitors.

The fair is also very dog-friendly, and includes a dog agility area, hosted by the team from Barking Mad showing off their canine training skills. Bring your dog along and have a go too!

The Island’s chain-saw carving supremo, Paul Sivell, and friends will be returning to take up the mantle of carving some magnificent timber sculptures over the two days. The sculptures will be available for auction at the end of the event, with an on-line bidding page. Paul will be carving a unique timber bench featuring two stunning horse heads for arms this year, which will make a stunning show-stopper for anybody’s garden.

Admission tickets are only £5.50 each for adults (or two for £10) with children under 16 going free, making for a super value family day out.

You can also buy two-day tickets to visit both days if you wish. Visitors can save 10 per cent if you buy on-line in advance (until April 13) at northwoodhouse.org/events or buy on the gate on Friday and Saturday.