The Urchfont Scarecrow Festival runs every early May bank holiday. The organisers and Urchfont Parish residents pull out all the stops to make it the most successful and well-attended scarecrow festival in the UK.
Every early May bank holiday weekend, the village of Urchfont in Wiltshire, England, comes alive with quirky characters made of straw. Picture 50+ themed scarecrows lining the trail, each with a mystery to unravel. Thousands flock to this family-friendly extravaganza every year, and you won't want to miss it. Mark your calendars for May 3rd to May 5th 2025, and get ready to join in the fun.
We've collated answers to common questions visitors to the festival ask. These answers are correct at the time of publishing – info for 2025 festival will be updated in Spring 2025.
Please get in touch if you need more information.
Villages come alive with scarecrow festivals that provide spring, summer and autumn festivities. Local residents showcase their creativity by fashioning scarecrows out of various materials, showcasing them in front of their houses and along the streets. Visitors can explore the scarecrow trail, solve riddles, and appreciate the handcrafted scarecrows made by the community.
2025 prices will be published in spring 2025
If you wish to participate in the Scarecrow Trail, 2024 programmes cost:
All proceeds go towards great local causes, but don't worry if you can't afford to buy a trail map, you can wander around Urchfont and enjoy the Scarecrows and festival atmosphere at your leisure.
Programmes are sold from the Programme Tent by the village pond. We do not sell advance copies.
Yes - and we'd love visitors to use it whenever possible. Buses operate from Devizes. Please visit the Faresaver site for up-to-date timetables.
If you are driving to the festival, please park in one of our dedicated car parks. On entering the village you will see signs and officials who will guide you to a free car park.
Once parked, please make your way to the village pond to begin your Scarecrow Festival journey. Click here for map.
Please do not park in the village as this can cause traffic delays and endanger visitors.
Normally, it doesn't take that long to get through the village to the car parks, however on sunny days- especially on bank holidays, there can be queues. Our volunteers do their best to keep traffic moving.
Please consider coming to the festival on the Saturday or Sunday to avoid congestion, and leave in plenty of time. Car sharing is also a great way to help both the environment and traffic flow.
There are a number of toilets suitable for able and disabled users around the village. Please see the trail map for locations.
There is a wide selection of food and drink at the Festival from barbecue to sweet treats. Please see the map for locations.
Most tents in the festival take both cash and card. In the unfortunate event that our card machines are not behaving, it might be useful to bring a little cash - just in case.
YES, YES. YES!
Absolutely.
Dogs with well-behaved owners are more than welcome. There are a number of locations where water bowls are available for our furry friends.
We do ask that dogs are kept on leads and under control at all times and please note, due to hygiene reasons, we do not allow dogs in the tea tent (unless support dogs).
It's top secret. You will have to visit the festival to find out.
To see previous years' themes, click >here<
We have a supply of reasonably priced pens and pencils that you can buy should you not bring your own. We recommend you use a pencil when filling in the trail map - and bring an eraser just in case.
You can hand in your answer sheet to the programme tent at the pond or you can post them into the red post box at the village green.
Answers must be submitted by 8 pm on the final day of the festival to be marked and entered into the lucky prize draw. Incomplete sheets will also go into the draw.
Please make sure you include your contact details on the front so we can let you know if you're a winner.
We've collated answers to common questions visitors to the festival ask.
Please get in touch if you need more information.
Access to all residents will be maintained throughout the Festival, however, we would politely request that any journeys during the Festival are minimised.
There will be a one-way system around the Top Green to help flow of traffic.
Where possible, we request that villagers park in their driveways.
Please visit our Makers page for information.
Please visit our Volunteers page for information.
Please visit our Bakers' page for information.
The event can get very busy over the lunch period, especially on sunny days. Please arrive in plenty of time. We recommend you wear comfortable shoes and allow at least three hours to get around all the scarecrows. The trail covers just over a 2-mile long circuit.
SATURDAY 3 MAY
9:30 – 18:00
SUNDAY 4 MAY
9:30 – 18:00
MONDAY 5 MAY
9:30 – 17:00
Most questions we receive are covered on this website.
Please check Home page for dates, opening times and directions, and our FAQ page for other frequently asked questions.
USFC is managed by a team of volunteers, so please forgive any delay in our response. We will respond as soon as possible.
Thank you for contacting us. The festival is managed by a team of volunteers so please forgive any delay in our response. We will be in touch as soon as possible.
NOTE: Dates, times, and location sections on home page, and our FAQ page provide answers to most queries.