Steam and Vintage Festival returns to Fordingbridge

If you have a soft spot for old iron and a slow weekend, the Steam and Vintage Festival is back in Fordingbridge for its fourth year, running from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August. It is billed as a classic Dorset heritage event for all ages, and the description leans hard into that family-friendly, rural heritage angle, so it is the sort of thing that works as well with small children as it does with anyone who just likes to look at old machines.

The festival sets up at Fryern Court Road, Fordingbridge, SP6 1ND, just north of the town on the edge of the New Forest National Park. Getting there is straightforward: the A338 brings you in, and the X3 bus line runs between Salisbury, Ringwood and Bournemouth, which makes it an easy trip from either end. There is plenty of free parking on site, so you do not need to worry about the car once you have arrived.

At its heart, the show is about pre-1970s machinery and traditional country life, though the organisers have stretched the age limit to include classic cars up to the 2000s, so you will see the likes of the Escort and the Sierra alongside the truly old stuff. There is a nice nod to the era, too: anyone who turns up in pre-1970s costume is warmly encouraged, and prizes are handed out for the best outfits, which adds a bit of theatre to the whole thing.

The exhibits cover a lot of ground. There are steam engines in both miniature and full size, vintage tractors, classic cars, motorbikes, commercial vehicles, heavy and coach horses, traditional ploughing and farming equipment, and livestock displays. The programme is built around a few set-piece moments: the Lamb National Race and Sheepdog Display, the Steam Engine Showcase and Tractor Musical Drive, a birds of prey demonstration, and a fun dog show featuring Harold's feathered hunters and Armchair Dogs, with rosettes up for grabs. Beyond that, there is the Ken Fox Wall of Death, traditional fairground rides including the gallopers, craft and trade stalls, and live animal displays.

On the practical side, gates open at 9:00 am every day. An adult day ticket is £20, under-12s go free, and there is a £5 adult entry fee after 5 pm, so the evening is cheaper if you only want to drop in late. Early-bird tickets are available, and you can book through steamandvintagefest.ticketsrv.co.uk or the official steamandvintagefest.co.uk site, or ring the team on 07702 804 604 if you would rather sort it over the phone.

The evenings are a bit different from the days, with live music, tribute bands and licensed bars, and there is a wide spread of food vendors, sweet stalls and ice-cream vans to keep you fed. Dogs are welcome as long as they stay on a lead, so nobody has to leave the family pet at home. It is a full day out, really, and the mix of working machinery, livestock and fairground rides means there is something to catch everyone's eye, whether you are there for the steam engines or just a bit of nostalgia.