Looking for something to do in Rugby this summer? Here’s a roundup of events from July to the end of August that you can get involved with over the summer holiday.
No matter your age, background or interests, we’re sure you’ll find something you can get stuck in with this summer!
For families and children
Great & Small: Crafted Creatures
June 21 – September 6 from 10am to 5pm Tuesdays and 4pm Saturdays and Bank Holidays
Location: Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ
Cost: Free!
An exhibition for children and families selected from the Crafts Council collections.
Animals have been represented in craft for as long as humans have been making, shaping, and creating decorative objects. Great & Small encourages children and families to explore our old-age fascination with all creators great and small through over 30 objects selected from the Crafts Council Collection.
Featuring works in clay, wood, metal, glass and textiles, the exhibition engages young minds with contemporary craft by introducing them to the many ways in which the natural world has inspired makers and the materials and techniques they have used to depict it.
Great & Small is a Crafts Council Touring Exhibition developed in partnership with Broadway Gallery and curated by Laura Dennis.
Holiday Fun at Rugby Art Gallery & Museum
July 19 – August 30 from 10am to 5pm Tuesdays and 4pm Saturdays and Bank Holidays
Location: Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ
Cost: Free!
We've got a jam-packed summer programme for your own creative creatures. Drop-in and bookable activities available!
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Bug Hunt (July 19 – August 19, FREE): Can you find all the bugs around the building? Complete the hunt and be in with the chance to win a prize!
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Bear cub den building (July 30 from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm, £2 per child): In this imaginative and playful session, your little bear cubs can unleash their creativity and build their very own cozy dens!
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Summer Science Club with STEM goes Wild! (July 29 – August 1, £150 per child for 4 days): Put on your lab coat and get stuck into the Chemical Reactions & Slime Lab, become a detective with CSI: Rugby, create your own DIY Electronic Games, and explore Natural Disasters with pocket monsters!
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Baby Hour (August 4, FREE): Time to enjoy our exhibitions for mums, dads, guardian and their children under 2. Come and experience our current exhibition free of worry about tears or tantrums, a safe space for your and your baby to relax and enjoy being surrounded by others who wish to do the same. There will also be sensory light play for the babies. The spaces will be baby-friendly with sound lowered where possible. Older children may also attend but only alongside an under 2 and their caregiver.
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Wire Animal Figurines (August 5 from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm, £3 per child): Unleash your creativity and craft your very own animal figurine by skilfully bending wire and shaping sculpture materials. Use your imagination and skills to craft a 3D animal to take home.
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Play Day at the Whitehall Rec (August 6 from 11am to 3pm, FREE): National Play Day 2025 theme: ‘SPACES FOR PLAY’. Creating more accessibility for all children to freely express themselves through play and activity. Join our play team as we kickstart our summer of Absolute PLAYHEM! in Rugby spaces.
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Outdoor Bubble Play (August 7 from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm, £2 per child): Join us in the sunshine (hopefully) of the Percival Guildhouse Gardens where we will be playing with all things bubbles! This session is sure to be fun for your little ones no matter the weather.
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Snake Knitting (August 8 from 10am to 11am and from 11.15am to 12.15pm, £3 per child): Join us for a Beginner's Workshop: Create Your Own Snake-Like Creature. In this workshop, no knitting skills are required! Just bring your imagination, and we'll guide you in transforming your yarn into a charming snake-like creature.
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Relaxed Hour (August 11 from 10.30am to 11.30am, FREE but must be booked): This session is primarily for neurodivergent children and adults, and any other visitors with sensory needs who prefer a more relaxed experience, plus their families, friends, and carers.
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Cardboard Construction Dens (August 12 from 10am to 11am and from 11.15am to 12.15pm, £2 per child): Unleash your creativity by building your own dens in this cardboard construction workshop; a fantastic way to spark imagination and have loads of fun!
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Mini Architects Hunt (August 12 – August 30, FREE): Complete the hunt and be in with the chance to win a prize!
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Cyanotype Prints (August 13 from 10am to 11am and from 11.15am to 12.15pm, £3 per child): Discover the magic of sun-powered art and create your own stunning blueprints.
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Meet Waffle the Wonder Dog (August 15 and August 29 from 1.45pm to 3.45pm, FREE but booking essential): Ahead of the new series of Waffle the Wonder Dog on CBeebies, meet Waffle aka Scarlet in this special opportunity! Meet and greet timeslots are available in 5 minute intervals, and include time for that all important photo op!
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Pom Pom Pals (August 19 from 10am to 11am and from 11.15am to 12.15pm, £3 per child): Get the googly eyes ready and have a ball creating your own charming animal-themed pom poms.
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Automata Moving Animals (August 20 from 10am to 11am and 11.15am to 12.15pm, £3 per child): Discover the magic of movement by creating your own mechanical animals with Automata Moving Animals.
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Bug Hotels (August 21 from 10am to 11am and from 11.15am to 12.15pm, £3 per child): Calling all busy bees! Join us to craft your own bug hotel with natural materials.
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Stained Glass Winds (August 22 from 10am to 11am and from 11.15am to 12.15pm, £3 per child): Join us for a fun-filled workshop designed for your little ones, where they can craft their own colourful wearable wings! Leave with a dazzling pair of wings that are perfect for basking in the sunshine!
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Animal Portraits (August 26 from 10am to 11am and from 11.15am to 12.15pm, £3 per child): In this workshop, you'll have the opportunity to boost your drawing confidence by utilising a tracing wax technique to craft stunning animal portraits.
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Animal Moving Head Puppet (August 28 from 10am to 11am and from 11.15am to 12.15pm, £3 per child): Join us for an engaging workshop where you'll have the opportunity to unleash your creativity and craft a quirky, moving-head animal puppet!
Free Rugby Town Centre Guided Tours
Every Saturday until October 11 and every Wednesday until August 27 at various times
Location: Rugby Visitor Centre, Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ
Cost: Free!
Our award-winning Rugby Town Guides take residents and visitors on a journey of discovery through the town centre, revealing fascinating facts. The guides are all experts in the history and heritage of the town and love to share their unique knowledge with residents, as well as visitors from around the world.
The free town tours start at Rugby Visitor Centre and visit the Webb Ellis Football Museum, the Webb Ellis Statue and The Queen’s Gates at Rugby School’s The Close. Other stops include Regent Street, High Street, the Rupert Brooke Statue, Sir Frank Whittle’s Monument and St. Andrew’s Church. The duration is approximately 90 minutes.
Regular tours will begin on Friday 18th April at 11:00 and will then run every Saturday from 19th April to 11th October. During the summer school holidays, tours also run on Wednesdays at 11:00, until 27th August.
Pre-booking is essential (book by 15:00 of the day before).
Picnic in the Park – VJ Day Celebration
August 15 from 11am to 3pm
Location: Caldecott Park, Rugby Town Centre, Evreux Way, Rugby, CV21 2DT
Cost: Free!
Celebrate VJ Day with a fun-filled family day in Caldecott Park on Thursday, August 15th from 11am to 3pm.
Enjoy a scavenger hunt with Rugby Borough Council’s Play Rangers, vintage garden games, and live music at the bandstand.
Pack a picnic, bring the family, and join us for a great day out in the park.
SOI Summer Fest & SOI Summer Fest Kids
August 16 from 12pm to 4pm and then from 6pm
Location: The Benn Hall, Newbold Road, Rugby, CV21 2LN
Cost: £10-25 adults / £8-20 senior / £5 child under 16 (kids event only)
A one-day summer celebration dedicated to showcasing the freshest new talent and up and coming artists across multiple genres!
Split into 2 sessions, SOI Kids Fest will run from 12pm – 4pm before our adult only part of the event begins at 6pm.
Between sets enjoy interactive activities, a silent disco, inflatables, food trucks featuring local flavours, and chill out zones perfect for soaking in the summer vibes.
Leave the outside world behind and dive into the ultimate indoor music experience.
No rain, no rules, just non-stop music and pure energy!
Outdoor Theatre: The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
August 31 from 12pm to 3pm
Location: Caldecott Park, Rugby Town Centre, Evreux Way, Rugby, CV21 2DT
Cost: Free!
We're back again this summer with our new adaptation of the much-loved Beatrix Potter Tale, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.
Prevented from hatching her eggs at the farm, foolish Jemima goes in search of a nesting place in the forest and soon she meets a charming ‘whiskered gentleman’ who offers her the perfect nesting place in his woodshed.
But why is his wood-shed full of feathers and why is he asking her to collect the herbs for roast duck? Kip the farm dog fears the worst…
Michael Whitmore's delightful new adaptation is packed full of songs, action and drama, with a score by Gideon Escott, and is guaranteed to to delight and enthrall all ages.
Please bring something to sit on and come dressed for the weather (unless we're indoors!)
For over 55s
Age UK Men In Sheds
Wednesdays from 10am to 3pm
Location: Claremont Centre, 43 Clifton Road, Rugby, CV21 3QE
Cost: Free!
Men’s Sheds are kitted out community spaces where men can enjoy practical hobbies.
They’re about making friends, learning and sharing skills. Many guys come just for the tea and banter – everyone’s welcome.
For initial enquiries contact us:
Tel: 02476 231999
Email: [email protected]
Age UK Dementia Day Opportunities
Mondays to Thursdays from 9am to 3pm
Location: Claremont Centre, 43 Clifton Road, Rugby, CV21 3QE
Cost: £55 day (inc lunch and refreshments) / Warwickshire County Council Funded Clients up to £10 lunch. £7.50 late cancellation for lunch fee.
Over the last eleven years, Age UK Coventry and Warwickshire have provided Dementia Day Opportunities in venues across Warwickshire. Enjoyable opportunities for local people at welcoming, safe and easily accessible premises across Warwickshire.
We offer a sociable atmosphere where engaging, fun activities are tailored to members; periods of quiet time are built in to meet the needs and preferences of each person.
For arts lovers
Collecting Rugby
April 9 – October 4 from 10am to 5pm Tuesdays and 4pm Saturdays and Bank Holidays
Location: Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ
Cost: Free!
It’s been 25 years since the library, art gallery and museum building opened its doors, and the new museum began collecting objects in earnest. In this display we look back at a quarter of a century of collecting Rugby and the previous attempts for a museum dating back to the opening of the first public library in the 1890s.
This exhibition features:
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Some of the objects collected by library staff over the years before a formal collecting of social history started.
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Drawings for the original archaeology gallery, featuring the collection of Tripontium artefacts, and social history space as they were when the building opened in 2000.
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Objects from the past 25 years under the main collecting themes of working life, community life, domestic life, personal life.
Blueprints: The making of us
June 21 – September 6 from 10am to 5pm Tuesdays and 4pm Saturdays and Bank Holidays
Location: Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ
Cost: Free!
As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Blueprints invites you to explore the foundations of both the building itself and the remarkable collection it houses. This exhibition delves into the literal and metaphorical blueprints that have shaped our cultural landscape.
Featuring works from The Rugby Collection alongside rare artist sketches, this exhibition offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative processes that underpin iconic pieces of 20th Century British art. These "blueprints" reveal the early stages of artistic thought, where imagination meets technical precision.
Blueprints also takes a step back in time to examine the architectural journey of the gallery and museum. Designed to house Rugby’s growing art and museum collections, this purpose-built space stands as a testament to the town's commitment to the arts. Through historical photographs and original blueprints of the building, we trace the story of why and how the gallery came to be - a place built for the people of Rugby to experience art in a new, dedicated environment.
Create & Craft
Every Friday from 11am to 3pm
Location: Rugby Library, Little Elborow Street, Rugby, CV21 3BZ
Cost: Free!
'Create and Craft' is a weekly craft drop-in led by volunteers, covering a range of crafts from card-making to cross stitch.
Equipment and resources are provided for the sessions but feel free to being your own tools and supplies, or even your own project to continue working on in the company of other crafters.
School of Rock – The Musical
August 24 from 12pm and from 4pm
Location: The Benn Hall, Newbold Road, Rugby, CV21 2LN
Cost: £18.50 standard / £16.50 concession
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s award-winning smash hit musical premiered on Broadway in 2015 and has since been seen on stages around the globe!
Based on the hilarious hit movie, this new musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band with roof-raising energy!
