Pokémon joins Calke Abbey's Summer of Play
Planning your summer holidays? Unleash your energy with the National Trust's Summer of Play supported by Pokémon.
- Booking not needed
- Free event (admission applies)
Calling Pokémon fans new and old! This Summer of Play, Pokémon are jumping into the great outdoors near you. Are you ready to share the magic with a new generation?
From Saturday 18 July - Sunday 6 September, on top of an already jam-packed Summer of Play, discover all-new Pokémon zones. Get stuck into the Pokémon Trading Card Game, flex your skills and collect Mega Evolution stickers!
Discover Pokémon zones in participating locations. Don’t forget your imagination...
Alongside the Pokémon zone, the Garden of Imagination returns as our Summer of Play hub in the gardens. Fun for all the family, including dogs on short leads, you can stay and play all day with places to find shelter and shade whatever the weather.
Come back and enjoy the fun all summer long with Calke Crafternoons every Tuesday and Thursday (pre-booking required) or pop along to enjoy a drop-in storytelling session in the shade.
Expect the return of some of your favourite activities like Little Calke Village, suitable for imaginative little ones as well as dressing up and musical instruments. For slightly older explorers, head to the Fun and Games zone for football, disc golf and soft archery, or challenge the whole family to a sports day race. After all that playing, you can find the Zen Zone hidden away to chill out with a book or a spot of cloud gazing.
Raining outside? Take your Summer of Play indoors with activities inside the house, from jigsaws to dressing up.
Times
Prices
Event ticket prices
This event is free, but normal admission charges apply for the venue.
Check admission pricesThe basics
- Suitability
Suitable for all ages.
- Meeting point
Head to the Walled Kitchen Garden for the Summer of Play hub, but make sure to stop off at the stableyards and the house on the way for extra activities.
- What to bring and wear
Dress appropriately for the weather, and don't forget sunscreen, water and sunhats.
- Accessibility
Toilets, including accessible and baby changing are available in the stableyards and gardens. It is level access from the car park to the main play hub in the gardens with varying terrain of compacted earth, gravel, tarmac, flagstones and mown grass. It is a 5 -10-minute walk (approx.) from the car park to the gardens. There is a visitor shuttle buggy available on request from the Ticket Office.
- Other
if you’ve forgotten your sun hat or need to borrow an umbrella, head to the shed where we have a borrow box. Dogs are welcome on short leads.
Upcoming events
On Screen at Calke Abbey
Follow in the footsteps of Tommy Shelby and uncover how 'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man' was brought to life at Calke Abbey.
Local Treasure, Global Connections: Museum Room Display
Discover this year's Museum Room display and take a closer look at Calke’s State Bed hangings. Still in near- perfect condition, these Chinese silk hangings are a treasure of the National Trust.
Capturing Childhood in the Nurseries at Calke
Explore the nurseries and meet the Harpur Crewe family through a series of large scale photographs, supported by CEWE. Dress up, play and read as the children would have done.
Curly Magpie Summer Market
Join us for the Summer Market hosted by our friends at Curly Magpie.