Knebworth House closed its 2026 season on 27 September. What still opens before spring: the half term gardens week, the 1 November run and the Christmas Fair.
Knebworth House, the district’s stately home, closed its 2026 season on Sunday 27 September and does not reopen for ordinary day visits until spring. Between now and then it opens three times: the gardens and park for the half term week in October, the park for a half marathon on 1 November, and the barns and marquees for the Christmas Fair at the end of November. Nothing on the estate opens between the fair and the new season.
This page lists each opening with its dates, hours and prices from Knebworth’s own site, and what the 2027 season is likely to look like based on how 2026 was announced.
The quick answer
The house is shut for the winter. The Gardens, Park and Dinosaur Trail open daily from Saturday 24 to Friday 30 October, 10.30am to 4pm, at £15.50 online for anyone aged 3 and over. The Hertfordshire Half Marathon and 10K runs from the house on Sunday 1 November. The Knebworth Christmas Fair is Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November, tickets from £8. The 2027 season has not been announced; the 2026 one was announced on 29 January and opened on 21 March.
The 2026 season, and how it ended
Knebworth announced its 2026 season on 29 January: the house, gardens, park, adventure playground and dinosaur trail open at weekends, bank holidays and school holidays from Saturday 21 March to Sunday 27 September 2026 (Knebworth House, 29 January 2026). The final stretch was weekends only from 12 to 27 September (Knebworth House, opening times and prices).
October: the gardens open for half term
From Saturday 24 to Friday 30 October 2026 the Gardens, Park and Dinosaur Trail open every day from 10.30am to 4pm, with last admission at 3.30pm. The house is not open and the adventure playground is closed for October and November (Knebworth House, Autumn).
The week is built around an Autumn Trail for children aged 2 to 8, with five challenges around the Formal Gardens, a trail sheet and pencil, a small chocolate prize (dairy-free available) and two craft activities in Lodge Barn, for £2 a person on top of admission. Season ticket holders get both free. The garden paths are grass, woodland and gravel and can be uneven; Lodge Barn has step-free access.
The Garden Terrace Tea Room and the shop are open during the week. The dates match Hertfordshire’s half term of 26 to 30 October and the two days before it; our October half term page has the rest of what is on locally that week.
November: the half marathon, then the fair
Sunday 1 November. The Hertfordshire Half Marathon and 10K, in support of Garden House Hospice, starts and finishes at Knebworth House between 9am and 12pm, on closed roads through Knebworth Park and the surrounding countryside (Knebworth House, Half Marathon and 10K). Registration is through the event’s own page. It is not a visitor opening, so the gardens are shut to the public that day.
Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November. The Knebworth Christmas Fair fills the Barns and the undercover shopping marquees for its three days, with the show closing at 4pm each day (Knebworth House, what’s on). Ticket prices booked online are £10.50 for adults, £10 for over 60s, £5 for children aged 5 to 15 and free for under 5s on a standard timed-arrival ticket (arrival slots at 10am, 11am and 12pm), or £8 for any adult or concession from 1.30pm. Premium any-day tickets are £13.50 and Premium Plus three-day tickets £16.50, both with early access from 9.30am. A £1.65 booking fee applies per order, gate tickets are subject to availability, and carers enter free (Knebworth Christmas Fair, info and tickets). The fair is on our Christmas market page alongside the town centre’s own market.
December to March: closed
Knebworth’s what’s on page lists nothing on the estate after the Christmas Fair. There is no winter light trail, no Santa’s grotto and no Christmas opening of the house for day visitors. The estate’s private events business runs separately and is not a public opening.
Prices for the next season
Knebworth has not published 2027 prices. The 2026 prices, which stand until it does, were (Knebworth House, opening times and prices):
| Ticket | Online | Gate |
|---|---|---|
| Gardens and Park, age 3 and over | £15.50 | £16.50 |
| House, Gardens and Park, adult 17 to 64 | £22.50 | £23.50 |
| House, Gardens and Park, senior 65 and over | £21.50 | £23.00 |
| House, Gardens and Park, child 3 to 16 | £21.50 | £23.00 |
| Family of four, Gardens and Park | £58.00 | £62.00 |
| Family of four, House, Gardens and Park | £86.00 | £90.00 |
| Season ticket, age 3 and over | £55.00 | Online only |
A season ticket at £55 pays for itself on the fourth Gardens and Park visit, and it covers the October week and the autumn trail.
Getting there
The visitor entrance postcode is SG1 2AX; the house is on 01438 812661 and info@knebworthhouse.com. Knebworth station is on the same line as Stevenage, one stop south, and our train times page covers the service. Check the A1(M) before setting out on our roadworks and travel page, where the 40mph restriction through Stevenage is logged.
Still to be confirmed, and when
- The 2027 season dates and prices. The 2026 announcement came on 29 January 2026, so expect the 2027 one in late January.
- The 2027 events list, which last year named the Hertfordshire Garden Show, jousting on Father’s Day, the Classic Motor Show on the August bank holiday and the All About Dogs Show in September.
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