Families in Swadlincote and the surrounding area can spend a full day learning about and walking with animals at the Charnwood Forest Alpacas Family Experience Day on Saturday, 5 September 2026. The event, aimed at local families, is a large outdoor experience featuring hands-on sessions with the animals.
The day at Charnwood Forest Alpacas will run from 11:00 to 19:00 and features guided animal walks and farm tours. Families can take part in fleece-processing demonstrations and Cria (baby alpaca) education sessions alongside guided trekking.
Tickets for the event went on sale on 1 February 2026 and are being sold as timed-entry tickets to manage capacity on the farm’s 110-acre site. The farm is based at Boundary on the Leicestershire–Derbyshire border (DE11 7BA), near Swadlincote. The site includes an on-site café, The Chilli Bean, which handles hospitality for visitors.
According to Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, outdoor events like this support the growth of the local visitor economy by driving day trips and wider spending in the region. This year’s Family Experience Day follows recent planning reviews and infrastructure work to expand the farm’s car park and visitor facilities, which were subject to planning processes with South Derbyshire District Council.
A farm management representative said the goal for the 2026 season is to move beyond just trekking to offer a deeper look at the lifestyle and care of the animals, combining education on animal welfare and conservation with an end-of-summer outdoor experience for families before the autumn term.
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