Dorchester, Thomas Hardy Country

16/09/2026

We just wanted to thank everyone involved again for making our Supersleuth 2026 competition the most popular yet! We gave out more mission reports than ever before, we got more returned mission reports than ever before and, by a country mile, we have had the most phenomenal number of lovely emails and comments from parents, grandparents, kids and shops saying how much everyone enjoyed doing it and how many have discovered new shops and businesses in town they didn't know existed!

This is one of the reasons we run this annual competition as being 'creatures of habit' we do tend to come to town and go to the same places, discovering just how many shops/businesses there are in Dorchester (over 420!) is a bit of a revelation to many visitors!

We are working through all the entries and once we have done that, we will be contacting the winners in both age categories before sending out all the runners-up prizes - Very exciting! Please give us a week or two and all will be revealed.

I would like to once again thank all the shops for their efforts in making everyone in the Supersleuth family for making the children feel welcome and appreciated, taking the time to have some fun with them too - All massively helping their social skill development.

13/09/2026

🎶 Summer Sessions comes to a close this Sunday!

Pop on down to The Borough Gardens, Dorchester, Dorset for one last afternoon of free live music at the Bandstand, as the ever-popular Tony Lowe performs a selection of much-loved classics. 🎤☀️

Expect a bit of Bublé, a dash of Neil Diamond and plenty of favourites from the golden years!

📅 Sunday 13th September
⏰ 2pm–4pm
📍 Borough Gardens, Dorchester
🎟️ FREE – no booking required

Bring a chair or a picnic blanket and enjoy a relaxed Sunday afternoon in the Gardens! 🌳🎵

12/09/2026

🎤 Live music at Vinyl Van this Saturday!

Dorchester’s own Isaiah Dreads is bringing Seaside Rap 2 to Vinyl Van for its first ever live performance! 🙌

Expect JORB on the decks, special guest performances and the chance to pick up a physical copy of the new mixtape.

📅 Saturday 12th September
⏰ 7pm–10pm
📍 Vinyl Van in Brewery Square
🎟️ £10 | All ages welcome

A great night of homegrown music right here in Dorchester! 🎶

11/09/2026

🎉 Weldmar’s Summer Fete is back tomorrow!

Head down to Weldmar Hospice in Herringston Road, Dorchester for a brilliant family day out, with live music, dancing, food, games, crafts, animal encounters and plenty more! ☀️🎶

⭐ Special guest Martin Clunes will also be joining the fun!

📅 Saturday 12th September
⏰ 11am–4pm
🎟️ £3 entry | Under 16s FREE
🚌 FREE Park & Ride from Dorchester South

Pop along, have some fun and support a fantastic local cause. 💚

11/09/2026

Here is a link to lots of useful info for Sunday https://discoverdorchester.co.uk/whats-on/heritage-open-day

**UPDATED: 10 September.**

A number of free Heritage Open Days walks and tours for this Sunday have already sold out, but there are still tickets available across a number of talks and tours, taking in everything from Dorchester during World War II, to the Tudor origins of Colliton House.

These guided walks and tours offer fantastic opportunities to see Dorchester through fresh eyes and celebrate the extraordinary stories hidden right on your doorstep.

Details and free tickets for the guided walks and tours listed can be found at the Dorchester Heritage Committee Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/70198804803

10/09/2026

Congratulations to all those busy Supersleuthers who, over the summer, collectively managed to break our record of previous number of submitted mission reports with a whopping 212 entries beating our previous record of 156!

Here are another two dedicated Supersleuthers Jack and Robyn proudly presenting their work before entries closed on Monday.

Just to remind you, we now have a lot of processing to do but the overall winners will be announced before the end of September and all those missing out will still get a rather nice runners-up prize too.

We hope you have enjoyed it this summer and welcome any of your comments, stories and photos in comments below. A big thank you too, to all the businesses in town that participated and helped make it such a fun activity. Your comments are also welcomed below.

08/09/2026

This Saturday (AGAIN) Live Vinyl Reggae from 2 - 4pm with limited menu available from the kitchen. Then from 5pm we have our Goat Curry Special running alongside our full menu. Please state that you want Goat Curry when booking as there is a limited amount.

05/09/2026

In case youve not managed to get to see her, you still have 45 mins to pop down.

05/09/2026

The fabulous Talia today in Dorchester

02/09/2026

This Saturday (11am til 2.30pm with a break between sets 12.30-1pm) the last of our live music performances in South Street outside The Pickle Jar Dorchester opposite Cafe Nero.

We are delighted to welcome back Talia to sing for you and brighten up your visit yo town. Here is a track she sang last year as a little taster!