The Countryside Alliance will continue to be a key sponsor of the Festival of Hounds, which returns to the East of England Showground in Peterborough on Wednesday 16 July 2025.
An audience of thousands is expected to gather for this highlight of the summer hunting calendar, which will feature the 137th Peterborough Royal Foxhound Show. The finest foxhounds from across the country will be expertly shown, with each pack hoping to claim the prestigious championship doghound or bitch hound titles. Hunts will be vying to follow in the footsteps of the VWH which claimed the doghound championship last year with Soldier, while Bicester with Whaddon Chase Grandma took the bitch hound title.
In addition to the modern and Old English foxhound classes, championships will also be contested by beagles, harriers, and basset hounds, making this one of the largest shows of working scent hounds anywhere in the world. Details of the judges can be found below.
Teams will line up to compete for the title of inter-hunt team relay champions in both the junior and senior competitions, which are always fiercely contested. With two opposing teams racing against the clock over a mirror image set of fences in a knockout competition, hunts from across the country will be battling for the top prize.
With a wide array of trade stands, displays, refreshments, and a bar, the Festival of Hounds is one of the must-attend events of the summer before autumn hunting begins again.
Advanced tickets, priced at £25 (children under 12 are free if accompanied by an adult), will be available to purchase at Easter.
