Hope on the horizon with snowdrops in evidence and aconites too.
Our Events Programme will be released soon so you can contemplate which ones you will attend and get them booked! We have 15 new ones and a record-breaking 41 events in total – in addition to our regular Chit-Chat and Natural History meet ups.
Our glorious new garden in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II will be officially unveiled on 21 April with The Princess Royal in attendance. This visionary, sustainable garden is a once in a lifetime project that we have had the pleasure to see taking shape. Some of you have even been involved, planting bulbs. The garden will open to the public on 27 April, 2026. It will take a few years to bed in but it is breathtaking even this early on in its development.
Our non -musical events are up and running and filling up fast. This year we are celebrating our 4th Annual Big Lunch in the stunning, private grounds of the Open Air Theatre for the first time. Space is limited so book now if you want to attend.
This is such an exciting time of year with so much be getting on with so please read on and book what interests you and then get out and enjoy our Park as she comes into her glory season.
There are volunteering opportunities helping out on Rambling Rosie, our visitor information van and litter picking when picnics and people can put a strain on the park’s resources. The Music Fesitval needs your help too on weekends from 21 June. Your help is much appreciated and you will meet new people, learn new skills and get a boost as well by knowing that you are making our park a better place for all to enjoy.
Robin Black
Editor – Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill
This year we are very excited to team up with the Open Air Theatre to stage our 4th Annual Big Lunch. This is a gathering of Friends, neighbours, stakeholders and lovers of our park to gather for an afternoon of food, music, celebration and community in a gorgeous setting within the park.
Just book six places for £60 or individual places for £12 each. The more the merrier although we have a maximum number of places – 300 in total so book now to avoid being disappointed.
This year, our theme is Flower Power and it will be all things flowery, bright and beautiful from what you wear to how you decorate your table, your picnic and our music which will be based on Sounds of the Sixties.
Book now!
https://www.frp-ph-members.org/events/the-big-lunch-at-regents-park-28-june-2026
As our first walk was sold out we have arranged to repeat this walk on Thursday 23 July, meeting at 10:45am at the Whitestone Pond.
This duplicate walk may now be booked online where it is called, “A Celebration of John Constable Walk #2”. All the arrangements are exactly the same as for the original walk.
5 places are still available.
To book any event, visit the Events page on our website.
Andrew Scattergood, CEO of The Royal Parks, and Darren Share, Director of Parks, provide a glimpse into the future of The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill particularly the transformation of the derelict store yard into the new Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Garden, which is due to open on the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s 100th birthday at the end of April.
Andrew’s impressive career spans roles at Ofcom, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the Foreign Office and the London Olympics and Paralympics. Darren, who joined The Royal Parks in January 2024 from Birmingham City Council, brings a wealth of experience and fresh insights to his new role. The meeting will be hosted by Mark Elliott, Chairman of The Friends.
Free. No booking is required. Just click on the Zoom link below a few minutes before 6:30pm.
Prof. Kennedy Cruickshank, a committee member and organiser of the Friends’ Natural History Group, has kindly agreed to lead bird walks for the Friends. He stresses that he does not regard himself as an ornithologist but is an enthusiastic amateur who has a good understanding of bird ecology and the wonderful birds that live in and pass through The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill.
The walk is suitable for all, including those new to bird watching. Bring your own binoculars. Please note the early start of this walk which is when the birds are most active.
25 places: FULL – WAITLIST ONLY
MEET: 7:15am outside the Bar & Kitchen Café, Inner Circle, NW1 4NU.
COST: £5 Friends
There are 6,000 trees and 47 different species of trees in The Regent’s Park. These trees play a vital role in supporting communities of birds, mammals, insects, lichen and fungi. Join Matt Steinmann, the Arboricultural Officer of The Royal Parks, who is part of the team that cares for all the Royal Parks’ 170,000 trees, explore our park and learn about Matt’s job as an arboriculturist.
25 places: FULL – WAITLIST ONLY
MEET: 10:45am outside the Park Office at the junction of Chester Road and the Inner Circle, NW1 4NR.
COST: £5 Friends
Hidden in the centre of Hyde Park, the Hyde Park Super Nursery covers several acres and is not open to the public. Each year the Royal Parks provide the nursery with a bedding design which dictate which plants are grown.
At the end of April it is packed with flowers ready to go to central London Royal Parks and other locations, such as Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street.
The nursery manager will take us around and enlighten us with how the plants are grown and managed as well as providing us with the history of the nursery.
25 places – 23 Friends, 2 public.
MEET: 3:45pm in Hyde Park. A map will be provided after booking as to where to meet.
COST: £5 Friends
We expect York Bridge to be open by the end of March. St John’s Lodge Garden should now be open too after a period of closure.
This was principally due to the volume of work going on in the garden over the winter, repairing the steps down to the sunken lawn, relaying the gravel path, and some heavy pruning.
Benugo is thrilled to announce its new Spring menu unveiled on 31 March. Check it out as it contains a wide range of tastes; Shashuka eggs for breakfast, a prawn roll perhaps or fresh salads rammed with a variety of tastes, textures and ingredients as well as your perennial favourites.
And be reminded that your Friends discount of 25% on food and non-alcoholic beverages applies not only to the Benugo cafés in our Park but also in Hyde Park, St. James’s Park, and Greenwich Park.
Diana Newman, Secretary of the Friends from 2008 to 2013, passed away peacefully in Ashford Kent on 31 October 2025, aged 95.
There will be an interment service at St John’s Wood Church on Saturday 25 April,2026 at 11:30 am, followed by refreshments, to which all are welcome. As well as her work with The Friends, Diana volunteered as a guide at Westminster Abbey.
Meet at the Broad Walk Espresso Bar where you will be greeted by the team and taken into the garden at your start time. You will be provided with all the equipment you need and learn about the bulbs you’re planting. Your 30-minute bulb planting session will be followed by a 20-minute guided tour of the new garden. No experience is necessary, just enthusiasm for nature and conservation. This is a ticketed event but it is FREE. Click below to book a place.
Thank you to our sponsors
©2026 Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill
Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 1201666)
