The Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary’s Autumn Fete is a fun-filled day out for all the family including four legged members! Our arena will host displays throughout the day, including our grand finale Dog Show.

Outside of the arena you’ll find a wide variety of stalls, Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary Hedgerow Gin tasting, live music in the courtyard and horse and carriage rides. Our café will be open, serving up delicious treats to keep you fuelled throughout the day. Don't forget to visit our shop, offering a range of unique gifts for all ages including our 2025 calendar, and dare we say it…Christmas cards and gifts!

Our adoption hub will also be open, so if you’re thinking about welcoming a new member of the family, come along and chat to our friendly team. Every adoption on the day will get a free Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary Souvenir Guide.

Our Autumn Fete is free to enter! Come and stroll through the sanctuary, meet our herds, and learn about our mission to provide refuge and care for donkeys and other equines in need. All donations and profits on the day will go towards the care of our much-loved animals.

Arena running order

Please note all timings are approximate and may change.

11am Welcome from our chief executive Susan McCall

11.05am to 11.25am Meet our mini Shetlands. Find out more about our gorgeous gang of mini Shetland ponies and discover how we care for them.

11.30am to 12pm TrackaDog demonstration. Discover how this fantastic local voluntary organisation helps find missing pets on the Island.
11.30am to 1.30pm bring your dog along for some tracking training.

12.15pm to 12.30pm Meet our donkeys. Join a member of our yard team as they introduce some of our donkeys and tell you all about our enriching donkey therapy visits.

12.45pm to 1.15pm A display of dancing with the Rainbow Group from Starlight Academy.

1.30pm to 2.00pm Resident sheep display. Find out all about the sheep we have at the sanctuary.

2.00pm to 3.30pm Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary Dog Show
All dogs welcome – there’s a class for everyone to enter, so please do bring your pooch along!

£2.50 entry per class on the day.

Classes:

• Prettiest bitch
• Most handsome dog
• Best puppy (age 1 and under)
• Golden oldie (age 7 and over)
• Waggiest tail
• Dog that looks most like its owner
• Best in Show (wins a donkey adoption)

3.30pm Thank you and goodbye.

Save the date!

We can't wait to welcome you to our Autumn Fete on Sunday, 8 September, for a day filled with fun, laughter, and plenty of donkeys! See you there.