2026 Doney Derby

Name: 2026 Doney Derby
Start: 2026-07-12T12:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-07-12T16:30:00+01:00
Location: Theydon Green, Epping, CM16 7, United Kingdom

Schedule

Sun Jul 12 2026 at 12:00 pm to 04:30 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Theydon Green, Epping, CM16 7, United Kingdom | Epping, EN

The hugely popular Theydon Bois Donkey Derby this summer is on Sunday July 12th.
New features this year include Viking and Anglo-Saxon reenactments and a shire horse display. Recent additions, like our craft stall area and local musicians next to the tea tent, will also be back.
But don’t worry, that’s on top of all the classics like the ferris wheel, chair-o-planes, zorbs, climbing wall, bouncy castles, swing boats, funfair roundabouts and bungee trampolines. And there will be plenty more traditional stalls such as coconut shy, smash-a-croc, bric-a-brac, horseshoe throwing, welly-wanging, darts, fastest tennis serve and Beat The Buzzer, to name but a few.
Sponsors, Butler and Stag, will also have their ever-popular Penalty Shootout stall where you can try and beat the goalie – none other than their CEO, Neil Leahy.
Refreshments include a BBQ run by the scouts, a tea tent famous for its homemade cakes, curries from the Balti House, and candy floss.
This will be the 38th year of the Donkey Derby after the original Victorian event was re-invented and restarted by the scouts in 1987 – led by local scout leader Peter Simmance, whose son Phil will be familiar to many as the long-running compere on the day.
The fun starts at 12 and the event ends at 4.30pm.
Organiser, Nik O'Flynn, said: "We’re looking forward to this year’s Donkey Derby and hope everyone has a fantastic day. There is something for everyone, even if you want to just sit and watch the fun with a picnic. We run the event to raise money for the Theydon Bois Scouts and Girl Guides, but lots of other scout groups, local charities and organisations take part in what is one of the highlights of the year for the local community. We are asking visitors to please leave their own vehicles at home on the day and to use the Tube to get to Theydon Bois if possible as parking is becoming an issue.”