Open-air theatre returns to Grosvenor Park this summer with Storyhouse in the Park running in Chester from 3 July to 6 September 2026.
The season is staged at Grosvenor Park, Chester, CH1 1QQ, with ticket prices listed at £20.25 to £58. The source does not list a single daily start time for the full festival, so visitors should check the specific production before booking.
The programme is aimed at theatre audiences, families and younger children, with Peter Pan specifically recommended for ages 2 to 10. Booking is listed as available through Storyhouse.
Four productions fill the Grosvenor Park season
The 2026 programme brings together new writing, family theatre and a Restoration comedy across the open-air season.
Outlaws: A Robin Hood Story opens the run from Friday 3 July to Sunday 23 August. The production retells the Robin Hood story in medieval Nottingham, with Robin, Little John and Marian taking on King John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. The source describes sword fights, forbidden romance and a folk soundtrack as part of the staging.
Let The Sun Shine follows from Friday 10 July to Sunday 23 August. Set in summer 1969, it centres on Harry, a young man in a village where tradition still carries weight, as the arrival of the Sunshine Festival brings music and a different sense of possibility. The production is written by Helen Redcliffe and directed by Rob Green and Lucy Thatcher.
Peter Pan runs from Tuesday 28 July to Saturday 15 August as a walkabout theatre experience created for under-10s. Children step into Neverland, meet Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy and Captain Hook, and end the adventure inside the open-air theatre. Storyhouse recommends it for ages 2 to 10.
Nell Gwynn closes the season from Friday 21 August to Sunday 6 September. Jessica Swale’s play follows Nell from Drury Lane to the court of Charles II, with the source presenting it as a comedy about performance, ambition and women refusing to behave. The production is directed by Bryony Shanahan and made by Storyhouse, Shakespeare North Playhouse and Theatre by the Lake.
Dates, prices and booking at a glance
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Event | Storyhouse in the Park |
| Venue | Grosvenor Park, Chester, CH1 1QQ |
| Festival dates | 3 July to 6 September 2026 |
| Ticket range | £20.25 to £58 |
| Members’ prices | £20.25 to £52.50 |
| Non-members’ prices | £22.50 to £58, with each ticket subject to a £1.50 booking fee |
| Family note | Peter Pan is recommended for ages 2 to 10 |
| Booking status | Book Now listed by the source |
The lowest-price tickets are identified by the source as selling quickly, which matters for families trying to keep the cost of a summer theatre visit down.
A Chester park becomes the stage
Grosvenor Park is the setting for the full run, giving the season a different feel from a conventional indoor theatre visit. The source describes the venue as Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, with the productions staged across the summer weeks rather than as a single-day festival.
For readers comparing cultural breaks elsewhere in the UK, demoduck.co.uk also has a planning guide to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, another ticketed 2026 event built around a city setting.
Check the production before choosing a date
The festival headline dates run from 3 July to 6 September, but each show has its own shorter run. Outlaws: A Robin Hood Story and Let The Sun Shine overlap through much of July and August, while Peter Pan sits in the school-holiday period and Nell Gwynn carries the programme into early September.
The source lists the Storyhouse contact email as info@storyhouse.com and telephone number as 01244 409113. It also lists booking as available, with prices split between Storyhouse members and non-members.
Source: Visit Cheshire Chester Events
Source check Source trail
This preview is based on the Visit Cheshire event listing and keeps to the published dates, venue, prices and production details.
- Confirmed the festival dates as 3 July to 6 September 2026.
- Checked the venue address as Grosvenor Park, Chester, CH1 1QQ.
- Matched the listed productions with their individual date ranges.
- Kept missing details, including daily start times and access notes, out of the article.
- Source
- Visit Cheshire
- Scope
- Chester
- Updated
- 2026-06-11 14:47
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