Calling all kids! Dennis and his pals from Beanotown need your help this summer, at not one, but two British Historic Palaces!
Comic chaos is set to crash-land at Hampton Court Palace as Historic Royal Palaces welcomes the friends from Beanotown for a ‘blam-tastic’ summer. Running from 25th July – 23rd August 2026, “Beano Havoc at Hampton Court Palace” invites visitors of all ages on a time-twisting trail through Henry VIII’s former Palace.
When Dennis, Minnie, Harsha, Rubi and Gnasher are late for their Bash Street School trip, Dennis hatches a plan to save the day by turning his go-kart into a time machine with Rubi’s flux capacitor. But things take a turn; the machine malfunctions, hurtles through time and space, and plummets into Hampton Court Palace – and Henry VIII is not amused. It’s utter chaos!
With the timeline in a right royal muddle, Beano fans are to be tasked with fixing the busted time machine on a journey through the Palace. Armed with a bespoke comic strip story, visitors must track down the scattered pieces to repair the tangled timeline.
Along the way, expect palace pandemonium by encountering costumed characters dressed in signature Beano stripes and colours – from Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Sophia Duleep Singh, and more.
Once the mission is complete, continue the adventure and explore 60-acres of historic gardens, get lost in the world famous maze, or run wild in the kids-only Magic Garden playground. Families can also treat themselves to Beano-inspired lunch and cakes from the onsite cafes and pick up cheeky merchandise from the shop.
Live performances will run throughout the day, providing photo opportunities for Beano enthusiasts ‘court up’ in the commotion.
With mischief unfolding at every turn, “Beano Havoc at Hampton Court Palace” unleashes a time-bending adventure where history meets comic- chaos.
Continue the adventure: n100 acres of time travel trouble at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens
The adventure continues in Northern Ireland with “Beano Hijinks at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens” from 27th June to 31st August 2026. Get ready for more jokes, japes and joyful chaos!
Once again, the bonkers go-kart time machine has gone haywire and scattered its pieces over Hillsborough Castle’s 100-acre gardens. Unless they find them, the Beano crew could be stuck in history forever! Gulp!
This summer, it’s up to you to help. Armed with a special Hillsborough Castle Beano comic strip story, you’ll track down six missing parts of the time machine and stumble across larger-than-life characters from Hillsborough’s history – from daring pranksters to music makers and world-famous inventors. Solve the clues and find the time machine in time for a blamtastic photo finish!
With kids going free this summer and discounted entry to Hillsborough Castle, there’s never been a better time to enjoy this Beano-inspired family adventure.
After you’ve helped Dennis and pals, why stop there? Upgrade your ticket and sneak (ok, not really sneak…) inside Hillsborough Castle. Explore the fancy rooms where kings, queens and VIPs once hung out.
Then dash back outside to tackle the Imaginary Menagerie play trail. Climb, scramble and run wild to burn off all that energy… and the delicious Beano-inspired treats and tasty lunches from the café, or, again, grabbing some Beano-inspired fun from the shop.
Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that loves and looks after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. The palaces are the setting for the stories that shape us all, and their dedicated teams are bringing them to people in ways that mean more to them.
• Check out plenty of BEANO-inspired antics at beano.com
Beano Havoc at Hampton Court Palace
25 July – 23 August 2026
• Find out more about BEANO mischief at Hampton Court Palace here!
Included in general admission; Adult £29 / Child (5-15) £14.50 / Young Person (16-17) £14.50 / Student £23.50 / Senior £23.50 / Disabled Person £23.50
• Official Hampton Court Palace Guidebook
Descriptive, informative, authoritative – this superb guidebook is the best way to learn all there is about Hampton Court Palace
Beano Hijinks at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens
27 June – 31 August 2026
Included in general admission. Find out more about BEANO mischief at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens here!
• Official Hillsborough Castle & Gardens Guidebook
Descriptive, informative, authoritative – this superb guidebook is the best way to learn all there is about Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.
• For more information on events in Historic Royal Palaces around the UK, visit hrp.org.uk
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Other Worlds
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