The Big weekend is an activity camp organised by Nottinghamshire Scouts. Scouts of all ages are welcome to attend the weekend.

The Event will commence on Friday 3 May 2024 and finish on Monday 6 May 2024.

For the first time ever, The Big Weekend is taking place at Newark Racecourse! We're really excited by this change of venue, and it has unlocked more space and new activities!

All participants will be issued with a coloured wristband at the event, this will be their entry onto site. We will be operating a no wristband no entry policy on site. This will ensure compliance with The Scouts Safeguarding policies. We will have stewards on key access points at Newark Showground to reassure

No, there is no indoor accommodation available on site.

Yes, you can. You will need to follow the camp rules when leaving and arriving at site, ensuring you are checked-out and checked-in again on your return to site. We will confirm this process closer to the time on a case-by-case basis.

There is limited vehicle access to site and all vehicles will need to have been moved from the camping fields to a parking area by 15:00 on Friday. Any vehicle remaining on site overnight will need to display the group name and an emergency contact number in the windscreen while in the car parks. Official permits will be shared in advance, and leaders will be asked to submit details of their vehicles through the Event Management System.

There will be a lost property on site over the weekend, any items left will be dealt with in line with the Event Manual which will be available closer to the event.

There will be waste and recycling hubs local to the camping areas. We are aiming to be as sustainable as we can throughout the event, and we politely ask that you take all of your camping equipment (including broken stuff) home with you.

Bookings will open on Friday 5th May 2023, one year out from the event. We urge that you book and secure your places as soon as possible as numbers for this event are limited.

We will be using an online booking system that will simplify all bookings and ensure that the booking process is nice and easy.

Day visits for Squirrels and Beavers will be welcomed on the Saturday and Sunday. We will await booking numbers before confirming which day your group day visit will happen.

The cost of the event includes camp fees, activities and a camp badge per person. Groups will need to factor in costs for food and transport before advertising this cost to your members.

Unfortunately, the Cost-of-Living crisis has impacted on a lot of the activities and infrastructure we need to deliver this event. We are trying to squeeze every penny of our budget to ensure the camp is enriching, but also value for money.

A lot of infrastructure is required to run this event. Your leader fees contributes towards the camping facilities at Newark Showground, as well as some evening entertainment for adult leaders and of course, your camp badge!

Staff will receive centrally catered food throughout the event, a t-shirt, and camp badge.

You will be contacted directly with your options. We urge you to check your emails (including your Spam folder) before contacting our bookings team with any further queries. The email will be sent to the registered group leader.

You will be contacted directly with your options. We urge you to check your emails (including your Spam folder) before contacting our bookings team with any further queries. The email will be sent to the email address you registered with.

In short, you don’t. The booking system will also be an online portal for your parents and adult member to log on and update their details themselves. This will send out reminders to them to complete the required permissions and health information. The forms for the event will capture all necessary details and will include medical information and activity permissions where appropriate.

Yes, there will be items of branded clothing, badges, and other accessories available to purchase. Merchandise will be available to purchase through our online store from December 2023, with people able to collect their pre-ordered clothing at the event.

Yes, they are. We also have an option for Beavers who are more comfortable with just attending one day of camp too, but please note, this does not include an overnight stay.

The planning and scoping of the event had happened before the POR update that allows squirrels to camp had occurred. We are happy for our Squirrels to join us for a day during the event.

Please note this option is only for registered Young Leaders. Each 50/50 young leader will be able to partake in one full day of activity, as well as working another day, this could be running an activity base, or helping our site services team with tasks on site, or helping in the tuck shop. 50/50 Young Leaders will receive a t-shirt to be worn on the day they are working as well as a badge.

Arrival slots will be allocated to groups prior to the event. We ask that you only arrive within these times.

POR means each DC is expecting to receive a Nights Away Notification from their respective groups, which will include details of the Nights Away permit holder. If a Group doesn’t have one, it just means they need to talk to their DC about arranging someone who does hold a permit to oversee/supervise your Group. This might be able to contribute to your Nights Away Permit assessment - please talk to your district Nights Away Advisor for more information/further guidance. Should your options be exhausted please contact TBW organising team through the help page.

Yes! You will be able to pre-pitch on the Thursday evening before the camp starts on the Friday. More information and logistics of this will be available closer to the event.

If you have a genuine medical need then we can make a hook-up available. You will need to raise a ticket to inform TBW Organising team of your need. Please note, that power is not easily accessible across Newark Showground and this might mean you aren’t in the general camping area though.

No, generators ore not allowed, they spoil the peace and pose electrical, fire and poisonous fume risks. Gas or battery lights and cool boxes are great for a weekend camp!

Yes, supermarket deliveries will be welcome on site. Please note all deliveries will be dropped at the car park, and you will need to move this to your campsite.

The camping allocations will take place closer to the event, and groups will be camped in Sub Camps. Please note, that if for practical reasons, i.e. permit or cooking, you will be able to inform us of your request to camp next to a specific group.

We can only make fridge and freezer space available for medical needs. We do hope to have a freezer for re-freezing ice packs, we will confirm this closer to the time in the Event Manual.

If you need a caravan or camper for medical reasons then you can stay in the staff area. We are unable to have vehicles located on sub camps. Please note the caravan and campervan area is not located directly next to the sub camps if you are the permit holder, you will need to consider this.

Sadly not – Newark Showground do not allow fires on site. Only programme bases with express permission of The BIG Weekend organising team may use fires on site.

No, the toilets won’t be far, but if you want to then you can, we’ll even empty it for you as long as it has your name on it, a lid and is left by the waste collection area in your sub camp by 9am each morning.

There will be waste and recycling hubs local to the camping areas. Our team will collect it from there and take to the bins. We are aiming to be as sustainable as we can throughout the event, and we politely ask that you take all of your camping equipment (including broken stuff) home with you.

There will be drinking water taps around the camping area, these will be no further than on a normal Scout campsite but you might want to bring a trolley. Please try and avoid peak hours to fill up and only fill water containers.

There will be single cubicle showers for everyone in the main camp centre and additional ones for adults only in event control, you should bring suitable equipment with you for hand washing and tooth brushing. Please make sure nobody from your group washes or brushes teeth at the taps.

We are still working hard to confirm our line up of activities and entertainment for The BIG Weekend. We will communicate the activities available via our social media and website in advance of the camp, plus each participant will get a map to help them navigate the site.

Please note this option is only for registered Young Leaders. Each 50/50 young leader will be able to partake in one full day of activity, as well as working another day, this could be running an activity base, or helping our site services team with tasks on site, or helping in the tuck shop. 50/50 Young Leaders will receive a t-shirt to be worn on the day they are working as well as a badge.

Please let us know when booking if you have any requirements and we will make sure you are close to suitable facilities. If you have any specific requests or needs, please raise a ticket and The BIG Weekend organising team will assist you as promptly as possible.

The camping areas are grass so if you let us know at booking we can make sure you are somewhere suitable, we will also have some buggies to help people who need it get around.

All facilities on site will be single door entry so will not be marked for a specific gender. Where facilities are marked for a specific gender (existing facilities within Newark Showground) we will ensure that accessible toilets are marked as gender neutral facilities.

The planning and scoping of the event had happened before the POR update that allows squirrels to camp had occurred. We are happy for our Squirrels to join us for a day during the event.