This September, Gilwell Park hosts a Reunion like no other — the 100th edition of the gathering that’s been bringing Scout volunteers together since the earliest days of Gilwell itself.
Gilwell Reunion 2026 runs from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September, and this year carries a bit of extra weight. A century of leaders coming back to the same fields, the same campfires, and the same sense of “right, what’s next” that Reunion has always been built on.
A weekend, not just an event
If you’ve never been, Reunion is hard to sum up in one line — it’s part training weekend, part reunion (unsurprisingly), part celebration. Expect a full programme of workshops and activities to take home to your Section, plenty of old faces to catch up with and new ones to meet, and the kind of atmosphere that only comes from several thousand volunteers descending on Gilwell Park at once.
Four things tend to stand out every year:
A kick start for your programme — workshops, exhibitors and activities to bring back to your Group or District
Reconnecting — Reunion has always been as much about people as programme
Celebrating what’s been achieved over the last twelve months, and looking ahead to what’s next
New skills — whether that’s digital, bushcraft, inclusion or first aid, there’s usually something worth learning
Why the 100th matters
Reunion has run in one form or another for a hundred years, which is no small thing for an event that depends entirely on volunteers turning up and giving their weekend. This year’s programme leans into that milestone — right down to a spit roast on the Saturday night menu with “Reunion 100” on the label. It’s a nice touch, and a fitting one.
Booking and volunteering
Online booking is open now, with weekend and Saturday-only tickets available for adults, Network members and over-65s. As ever, everyone attending needs their own booking — there’s no group registration this time round, so don’t assume your usual Group booking lead has it covered.
If you fancy giving something back rather than just attending, the volunteer portal is open too. Support teams range from Traffic Management and the Kitchen through to Programme, Scout Med, Scout Radio — and Scout Content, working the event just like we always do, capturing the weekend for the people who couldn’t be there.
The workshop booking portal is expected to open in late July, with confirmation to follow by email.
What to expect if you’re new to Reunion
A few things worth knowing before you arrive: it’s an over-18s event, it’s cashless, and there can be a fair walk from the car park to your pitch — pack accordingly, and favour fewer, bigger bags over lots of small trips. The site can look chaotic on arrival, especially during the Friday evening rush, but it’s a well-practised operation — listen to the Traffic Management team and you’ll be pitched and settled before you know it.
Here’s to the next hundred!