The Festival of Hunting - celebrating the cruel barbaric world of hunting with hounds
By Emily Lawrence, Campaigns Manager
Posted 17th July 2025
What is the Festival of Hunting?
The Festival of Hunting is an annual event held in Peterborough where the hunting community come together to showcase their hounds and to celebrate all things hunting with dogs.
In 2024 the hunting community tried to sanitise this yearly show by renaming it the Festival of Hounds. A lame PR exercise to try and attempt to make it acceptable, but you can’t rebrand cruelty.
Due to development at the showground in 2023 the festival announced it would be moving to the Milton Estate, home of the Fitzwilliam Hunt. But when it eventually does, the festival will be moving to the home of one of the most recently convicted hunts.
Who is the Fitzwilliam Hunt?
The Fitzwilliam hunt has a long history with the Festival of Hunting. It is the local hunt and its home on the Milton estate is very close to the showground.
Last year it was awarded a reserve prize in the class of best coupled hounds at the festival.
But, this hunt has been surrounded by controversy.
In July 2025, James Whalley, Fitzwilliam whipper-in, pleaded guilty to hunting a wild mammal with dogs. Another member of the hunt pleaded not guilty, and his case will be heard in November. Evidence in this case was gathered by Beds and Bucks Hunt sabs, which has been following this hunt for many years.
This is the third time in seven years staff from the hunt have been convicted of hunting a wild mammal with dogs.
In 2018 George Adams was convicted under the Hunting Act. He tried to use the bird of prey exemption where hounds “flush out the fox” which then is killed by a bird of prey - but no one in the court that day was fooled.
In 2023 Peterborough hunt sabs captured footage showing the Fitzwilliam digging out a fox to be hunted and, as a result, Shaun Parrish was charged and admitted illegal hunting.
In 2020 the hunt also had to apologise when 20 to 30 hounds ran through a crematorium, disturbing a funeral taking place and leaving mourners distraught. This was during pandemic restrictions that others had to abide to.
In a separate incident, the hunt’s hounds ran amok on a busy road, posing a danger to drivers and resulting in a hound sadly being killed.
These convictions, trespass and chaos reiterate what we have said all along that the hunts will use any loophole in the law to continue illegal hunting.
What were the League doing in Peterborough?
The government said in their manifesto that it will ban trail hunting and has announced a consultation on the issue will be happening soon.
Good news, but we more than a ban on trail hunting. The League is campaigning for a stronger Hunting Act, for the removal of exemptions which allow hunts to get away with killing foxes, hares, otters, mink and stags, and for the government to consult on properly strengthening the law.
When the government consultation comes out everyone can take part. It’s our chance to speak up and demand change and you can be part of that.
On the day of the Festival of Hounds we were in Peterborough, asking the public to sign up and pledge to take part in the consultation. We had someone dressed as a hunter carrying a fake bloodied fox in a bag which shocked and appalled people. But this is the reality - if the Hunting Act is not strengthened, the killing will continue.
The opposition will be mobilising their supporters so we must be ready to speak out for wildlife.
