A summer day out at Oaks Park: art, walks and coffee

For walkers, friends of the park and art lovers

If you are planning a stroll through Oaks Park, meeting friends at the café, or looking for a gentle weekend activity near Banstead and Sutton, the Oaks Park Café Art Exhibition 2026 is designed to fit naturally into your visit.

The exhibition is free to enter and takes place inside the welcoming café setting, so visitors can drop in without making a formal gallery trip of it. You can come for the park and discover the art, or come for the art and make time for the park afterwards.

Why Oaks Park Café is such a good exhibition venue

Some art exhibitions can feel formal. A café in a park has a different feeling. It is sociable, relaxed and connected to everyday life. People are already there to walk, talk, sit, look around and enjoy the surroundings, which makes it a natural home for local artwork.

For CandWAG, the venue also has a strong connection with the subjects many artists return to: landscape, trees, light, weather, gardens, local places, changing seasons and the small details of nature. Showing art in a park café gives visitors a chance to move between the real landscape outside and the artist's response to the world inside.

A visit for walkers and nature lovers

Oaks Park attracts people who enjoy fresh air, gentle walks and time outdoors. The exhibition gives those visitors another reason to pause: a chance to look closely, notice colour and texture, and perhaps see familiar places through someone else's eyes.

If you are walking with a friend, it can be a lovely halfway stop. Browse the artwork, talk about the pieces that catch your eye, then carry on into the park or sit down for coffee. The exhibition does not need to be a big separate outing. It can become part of a relaxed summer day.

For friends of Oaks Park

People who care about Oaks Park often care about local community, landscape and the small things that give a place its character. A local art exhibition belongs in that spirit. It brings people together around shared appreciation: of the park, of the café, of local creativity and of the surrounding Surrey area.

Visitors will be able to see original artwork by members of Carshalton & Wallington Art Group. When participating artists are present, there may also be opportunities to talk about their work, their materials and the ideas behind particular pieces.

Nature and art belong together

Many people come to art through nature. A path, a tree line, a bird, a patch of evening light, a favourite walk or the memory of a place can all become starting points for a painting. That is why a park setting can make an exhibition feel especially approachable.

You do not need to know art history to enjoy local artwork. You can simply notice what draws you in: a colour, a mood, a familiar subject, a sense of movement, or the way an artist has handled light. The café setting makes that kind of looking easy.

How to make a day of it

• Start with a walk through Oaks Park before the café gets busy.
• Visit the exhibition and spend time with the pieces that catch your eye.
• Meet a friend for coffee or a relaxed catch-up.
• Ask participating artists about their work if they are present.
• Take another short walk afterwards and notice what you see differently.

Supporting local artists

Community exhibitions matter because they make local creativity visible. They give artists a place to share work beyond the studio and give visitors a chance to discover original artwork close to home.

If you live near Banstead, Sutton, Carshalton, Wallington, Croydon, Coulsdon or Purley, this is a simple way to support the local creative community while enjoying a weekend visit to Oaks Park.

Visit the free Oaks Park Café Art Exhibition

See original local artwork in a relaxed park café setting on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July 2026.

Plan your visit