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Welcome to England’s largest festival of history and culture!

Every September thousands of volunteers across England organise events to celebrate our fantastic history and culture. It's your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore.

Heritage Open Days 2025: 12-21 September

Registration for 2025 is now open!

You can register events for this year's festival until 14 August.

Find festival events

This year's festival runs 12-21 September.

Noticeboard

Chocolate advertising poster with an image of a gondolier on a river in front of buildings.

02 Jun 2025

First Pick of the Season

Drumroll please, we’ve cut the (virtual) ribbon and the path to England’s biggest festival of history and culture is now open! Yes, our event directory is up and running with over 1,500 events already registered and ready for you to sift through! From the architecture of chocolate to mythical stories and the nature reserve grown from a brickworks it’s shaping up to be a really creative year. These are the team’s first picks from the listings, but what will you choose?

Festival spotlights

7 people stood on a pink lit stage receiving an award.

19 May 2025

Sector Impact Award Winners!

The winners have been announced for the annual Museums + Heritage Awards and we're delighted to be recognised for our work supporting the Heritage Open Days community!

News