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 2022 - 9th-18th September

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Noticeboard

BLOG: Guest Posts

Introducing… Friends of Friendless Churches

These once nearly forgotten churches may be small and humble but their stories are anything but! From…

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HODs news

Festival Review 2021

Confidence and momentum built throughout the year ending with 1,528 local…

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Case Studies

Swindon Heritage Action Zone

Swindon - expect the unexpected! This year a new hub of festival fun and surprising stories emerged from…

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BLOG: Guest Posts

Pondering lost pubs

Earlier this year a job advert went viral - Lincolnshire County Council needed someone to go on a (historical) pub…

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HODs Newsletter

All the latest news about HODs and beyond

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Festival spotlights

Highlighting the people and places that participate

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How to become an organiser

Register with us to join the community

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