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We had so much fun working with fourteen wonderful organisers across England this year as part of New Wave. The result was a jam-packed programme of unique events reflecting the passions of the young people involved: from creative competitions to LGBTQIA+ safe spaces – and plenty of snacks! Here's a recap of what happened this year.

We had so much fun working with eighteen wonderful organisers across England this year for New Wave. The result was an amazing programme of unique events co-created by almost 100 young people. From activism to ghost stories and silent discos to board games, here's a recap of what happened this year…

Trumpets sound and drums roll please! We are delighted to reveal your complete Anniversary Gallery.

Vote for your favourite stories to fill our Anniversary Gallery!

We need your help to create a special showcase celebrating three decades of local people sharing the diverse heritage that matters to them.

Confidence and momentum built throughout the year ending with 1,528 local organisers creating 3,866 fantastic events, even though we started registration in full lockdown. This year's festival feedback reveals visitors are appreciating an increasingly diverse programme, enjoying and looking to learn new things about their places and feeling more part of their communities.

Once again our festival experienced a year like no other, coinciding with 10 days of national mourning for her Majesty the Queen. As a community event we went ahead with the deepest respect for her memory, bringing people together to share memories, stories and places. The resulting feedback has been truely heartwarming as visitors continually praise the local volunteers and staff who helped them connect with their places and learn new things.

This year’s festival began in unexpected Summer heat and ended in Autumn rain, but the odd weather didn’t wilt or dampen festival spirits. Our largest community of local organisers ever set up 5,282 events; ranging from big open days at sites like the BFI National Archive, and exclusive tours of hidden places such as Burnley Empire, to video shorts about the arts of the inland waterways.

This year we celebrated three decades of connecting communities and helping them discover the stories on their doorstep. Over 1 million visitors enjoyed the 5,427 events organised by our community of thousands of local volunteers and organisations.

In a year of unprecedented change, the Heritage Open Days community pulled together to ensure the festival not only survived, but thrived. Learning new skills, coping with change and finding new opportunities, 769 local organisers created 1,788 events in record time for our most innovative festival yet!

Once again this September millions of people took up the invitation to explore their heritage for free. Many thanks to all who made those events happen and thank you to all of you who filled out the forms and sent in feedback, we've been busy processing and are delighted to release the national impact results for Heritage Open Days (HODs) 2016....

2017 was another fantastic year for Heritage Open Days, with a record-breaking number of events, put together by more organisers than ever before. Our four ‘Unsung Stories’ arts events were the chance to add some uniquely moving tales of LGBTQ heritage, part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring that Heritage Open Days (HODs) is a festival for, and by, people from every background, culture and ethnicity.

In 2018, for the first time ever, Heritage Open Days was across two weekends, and over 3 million visitors enjoyed the 5,517 events on offer. Coordinated by 2,046 amazing local organisers with the help of 49,000 volunteers, the festival is a huge community celebration. A massive THANK YOU to all who took part to make it so: from printing flyers to pouring tea to eating the biscuits and taking the tours. Here's how you've made a difference and been part of our national celebration...

2019 marked 25 years of our extraordinary 'people powered' festival, and what a year it was! A full 10 days stretch saw a record 5,794 events take place across England organised by thousands of local people in bright sunshine.

The good, the bad... and the bunting! Our amazing festival is over for another year, but we couldn't visit all the thousands of events, so we need you to tell us - how did it go?

New Year is a time for lists, resolutions and honours; so reflecting on last year and thinking about what highlights lie ahead, we’ve come up with an alternative Honours list. To get you thinking about what catches attention, here are some events that proved firm favourites for the team and media in 2021...

New Year is a time for lists, resolutions and honours; so reflecting on last year and thinking about what highlights lie ahead, we’ve come up with an alternative Honours list. To get you thinking about what catches attention, here are some events that proved firm favourites for the team and media in 2022…

New Year is a time for lists, resolutions and honours; so reflecting on last year and thinking about what highlights lie ahead, we’ve come up with an alternative Honours list. To get you thinking about what catches attention, here are some events that proved firm favourites for the team and media in 2023…

New Year is a time for lists, resolutions and honours; so reflecting on last year and thinking about what highlights lie ahead, we’ve come up with an alternative Honours list. To get you thinking about what catches attention, here are some events that proved firm favourites for the team and media in 2024…

We're thrilled to announce that we've been shortlisted in the Sector Support category for this year’s Museums + Heritage Awards!