Discover your local heritage with the Festival of Leicestershire and Rutland Archaeology.
Saturday 29th June – Sunday 28th July, 2019
This summer, help celebrate the rich and fascinating heritage of our two counties. Explore the archaeology of your local area, watch experts at work and experience the excitement of archaeology with have-a-go events.
On Saturday 29th June the Leicestershire and Rutland Festival of Archaeology – the UK’s biggest archaeology festival – begins; and with over 80 events planned over four weeks, this year’s event promises to be bigger and better than before.
The Festival has something for everyone, with family friendly activities at museums, guided walks of our counties’ historic sites, talks by experts, displays and exhibitions, and chances to get your hands dirty with a bit of excavation.
Whether it’s a visit to the excavations at Bradgate Park to find out more about the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey; or a tour of the Glenfield Tunnel, one of the earliest steam railway tunnels in the world; or a chance to build your own Roman Leicester in Minecraft, there are all sorts of fantastic and unique opportunities to explore thousands of years of secrets hidden beneath your feet.
This year the festival in Leicestershire and Rutland runs for four weeks from Saturday 29th June to Sunday 28th July, and includes the Council for British Archaeology’s nationwide Festival of Archaeology (13th – 28th July).
The Festival brings together local archaeological organisations to showcase all that is great about our local archaeological heritage.
Peter Liddle, Festival Convenor, commented:
“We are extremely pleased with this year’s programme. There is something for all the family, from children’s craft events at museums around the county to serious lectures.
“We are particularly proud of the guided walks programme that grows every year, giving people the chance to explore sites with a local expert who can explain its unique history.”
From May, Festival leaflets will be widely available from your local museum, library or tourist information centre (and many other places across Leicestershire and Rutland).
To find out more about what is going on elsewhere during the nationwide festival, visit https://festival.archaeologyuk.org/
