Summer‘s here – and if you hadn’t noticed from the lighter nights, sunny days and relaxed morals, the Council for British Archaeology are ready to officially launch the barbeque season with a festival on a truly mind-boggling scale: The Festival of British Arachaeology 2009.
From Saturday 18 July, the nation will become a hotbed of heritage fun, games and erudition as hundreds of venues the length and bredth of Britain lay on over 615 events celebrating archaeology and history in this country and many more. Maybe you want to join in on an excavation project? Or be taken on guided tour of your favourite local heritage sites? Events range wildly, from making your own Stonehenge souvenirs, to guided tours of Roman London, so you can be sure that whatever your historical bent, the festival will have something for you.
The fun-packed fortnight, ending August 2, is the result of the successes of National Archaeology Day, which began in 1990 and developed into National Archaeology Week. This year the Council, with funding from English Heritage, has extended the festivities further to cater for huge public demand, and you can find out what’s going on in your area using the official website’s search interface.
The festival even caters for kids with their Young Archaeologists’ Club, and Scottish enthusiasts can check out the Scottish Archaeology Month website to see yet more events in their area. This year promises to be the biggest British archaeology Festival ever, so don’t miss your chance to get stuck in to some serious fun this summer!
Full listings will be coming to the site soon, with reviews and previews of some of the best events.
Image by Sophie Cringle.