Alnwick Castle opens on Good Friday for the 2024 season.
Alnwick Castle, Northumberland's most iconic visitor attraction, is excited to announce the opening of its gates for the 2024 season on Friday, 29 March.
From historical re-enactments and guided tours to family-friendly demonstrations and interactive activities and live performances, Alnwick Castle’s 2024 line-up has something for everyone. Opening on Good Friday, the Easter programme includes:
• Hands on History with the Company of Artisans - 29th March to 2nd April, visitors can become an artisan's apprentice in our marketplace and witness the creation of crafts from centuries gone by, taught by our resident costumed artisans.
• Alchemy Jack - 29th March to 2nd April, discover mysterious medicines, peculiar concoctions and bizarre apparatus with Professor John Greene, our medieval alchemist. Will he be able to turn dragon’s blood into bountiful chunks of gold? Will he be able to create the Philosopher’s stone? Come along to one of his exciting demonstrations to find out!
• Longbow demonstrations - 3rd April – 5th April, our Master Archer, Andy Rice is back once again to demonstrate the skill and technique of a medieval English longbow. Catch one of his longbow demonstrations to hear the strength and skill involved, whilst also hearing about some gruesome tales of battles from long ago!
• Raphael Historic Falconry - 3rd April - 7th April, witness an exceptional display of medieval falconry, worthy of entertaining the old Earls of Northumberland, from two of the country’s finest historical falconers.
• Trouvere - 8th April – 11th April, our Medieval Minstrels are back for our 2024 season to once again invite you to share their gift of music. Join them as they recreate and reinterpret the magnificent melodies of the medieval period within the spectacular walls of Alnwick Castle.
• Tom Fool - 8th April - 14 April, Alnwick Castle’s resident jester, Tom Fool, is back for another season of merriment and silliness! Catch one of his hilarious family shows full of high jinks and tomfoolery.
• Newcastle Garrison - 13th - 14th April, make your day go with a BANG! Join the Newcastle Garrison Living History Group for live firing of our very own replica Napoleonic cannon.
Catherine Neil, Head of Alnwick Castle Ventures, said: "We have worked hard to bring the castle’s story to life through a range of different mediums. Whether you are looking for family fun or wishing to learn more about the history of Alnwick Castle and the Percy family, we have something that will bring joy to people of all ages.”
Tickets are discounted when purchased online, and each ticket serves as an automatic annual pass, allowing for multiple visits throughout the year to benefit from the full events programme which includes:
World War II Weekend
Second World War history is the focus of the first May Bank Holiday. Witness authentic Tiger Moth aircraft flypasts and watch re-enactments in the Castle grounds.
During the Second World War, Newcastle Church High students were evacuated to Alnwick Castle. The last evacuee schoolgirls left 80 years ago this year, and a reunion of the former Church High School in Newcastle will be held on 6 May 2024 to mark the occasion.
The Wars of the Roses
In conjunction with the release of Lions of the Red Rose, the new book by the Duke of Northumberland, there are plenty of big events throughout the season focused on this 15th-century battle for the English throne.
Over the late May Bank Holiday and again during the August Bank Holiday, a living history encampment will transport you back to the 1400s. Join them to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the period.
The Silly History Boys, a hilarious group of performers who have vowed to perform the entire Wars of the Roses history for your entertainment, are also new to the Castle this year. You can see their silly shows during May half term, and again in August.
Musical history
Alnwick Castle will be alive with the sounds of old as you walk around the grounds this year. Our favourite medieval musicians, Trouvere, will perform many of the songs that would have been heard in European royal courts. The Tudor Songbook will perform compositions from the time of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. We are also welcoming twelfth-century musicians ‘Pearl in the Egg’ to Alnwick Castle for the first time in the last week of August.
Heritage Weekend
Heritage Skills Weekend returns on 15th and 16th June following a successful debut last September.
Learn how castles have been constructed and repaired over the centuries including an interactive demonstration of medieval tile making, using replica tools and equipment and traditional materials, and try your hand at restoring historic properties using modern techniques, such as stone cutting and lime mortar repointing.