Chalke Valley History Festival will go ahead this year
It's set to return to Broad Chalke in June
Last updated 25th Mar 2021
This year's Chalke Valley History Festival has been confirmed to be going ahead in June.
The largest celebration of history in Wiltshire will return on Wednesday 23rd June and take place over five days.
Held in Broad Chalke, near Salisbury, the event is taking place just two days after the proposed lifting of Covid restrictions on 21st June.
Thanks to a grant from the Arts Council Culture Recovery Fund the event has been made possible. It will take place in accordance with government guidelines, strict health and will have safety regulations in place where necessary.
James Holland, Festival Chair, said: "We are incredibly excited about the festival's return. It will be the first big family event to take place in nearly 18 months, and I know the general public, currently starved of real-life festivals, are desperate to get back to some kind of normality.
"This will be a fabulous chance for families to go out, have fun, meet friends across the spacious layout of the site, to soak up some culture in a safe environment. It goes without saying that the safety of all those attending will be our upmost priority. The programme is going to be wide-ranging with lots to see and do, and we really can't wait to welcome everyone back!"
The outdoor festival will be centred around two big marquees and two new stages.
It will it's usual line-up of talks, topical debates, living history and activities for children, with historians and household names bringing history to life.
John Glen, local MP for Salisbury, said: "The Chalke Valley History Festival is one of the jewels in the crown of the area's cultural life. It is wonderful news that it can proceed this year. It will be a huge boost to the morale of both history buffs and the many local businesses, which supply and support the festival."
There will no physical Festivals for Schools this year, instead there will be online content ready for schools in September.
This will include filming curriculum-based talks from leading academics and historians relevant for students in Years 10 and 12, and also delivering a mass of filmed material for Years 6, 7, and 8. In this way the festival will provide a long-term, free digital resource in line with the aims of the Chalke Valley History Trust.
The full programme and details about the event will be released soon, tickets go on sale on Wednesday 19th May.