Heritage Open Days in North Norfolk 2024

Norfolk Heritage Open Days, England’s largest free festival of culture and heritage, returns 6 September to 15 September 2024, with ten days of unmissable FREE drop in and bookable events celebrating the area’s history.

With over 200 free events taking place, Norfolk Heritage Open Days is a rare chance to explore the county, discovering more about England’s history, learning the stories behind some of our most loved buildings and organisations, and discovering the untold tales and unsung heroes of the country. The free events registered take place across the county, with lots of new exclusive activities, tours, and talks, as well as returning favourites.

This year’s Heritage Open Days theme is ‘Routes – Networks – Connections’, giving us the opportunity to celebrate how people and ideas have moved and come together throughout history: from the impact of railways to the Norfolk waterways and our own Norwich Strangers. And 2024 brings Heritage Open Days’ 30th anniversary: marking three decades of honouring the ordinary and extraordinary.

The online event directory is now live, with thousands of events waiting to be discovered and hundreds of those in Norfolk – plus, new events added by organisers right up until the first week in August. Events range from “open doors” at Oxburgh Hall (where venues waive their entry fee or open places not usually open to the public) to tours of secret trails, poetry performances, illustrated talks, exclusive exhibitions and family-friendly activities – creating a perfect and interesting for a day out for all the family.

Booking opens on Monday 19 August 20024 at 10am for the majority of Norfolk events. As all HODs events are free, these are in high demand and book up quickly. Luckily, there are many brilliant events that do not require any booking at all, with visitors dropping by to enjoy them.

The sought after Norfolk HODs listings brochure is now available, packed full with the Norfolk events – a mixture of drop-in and prebook events. Over 200 events are in the brochure, and 25,000 printed copies are making their way across Norfolk to local libraries and selected venues. You can also pick your copy up from The Forum in Norwich, or view it online here.

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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:
 

Cromer Pier and Pavilion Theatre - NEW
The Pier, Cromer, NR27 9HB. Sun 8: 10am-3pm

OPEN DOORS – Come along to uncover the history of Cromer Pier, the iconic 151-metre-long Victorian structure. Enjoy a brass band on the pier, then step into the Pavilion Theatre to watch a short film that explains the vast history of The Cromer Pier Show and the pier itself. (Brass band 1pm-3pm).

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Fakenham Gasworks Museum - NEW

Hempton Road, Fakenham, NR21 7LA. Sat 7, Sun 8, Sat 14 & Sun 15: 10am-4pm

OPEN DOORS – Visit England and Wales's last remaining complete gasworks, a gem of Britain's industrial heritage and a window on working peoples domestic and working life. See the amazing process of turning coal into Town Gas and the uses the by-products found.

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Felbrigg Hall and Gardens – Family Friendly
Mon 9: Gardens open 10am-4.30pm (last entry 4pm), Hall open 12pm-4pm (last entry 3pm)

OPEN DOORS - Explore inside the Hall and imagine what it might have been like to have lived or worked there. Visit the walled garden to see fruits and vegetables growing – and keep a look out for our hens!