Cirencester history festival
‘Welcome to Cirencester History Festival: a celebration of local, national and global history set in the historic Capital of the Cotswolds every autumn.
Our 2025 festival was another huge hit with stimulating talks, incredible music, family events, community activities and even a train!
Please make sure you sign up to our mailing list (see below) to be the first to hear about our 2026 festival, and please do consider supporting us by becoming a friend, patron or even volunteer.
Thank you Cirencester, and hope to see you next year!’
Dame Fiona Reynolds
President of Cirencester History Festival and former Director General of the National Trust
‘I love history, always have, and to join the Cirencester History Festival team is a total joy. For me history isn’t just about kings and wars, it’s about ordinary people, and the thrill of discovering traces of their ancient ways and obscure rites and rituals. That’s what I’ll be bringing to the line-up!’
Charlie Cooper
Festival Ambassador, actor, writer and star of the BBC’s This Country and Myth Country
Families
A full programme of family activities including crafting, workshops, cookery classes, storytelling, dressing up and Halloween fun.
Talks
Flagship talks from some of the country’s top historians, thinkers and broadcasters as well as many brilliant local voices.
Walks & Tours
A wide range of guided walks and tours, from the Corinium Museum, Civic Society and Living Memory Historical Association.
Revelry
Music, dining and more from some big names & our creative partners in the town.
Exhibitions
Special exhibitions and museum openings for festival week.
Craft & Cookery
A range of activities from mending to painting, cooking and baking.
Previous Festival Programmes
2025 Programme
Download the full 2025 programme as a PDF.
2024 Programme
Download the full 2024 programme as a PDF.
Join our mailing list
Be the first to hear about programme news in 2026. We promise not to bombard you!
By completing this process you are giving permission for Cirencester History Festival to send you festival news and updates.
Become a Festival Patron
We are looking for businesses and individuals to join our honourable circle of patrons, from £500.
Become a Festival FRIEND
This year we are introducing a Friends’ Scheme for £50.
This funding will go towards extending our community outreach work and making more events free.
To find out more about these schemes, please see our Support Us page and contact Di Cronin.
With Huge thanks to our patrons
Cirencester Society in London
Jeremy Lodwick
Sir Michael McWilliam
Dame Fiona Reynolds
Paul & Vivian Styles
Anna Vaughan
Forever Grateful to our founding patrons
- Arts Society Corinium
- Barn Theatre
- The Bathurst Estate
- Calmsden Farms
- Cirencester Archaeological & Historical Society
- Cirencester Civic Society
- Cirencester College
- Cirencester Community Development Trust
- Cirencester Town Council
- Corinium Hotel
- Cotswold District Council
- Cotswolds Lakes Brew Co
- Cotswold Primrose Trust
- Creation Logics
- Daniel Bingham Foundation
- Friends of Corinium Museum
- Honourable Company of Gloucestershire
- Indian Rasoi
- St James’s Place
- The K D Winstone Charitable Trust
- The Kings Head
- Jeremy Lodwick
- Sir Michael McWilliam
- Richard Mullings
- Dame Fiona Reynolds
- Royal Agricultural University
- Paul & Vivian Styles
- UK Prosperity Fund
- Vanessa Arbuthnott
- Woodroffe Benton Foundation
- Yiangou architects