In the Community

‘Cirencester History Festival is a charitable organisation and a true all-town collaboration.

Our plan is to attract big names to Cirencester and put it on the festival map, but also to provide a platform for local people and organisations, and to celebrate our community. We’re very proud to work with local schools and charities to make sure everyone can enjoy the fun, creativity, learning and bonding that a festival can bring.’

Jess Yarrow, Festival Director

Collaboration

Our festival involves over 40 local organisations pulling together across 17 venues. Our devolved approach means we can provide a platform for local cultural organisations while benefitting from their experience and expertise.

‘This is a positive symbiotic relationship…The organisation of the Festival has been fantastic and we feel privileged to be involved’

— Emma Stuart, Corinium Museum Director.

Outreach

Not many people know that the festival includes a whole series of off-programme outreach events. This year, we have secured funding to repeat several of our advertised workshops – from Historical Cookery School to traditional foraging, curse tablet making and dining like a Viking – for charity partners, in parallel free sessions.

We have also linked our creative and charity partners to provide off-programme events such as historical costume and dressing-up sessions. These events take place during festival week, and beyond too.

‘We had 12 children and their families from The Churn Project and Cirencester Opportunity Group come along to make ancient (chicken and veg!) pies as part of the Cirencester History Festival outreach programme. It meant 12 families went home with a meal on Friday night. One mother, who had escaped a difficult domestic situation and was until recently without an oven, said it had given her the confidence to start cooking for her daughter again. It really, really meant a lot’.

— Sarah Edmonds, Cotswold Cookery School.

‘I thoroughly enjoyed delivering workshops to such a diverse audience of mixed ages and opinions. It was also empowering to work alongside a festival team who bring so much energy and enthusiasm to the table. A lovely experience’.

— Emma Kay, Food Historian.

YOUNG PEOPLE and Families

Thanks to generous funding by The Organic Farm Shop and Gloucestershire Community Foundation, we are again able to offer £5 youth tickets to under-22s across the whole talks programme. This year we’ve also introduced a work experience scheme, giving two local 16-22 year olds the opportunity to work as runners alongside our operations team for the whole of festival week.

By partnering with Cirencester College we are able to offer trips to curriculum-adjacent talks as well as student volunteering opportunities and backstage access to interview speakers. This year we are also funding a dedicated Bayeux Tapestry-themed assembly for a local school, to tie in with our Cirencester Tapestry Project.

‘Volunteering was such a rewarding experience. I had multiple opportunities to speak with and learn from distinguished historians and archaeologists … The entire experience was extraordinary, and has made me extremely passionate to connect everyone with history’

— Year 13 student, Cirencester College

Our 2026 festival includes 15 family events for half term and Halloween, most of which are free or heavily subsidised. We continue to add more free drop-ins to our family programme, which helps remove barriers to access.

2025 impact report

Download our 2025 impact report to find out how our second festival grew compared to 2024…

Download PDF

2024 impact report

Download our 2024 impact report to find out what we learned from our inaugural festival…

Download PDF

‘Terrific…these activities raise everyone’s awareness of the importance of the community, and ways to support it. Having a variety of venues and a broad range of activities means the festival is highly inclusive.‘

— Survey Respondent, 2025

With huge thanks to Cotswold Cookery School, the Cotswold Forager, Emma Kay, the Barn Theatre costume team, Dave Musgrove, Cirencester Opportunity Group, The Churn Project, Cotswold Lakes Brew Co, Woodroffe Benton Foundation, Summerfield Trust, D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Cirencester Soroptimists, Cirencester Girls Club Trust, Daniel Bingham Foundation and the Bathurst Estate for making our 2026 outreach work possible. And to The Organic Farm Shop and Gloucestershire Community Foundation for their support helping young people access the arts, culture and heritage by subsidising all our 2025 youth talk tickets.

Please get in touch if you would like to help us provide even more free or subsidised content in 2027, whether by volunteering or making a donation. email: di@cirencesterhistoryfestival.org

Join our mailing list

Be the first to hear about news and programme updates. 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

Last year we introduced 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.

Email Di

‘This was a fabulous event that felt community driven by people who cared about its impact and presentation … congratulations’

— Survey Respondent

With Huge thanks to our patrons & Sponsors

This festival is a true Cirencester collaboration, created by over 40 organisations with a shared vision for our town. Making it all possible are our patrons and sponsors, whose overwhelming, and ever-growing, support shows the true strength of our community.

Thank you all – we couldn’t do it without you.