Festival of Leicestershire and Rutland Archaeology to bring our past to life

Members of the public are invited to help bring our past to life by taking part in the UK’s largest archaeology festival and this year’s event promises to be bigger and better than before.

The programme for this year’s Festival of Leicestershire and Rutland Archaeology has now been announced with over 70 events to be held across Leicestershire and Rutland between Saturday 16 and Sunday 31 July, celebrating the rich and fascinating archaeological heritage of the two counties.

The Festival in Leicestershire is supported by our University, who will be holding a number of events before and during the Festival. Members of the public are invited to attend the University excavations close to Bradgate House to see the results of the second year of a five year programme of investigation into the history of Bradgate Park. They can take a tour of Burrough Hill Iron Age Hillfort with University archaeologists who excavated the site, or take part and explore village history at Dig Rothley, a Charnwood Roots community excavation organised by the University.

The programme is packed with family friendly activities, guided walks, talks, displays and have-a-go events.

Whether it’s a trip to the prehistoric hillforts at Breedon and Burrough Hill, a tour of one of the world’s first steam railway tunnels at Glenfield, or a hunt for medieval gargoyles at Church Langton, there really is something for everyone.

The Festival brings together local archaeological organisations to showcase all that is great about our local archaeological heritage.