The 2022 Festival of Archaeology programme

23rd May 2022 | Community, What's On

The 2022 Festival of Archaeology programme has been revealed by organisers and is being hailed as the best yet.

Festival coordinator, Peter Liddle, said “After two difficult years due to Covid, the Festival is back and is bigger and better than ever. Already over a hundred events are listed on our website with more being added every week. There are events every single day during the Festival, which runs through July. There is something for everyone. With family events, talks from some of our leading heritage experts, and a wide programme of guided walks allowing people to explore sites around our county.”

This year’s festival theme is ‘Journeys’ encouraging you to take a journey to explore and celebrate the rich and diverse heritage of Leicestershire and Rutland. Visit new places, and old, and find out about the archaeology and history that is all around us.

Highlights include:

  • the Desford Heritage Weekend which will start the festival on 2 and 3 July, where you can journey around the village which will be divided into different time zones from medieval to wartime;
  • a talk exploring Neanderthal life, love and art by award-winning author Rebecca Wragg Sykes;
  • talks on the Rutland Roman Villa excavations, recently featured on BBC2’s Digging for Britain, where an elaborate mosaic excavated by University of Leicester archaeologists tells an epic story from Ancient Greece;
  • a pilgrimage along St Morell’s Round;
  • guided Walks with Jim Butler whose Hidden Histories of Leicester videos have been a YouTube hit;
  • tours of the Glenfield Railway Tunnel, one of the oldest railway tunnels in the world.

The festival also features many self-guided walks to enjoy at your own pace. There are online archives of past talks and many more hands-on events, activities and exhibitions.

Where will your journey take you?

Events are organised by local heritage groups around the two counties who are keen to share their area’s rich archaeology. Details of events can be found at: https://leicsfieldworkers.org/festival-of-archaeology/

The Festival of Leicestershire and Rutland Archaeology runs from Saturday 2nd to Sunday 31st July. It is part of the Council of British Archaeology’s national Festival of Archaeology. To find out more about the national Festival and what else is going on across Britain visit https://www.archaeologyuk.org/festival.html

Peter Liddle