The online event directory is now live!
You can now explore hundreds of free events taking place this September across Norfolk!
The online event directory for this year’s Heritage Open Days festival is now live, making it easy to start planning ten days of free days out across Norfolk.
From Friday 11 – Sunday 20 September, people across Norfolk and beyond can enjoy hundreds of free Heritage Open Days events, from hidden historic buildings and guided walks to family activities, exhibitions and talks.
In 2025, Norfolk’s programme featured 397 events from more than 200 local organisations, and Norwich hosted the largest city-wide programme in England.
Liam Montgomery, Marketing & Projects Manager from the national Heritage Open Days team, says:
“Heritage Open Days is all about doorstep discovery and local community pride, and Norfolk’s 2026 programme is set to bring those in spades. There is always a huge programme to explore across the county full of diverse and interesting events, from much-loved landmarks to the hidden corners of villages, towns, and the city of Norwich, there’s so much to discover. Whether that’s exploring iconic sites like Norwich Cathedral, uncovering stories at historic windmills and churches across the county, or stepping behind the scenes at places not usually open to the public.”
This year’s optional national theme, Everyday Histories, will inspire many events exploring the lives, skills and traditions that shaped local communities.
Programme highlights already announced include:
Booze and Brewing in Harleston on 12 September – a lively guided tour through the town’s wayward past and colourful pub history.
How Hill Open Day on 20 September – open gardens, house tours, woodland walks and heritage displays at a beautiful Edwardian estate in the Norfolk Broads.
An Evening of Dickens at recently reopened and refurbished The Halls in Norwich on 16 September – a free dramatic reading by candlelight, marking 165 years since Dickens himself performed there.
Oxburgh Estate in Oxborough near King’s Lynn on 18 and 19 September – visitors can make the most of free entry to explore Victorian Gothic interiors, curious collections, peaceful woodland walks and colourful gardens, with no pre-booking required.
The Forum is also bringing back the popular Portraits of Life exhibition of photographs by Jack Roberts, showing Norwich after the Second World War and before the city’s redevelopment in the early 1970s. The exhibition will also feature archive films and recorded stories from people who lived and worked there.
Katie Ellis, Event Producer for Norfolk Heritage Open Days, said:
“We welcomed more than 3,500 visitors to the exhibition in 2019 and we’re delighted to bring it back with unseen photographs, stories and films so more people can discover Norwich’s past through the people who lived it.”
The exhibition was made possible thanks to Derek James and Bill Smith, custodians of the Jack Roberts Archive, who scanned and preserved Jack’s original negatives. Digital versions of the photographs, recorded stories and a film featuring 90 images have been deposited at the Norfolk Record Office for future access.
“Jack was the forgotten photographer, and it has been an honour to share his work with the people of Norwich and Norfolk. His battered old box of negatives proved to be a treasure chest of memories, capturing long-lost roads and neighbourhoods rarely photographed.”
“We are so pleased to have been able to save Jack’s work for the future, and to underline how important old photographic negatives can be in retrieving every last detail from a professional photographer’s work.”
The printed Norfolk Heritage Open Days listings brochure will be available from late July, and booking for most Norfolk events opens on Wednesday 26 August.
As events can still be registered up to Thursday 13 August 2026, not every listing will appear in the printed brochure, so visitors are encouraged to check the online directory regularly for updates and booking information.