Date set for Plymouth's 2016 History Festival

Next year's History Festival will run from Saturday 7 May to Sunday 5 June.

Since being launched in 2013 the festival has seen 375 different events taking place across the city centre, waterfront and suburbs each year.

With the aim of highlighting Plymouth’s heritage to as wide an audience as possible, the festival is coordinated by Plymouth City Council’s Arts and Heritage Service with support from a large number of local organisations, societies and individuals.

The 2016 festival will launch with Local Studies Day on Saturday 7 May. Major events including Pirate Weekend (Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May), Lord Mayor’s Day (Saturday 28 May) and Flavour Fest (Friday 3 to Sunday 5 June) will also take place while it’s running.

Entries for the festival programme are now being accepted – particularly for events taking place from Sunday 8 to Friday 27 May and from Sunday 29 May to Thursday 2 June. In previous years the programme has featured talks, guided walks, behind the scenes tours, music and performance, family activities, open days, art commissions, exhibitions and displays.

There’s no main theme for the festival although organisers are hoping that some events will help mark next spring’s 75th anniversary of the Blitz as well as look to the 100th anniversaries of the Battle of Jutland and the Battle of the Somme from World War One.

To be included in the festival brochure and website just send the details of your event(s) to museumevents@plymouth.gov.uk by Friday 23 January.

You will need to supply a title, date(s), start and finish times, a venue address (including a postcode), booking information, a contact number and/or email address and a short description.

The festival website will go live on 22 February with a brochure expected by Easter.

Councillor Peter Smith, Deputy Leader said: “Each year the History Festival has gone from strength to strength and we’ve been thrilled with the level of support it’s received. With such a varied programme it always offers local residents and visitors a great insight into the well-known and lesser-known aspects of the city’s heritage. We look forward to hearing from as many event organisers as possible and to the 2016 festival being a great success!”

For more information visit www.plymhistoryfest.wordpress.com