Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Isle of Man Heritage Open Days showcases the very best of the heritage of the Isle of Man. It’s the Island’s largest free festival of heritage and cultural events and has grown from a small-scale event with just three activities in 2010, to now over 3,000 participants, 45 heritage partners, 100+ volunteers and over 125 events taking place over the first two weekends in October. The ethos of the festival is about working together and opening people’s eyes to some of the historic or unusual places around the Isle of Man.
Isle of Man Heritage Open Days is a proud celebration of our heritage as a community who share a passion for places, history and culture. The festival only flourishes with the support of the organisations, individuals and groups who provide public access to buildings, landscapes and displays that are usually closed to the public, would normally have an admission fee and can provide extra information to explain the significance of our special places.
Katie King, Community Outreach Officer for Manx National Heritage adds;
“We hope that the events will captivate the public’s imagination and give an added sense of the depth and quality of history we have on the Island. The entire festival is co-ordinated by Manx National Heritage, working with a wide range of partners who kindly give their time, access to their sites and knowledge to support this fantastic event. As part of this generous support it is free to attend. To date Isle of Man Heritage Open Days has delivered nearly 800 individual events, from walks, tours, drop inns and activities – and engaged almost 20,000 participants. The events take place all over the Island, whatever the weather and have inspired people to embrace the heritage on their doorstep.”
Isle of Man Heritage Open Days takes place on 4 – 6 October and 11 – 13 October 2019.
A full schedule of events can be found here
Image: Bridge Tower Accumulator, South Quay, Douglas.