A guide to the events, exhibitions and more taking place across the Stonehenge & Avebury World Heritage Site.
Join English Heritage on 11–12 November for the first Stonehenge Festival of Neolithic Ideas with a programme of hands-on activities, demonstrations, talks and tours, led by experts in the field to reveal how the latest advances in science and archaeological techniques have developed our understanding of Stonehenge and the people who built it. Admission to the festival is included in the standard admission ticket price / free to English Heritage Members.
At Avebury Chapel, the National Trust will be joined by Professor Josh Pollard and Dr Anna Collar who will be talking about this summer’s archaeological excavations of Avebury manor’s parkland on Wednesday 1 November, 6.30pm (free; RSVP to avebury@nationaltrust.org.uk)
On 11 November Wiltshire Museum’s Museum Explorers Club (ages 5 – 7) will be finding out about the construction and use of local prehistoric monuments. Work in teams to create a Stonehenge model, sketch and handle artefacts.
On the 8 and 14 December, join a Winter walk around the Avebury landscape with Dr Nick Snashall, National Trust Archaeologist for the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. The walk will be followed by festive refreshments and provide an opportunity to chat with Dr Nick (booking essential).
The National Trust will be celebrating Christmas in Avebury this year with a programme of exciting festive events;
- From 18 November – 1 January 2024. Avebury Manor will be transformed by talented National Trust volunteers into a Christmas spectacle with stunning handmade decorations and ornaments reflecting The Twelve Days of Christmas.
- On the weekend of 2-3 December, Avebury’s atmospheric seventeenth century Threshing Barn will host a free-to-attend festive Christmas Market selling a range of local artisanal goods, including textiles, recycled wood, jewellery and handmade produce, accompanied by carols and music each afternoon.
- Between 2 and 23 December, the Dovecote at Avebury Manor will host a fun interactive Christmas Storytime for children between the ages of 3 to 10 (booking essential).
- On 2 December, Avebury Manor will be running a Christmas wreath making workshop using natural foliage and decorations with expert tuition and seasonal refreshments (limited places, booking essential).
Last chance to see the following events:
The National Trust’s pop-up exhibition at Avebury Manor entitled In stitches: women and needlecraft (closes 4 November).
The National Trust and Find My Past Avebury Manor at the time of the national census in 1921 project (closes 5 November).
The English Heritage pop-up play The Mystery of the Stones at Stonehenge (closes 5 November).
Avebury’s William Stukeley exhibition in the barn at Avebury (closes 10 November) and museum trail in the Alexander Keiller Museum (closes 5 November).