Autumn Festival 2026

Saturday 5 – Sunday 20 September

DIgital Festival on Until 25 October

Autumn Festival 2026

Quench your curiosity with 150 fascinating speakers, including Tony Robinson, Caroline Quentin, Jung Chang, Dan Jones, David Olusoga, Penny Mordaunt, Michael Wood, Nicholas Crane, Amy Jeffs, Paul Mason, Martin Sixsmith, Ben Robinson, Samira Ahmed, Damien Lewis, Andrew Graham-Dixon and Janina Ramirez.

With 200 talks, tours, exhibitions, performances and parades, Gloucester burst into life for two thrilling weeks of discovery in its ancient Roman streets. You can still enjoy the festival from wherever you are, with digital talks available to purchase and watch worldwide until 25 October.

Digital talks tickets and passes available until 25 October.

All digital tickets cost £7.

Download the Brochure

Buy a Digital Festival Pass

Book Individual Digital Tickets

Autumn Festival Digital Pass

Save up to 20% on the price of your tickets with our great value passes

Digital Festival Pass – £70 – livestream access to the full digital talks programme

Find out more and purchase your pass

Click image above to download brochure

Scroll down to view the programme. Digital tickets and passes on sale until 25 October.

Autumn Festival 2026 Events

wed09sep7:00 pm9:00 pmA History of Gloucester RugbyAn evening with Mike Teague and Friends

fri11sep4:00 pm5:00 pmFortress City: The Roman Walls of GloucesterAndrew Armstrong

fri11sep6:00 pm7:00 pmAthelstan: England’s First KingMichael Wood

fri11sep7:45 pm8:15 pmLife Lessons from HistoryMichael Wood and David Musgrove

fri11sep8:00 pm9:00 pmPomp & Circumstance: Great British TraditionsPenny Mordaunt

sat12sep10:00 am11:00 amDomesday: Travelling the England of the Norman ConquestMax Adams

sat12sep12:00 pm1:00 pmThe Bayeux Tapestry: A Precious CargoPeter Ricketts, Michael Lewis & Janina Ramirez

sat12sep2:00 pm3:00 pmPeace Makers: Why Diplomats Matter in War and PeacePeter Ricketts

sat12sep4:00 pm5:00 pmDavid OlusogaIn Conversation

sat12sep6:00 pm7:00 pmFrom Boudicca to Joan of Arc: Women of LegendJanina Ramirez, Elodie Harper & Samira Ahmed

sat12sep8:00 pm9:00 pmThe Beatles & The SixtiesSamira Ahmed, John Robb & Janina Ramirez

sun13sep10:00 am11:00 amWeimar: Life on the Edge of CatastropheKatja Hoyer

sun13sep12:00 pm1:00 pmThe Rise of Populism and the RightJohn Sweeney & Katja Hoyer

sun13sep2:00 pm3:00 pmJanina RamirezArt From the Dawn of Time

sun13sep4:00 pm5:00 pmNatalie HaynesNo Friend to This House

sun13sep6:00 pm7:00 pmThe Tudors: This Little WorldNandini Das

mon14sep12:00 pm1:00 pmHow the Anglo-Saxons Won BritainNicholas J Higham

mon14sep2:00 pm3:00 pmVillages by the Sea: An Exploration of Britain’s Coastal HeritageBen Robinson

mon14sep4:00 pm5:00 pmThe Cathedral Cloisters: Gloucester’s Medieval MasterpieceJanina Ramirez, James Clark, Rebecca Phillips & Chiz Harward

mon14sep6:00 pm7:00 pmWhat Makes a Great Leader?Mike Soutar

mon14sep8:00 pm9:00 pmThe Buildings of the Bayeux TapestryAndrew Ziminski

tue15sep12:00 pm1:00 pmEmily Palmerston: The Regency Countess Who Shaped an AgeJehanne Wake, Katie Wake & Elizabeth Norton

tue15sep2:00 pm3:00 pmLady Jane Grey: Crown of BloodNicola Tallis

tue15sep4:00 pm5:00 pmPagan Britain: Ancient Sacred LandscapesRonald Hutton

tue15sep6:00 pm7:00 pmKing Arthur: Life and LegendAmy Jeffs

tue15sep8:00 pm9:00 pmWitchland: Witch Hunting in 17th Century BritainMarion Gibson

wed16sep12:00 pm1:00 pmThe Gloucester Citizen at 150Ian Mean

wed16sep2:00 pm3:00 pmThe SAS Great Train RaidDamien Lewis

wed16sep4:00 pm5:00 pmThe DNA of History: The Secrets Hidden in Our GenesTuri King

wed16sep6:00 pm7:00 pmNavigating a Dangerous WorldRobin Niblett & Martin Sixsmith

wed16sep8:00 pm9:00 pmReds: How Communism Shaped the WorldPaul Mason

thu17sep12:00 pm1:00 pmThe Crusader Storm: How the Crusades Changed the Medieval WorldNicholas Morton

thu17sep2:00 pm3:00 pmEntitled: The Rise & Fall of the House of YorkAndrew Lownie

thu17sep4:00 pm5:00 pmEdward VIII & Wallis Simpson: Love, Duty and AbdicationAnne Sebba & Andrew Lownie

thu17sep6:00 pm7:00 pmMythica: The Real Women of The OdysseyEmily Hauser

thu17sep8:00 pm9:00 pmThe Secret History of Britain’s FootpathsNicholas Crane

fri18sep10:30 am11:00 amExplore the King’s Bastion Tour

fri18sep11:10 am11:40 amExplore the King’s Bastion Tour

fri18sep12:00 pm1:00 pmConquest: How Rome Seized Britain and GloucesterFerdinand Addis

fri18sep2:00 pm3:00 pmWho Was to Blame for the Wars of the Roses?Matthew Lewis, Nathen Amin & Nicola Tallis

fri18sep3:15 pm3:45 pmMembers' Teawith Janina Ramirez

fri18sep4:00 pm5:00 pmHenry VIII: The Last YearsAndrew Johnston & Joanne Paul

fri18sep6:00 pm7:00 pmCastles: A Fortified History of the WorldDan Jones

fri18sep6:30 pm7:30 pmMother’s Ruin: A History of GinAndy Cole

fri18sep8:00 pm9:00 pmAdventures in Glorious Gloucestershire: Myths and LegendsMark Cummings, Candia McKormack & Steve Knibbs

sat19sep10:00 am11:00 amAlexander the Great: Life and LegendEdmund Richardson

sat19sep12:00 pm1:00 pmGreat British Architecture: Bringing the World to BritainDaniel Wilson

sat19sep2:00 pm3:00 pmThe Lost Voices of PompeiiJess Venner

sat19sep3:15 pm3:45 pmScrolling Back Through TimeAmy Boyington, Han Parker and Janina Ramirez

sat19sep4:00 pm5:00 pmTony RobinsonAnglo-Saxon England: The Making of a Kingdom

sat19sep5:00 pm6:30 pmChocolate Night: A Delicious Journey Through HistorySam Bilton & Kathryn Laverack

sat19sep6:00 pm7:00 pmAdventures in PolandWaldemar Januszczak & Janina Ramirez

sat19sep8:00 pm9:00 pmFlick: The Untold History of Female PleasureKate Lister and Janina Ramirez

sat19sep8:00 pm9:00 pmJung Chang: A History of Modern ChinaFly Wild Swans

sun20sep10:00 am11:00 amDad’s Army: The Glorious True Story of the Home GuardSinclair McKay

sun20sep12:00 pm1:00 pmCaroline QuentinIn Conversation

sun20sep2:00 pm3:00 pmThe Black Death: A Medieval World in RuinsThomas Asbridge

sun20sep4:00 pm5:00 pmVermeer & the Dutch Golden AgeAndrew Graham-Dixon

sun20sep6:00 pm7:00 pmThe Secret Story of the Vikings: God’s HammerThomas Williams

sun20sep8:00 pm10:00 pmRadiohead Meets PortisheadAdrian Utley, Philip Selway & Janina Ramirez

Visiting the Gloucester History Festival Autumn Festival

Ticket booking information

Online: Bookings can be made until 1 hour before the start time of each event but we recommend booking ahead to avoid disappointment.

Book by phone: 07847 138531

Book tickets in person at:
Museum of Gloucester, Brunswick Road,
Gloucester. Wednesday – Saturday 10am-4pm,
(closed Sunday – Tuesday).

From 11 September: Blackfriars Priory, Ladybellegate Street, Gloucester
From 1 hour before the first event until 8 pm daily.

Reservable seating: you can choose and book specific seats when you book online, via phone or in person.

Book signings organised by Waterstones take place after each event.

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