Hadrian's Wall to celebrate 1900th anniversary with year-long festival

Hadrian’s Wall 1900 will mark the start of the building of Hadrian’s Wall.

A packed programme of events and activities will take place throughout 2022 including exhibitions, lectures and film screenings.

There will be opportunities to take part in workshops, walks and creative projects; and experience the stunning landscape through creative installations and events.

The year-long festival, being co-ordinated by Hadrian’s Wall Partnership in collaboration with local people and organisations, will bring communities and visitors closer to the people that have lived and worked along the Wall from pre-Roman times to the present day.

Individuals, groups, venues and organisations along the length of the World Heritage UNESCO site are now being invited to plan their own celebration to be included in the programme.

Lady Jane Gibson, chair of Hadrian’s Wall Partnership, said: “We are thrilled to be announcing our year-long festival to commemorate Hadrian arriving in northern Britain to oversee the construction of his Wall.

"2022 will be a year of anniversaries but no other festival will be celebrating 1900 years of continuous history of a place and its people.

"The communities living around the Wall now have one of the world’s most famous landmarks in their fields, villages, towns and cities and we want everyone to be involved in celebrating not just the history under their feet but the international importance of World Heritage today.”

Cllr Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, added: “Hadrian’s Wall 1900 is set to be an exciting programme with our communities living along the wall at the heart of the activities.

"This is an opportunity for residents and groups to come together and celebrate how the Wall has shaped our great county and we encourage all those communities to get involved.

"As well as this event we also have the Lindisfarne Gospels returning to the region next year, so 2022 is a real opportunity for Northumberland to further raise its profile as a visitor destination of choice.”

Anyone who would like to be involved is asked to submit their interest at https://hadrianswallcountry.co.uk/hadrianswall1900/getinvolved. Ideas do not need to be fully formed at this stage.

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