The Festival

The Chalke History Festival for Schools combines inspiring talks, live-action displays, and hands-on experiences to help your students to see, hear, and feel the past in unforgettable ways. Three days of history near Salisbury, featuring a wide range of curriculum-based subjects delivered by leading historians. We have limited spaces, so please do book early.

Information and booking for the 2027 Festival will be available later this year.

What can we expect?

Scroll down to discover more about the 2026 Programme, for an idea of what kinds of things you and your students will be able to see and do at the Schools Festival.

2026 Programme

Talks

Topics for 2026’s festival included the History of Medicine, Cold War, Second World War, Migration, The Black Death, Tudors and Stuarts, America 250 and Medieval women.

Experiences

Our popular experiences returned for 2026 with the SOE Training Camp, the Trench Experience, and a new Medieval Archery experience. You will be sent a link to book your Experiences once you have paid for your festival entry tickets. See the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday programmes for the full list of bookable Living History Experiences.

Living History

Our living historians will be bringing history to life with encampments, demonstrations and hands-on activities.

Performances

Students and teachers alike will enjoy our lively performances from festival favourites – History’s Maid, Foreign Field, Adam Schuch-des Forges and Wizzo’s Rip-Roaring History.

SEND

During our SEND day, there will be programmed living history events throughout the day, plus dedicated Trench and SOE sessions (which will need to be booked in advance), but no dedicated schools talks. There will be no loud or sudden noises in our displays or demonstrations. Click here for the full SEND day programme.

Food Stalls

Pupils can either bring a packed lunch or take advantage of the food stalls that are based at the festival throughout the week.

Funding: We are conscious that for some schools, budgets for school trips are very tight. The Chalke History Trust has a limited amount of funding available to help as many schools as possible to experience the festival. For further information please contact us on 01722 780793 or email [email protected].

Chalke Schools History Hub

Free Education Resources for Teachers & students

Get ready for your trip to the Chalke History Festival and sign up for free access to the Chalke Schools History Hub.
Discover a treasure trove of history resources designed to engage, educate, and inspire. With free videos, presentations, lesson plans and more. The Chalke Schools History Hub is your ultimate online companion for teaching and learning history.

JOIN HERE