Culture in Norwich: Heritage Open Days Drop-In Events

Culture in Norwich: Heritage Open Days Drop-In Events

As part of Heritage Open Days (HODs)– England’s largest community-led festival of history and culture, you can enjoy ten days of free events, experiences and discoveries across Norfolk.  

Each September, HODs celebrates the rich diversity of our local history, traditions and cultural heritage. Run by hundreds of organisations and volunteers nationwide, the festival opens doors to fascinating places, hidden gems and unique stories that are often overlooked or inaccessible the rest of the year, with Norfolk one of the biggest! 

Missed out on tickets for your top choice HODs events? Don’t fear! Did you know there are almost 200 events part of the Norfolk programme that require no booking at all? You can just turn up and enjoy. 

All HODs events are free, so it’s the perfect opportunity to try something a bit different, we think you’ll be surprised what amazing stories, places and people you’ll discover!  

We’ve picked seven unmissable drop-in events from this year’s Norfolk programme (11 – 20 September). Where will this free festival of history and culture take you?

Image: Luke Witcomb

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Tour of Strangers’ Club premises (Paston House) 
22-24 Elm Hill, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1HG
Sunday 13 September & Sunday 20 September, 11am – 3pm 

Step inside Paston House on historic Elm Hill, once home to John and Margaret Paston, authors of the celebrated Paston Letters. The building’s story reflects Norwich’s long association with the foreign merchants and craftspeople known as the “Strangers”. 

Explore surviving historic features, including a ground-floor arch and one of the city’s finest oak-beamed ceilings, while learning how Elm Hill was rescued from demolition in the 1920s. Light refreshments will be available.

Lydia Eva YH89 Steam Drifter
20-21 South Quay, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 2RG
Friday 11 until Sunday 20 September, 10am – 3.30pm  

Climb aboard Lydia Eva, Great Yarmouth’s last surviving steam drifter and a floating museum dedicated to the town’s herring-fishing heritage. Built in 1930, she remains capable of going to sea. 

Discover how fishing crews lived and worked as you explore the wheelhouse, fish hold, crew quarters, galley and engine room, complete with its original working steam engine. Film fans may also recognise the vessel from Wonka.

Cromer Pier & Pavilion Theatre – Open Doors
Cromer Pavilion Theatre, The Pier, Promenade, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9HE
Sunday 13 September, screening: 10am – 3pm, brass Band: 1pm – 3pm 

Celebrate 125 years of Cromer Pier with live music from the Cromer & Sheringham Brass Band and a specially created short documentary in the Pavilion Theatre, narrated by Norfolk’s Olly Day. 

Discover the story of this much-loved Victorian landmark, from its 1901 opening to today’s world-famous Cromer Pier Show. Enjoy the music and screening throughout the day; separately listed backstage tours offer a behind-the-scenes look at the theatre.

Elizabethan House
Elizabeth House Museum, 4 South Quay, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 2QH
Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 September, 10am – 4pm 

Explore this atmospheric quayside house, built around 1596 for merchant Benjamin Cowper and later home to generations of prominent Great Yarmouth families. Its furnished rooms and artworks bring centuries of local history to life.

Uncover tales of Oliver Cromwell in the Conspiracy Room, try on replica Tudor costumes and experience “upstairs, downstairs” life in the Victorian kitchen and scullery. The National Trust property is managed by Norfolk Museums.

The Garage: Medieval Arts and Crafts
14 Chapel Field North, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1NY
Saturday 12 September, 10am – 12.30pm 

Drop into this family-friendly session inspired by Chapelfield Gardens’ history as a medieval jousting ground. Make and decorate a shield, crown, hennin or horse puppet, then pose in a royal-themed photo booth.

Activities run throughout the two-and-a-half-hour session, so families can arrive at any time and stay for as little or as long as they like. All materials are provided.

Portraits of Life
The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1TF
Friday 11 until Sunday 20 September, 10am – 4pm 

Explore an expanded collection of photographs by Jack Roberts, capturing Norwich’s streets, buildings and communities after the Second World War. First shown during Heritage Open Days in 2019, the images reveal a city on the cusp of major change. 

See how familiar neighbourhoods looked before redevelopment in the 1970s, hear memories from people who lived and worked there, and watch archive footage from the East Anglian Film Archive, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026.

King’s Lynn Heritage Open Day
Town Centre, King’s Lynn
Sunday 13 September, 10am – 4pm  

Spend the day exploring King’s Lynn with a packed town-centre programme of living history, family activities, music, dancing, miniature trains, boats, classic cars and exhibitions. Re-enactors and performers will bring the town’s heritage to life. 

While you’re there, visit Lynn Museum on Old Market Street to explore its galleries and the temporary exhibition Secrets from the Store. A children’s museum trail adds extra family fun. Full programme details are available from King’s Lynn Civic Society.

Norfolk Heritage Open Days returns from Friday 11 to Sunday 20 September 2026, inviting residents and visitors alike to explore the places, people and stories that shape our county.  

Find out more via their website and follow HODs on social media to see what incredible places you could discover!