New name and look for local history festival

To mark the start of a whole new chapter for the event, it has announced a new name and look, with the website and branding being given an eye-catching makeover.

Aided by the expertise of leading branding agency BLOOM and celebrated digital media agency Konekt, the festival is set to make a splash in 2024 using a fresh new logo, new social media handles and the new domain name www.chalkefestival.com - all reflecting an exciting moment in the history festival’s life.

History has rarely been more critical than it is now.

The Chalke History Festival programme for 2024 will reflect this, dealing with themes and concerns that dominate our current lives.

The festival planning team will also be mixing the timings up a little this year to avoid a wall of events all running concurrently, and there will be an increase in the number of panels and discussions.

The aim is to provoke more conversation and debate about how the past guides us to the present and helps us prepare for the future.

The line-up will show the threads and patterns of history and help those who visit think about our history in different ways. It will also help people contextualise and make sense of the current rather tumultuous world we live in.

Several big household names - including James May, The Rest Is History duo Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, Max Hastings, Bettany Hughes, musician and record producer Jakko Jakszyk, and Sathnam Sanghera - have already been signed up, as well as a greater number of international speakers and experts.

There will be more performances this year, with no less than eight different acts and performers speaking around the site - every day and throughout the week - from light-hearted yarns to expert traditional craftspeople and from the Iron Age through to the Second World War. In addition, there will be five main venues for talks and discussions, so there will be a huge amount on offer. 

The site's layout will be slightly different, too, as the team has given thought to the whole experience of how visitors can view the many events on offer. The main tent will be set-dressed on the stage, the second venue will be a vaudeville-style Spiegel tent, and the outdoor stage will be a honeycomb dome design closer to the hub of the main activities. There will also be more live music, including an ABBA tribute act on the Friday night and a D-Day Dance on the Saturday evening. There will be a different live music act each night, and a five-course lunchtime historical banquet will be held on Sunday.

News of programme developments will be announced over the coming months. Those interested in attending are encouraged to keep checking the new website and the festival's social media channels for all the latest announcements.

Tickets will be released to the public on general release in April.

Over 200 fascinating talks, given by incredible historians and entitled ‘Chalke Talk’, can be heard on the Chalke History Festival podcast. These talks have been taken from more than a decade of festival appearances.

Feature Image: Adam Gichie