FAQs

NO - events can take part on any number of days, from just one afternoon to several different days. It is entirely up to you, how many hours you wish to participate. As long as those hours are within our festival dates.

YES - although we hope that you consider linking to the festival theme, it‘s not a requirement! If you are struggling to find a connection, then do not worry.  As long as it meets our general criteria, you can register with us.

NO – over a quarter of events are submitted in the two weeks before registration closes, and it can take several weeks to process them all. This means that we are unable to accept extra events after the deadline to ensure we can work through all the submissions in time. To avoid being caught up in this backlog, or missing out from taking part in the festival, be sure to register as early as you can!

YES - BUT be careful how it is framed. It should not come across as an obligation. (Nb. 2/3 of visitors in 2023 gave a donation where they saw an opportunity.)

YES – if these are IN ADDITION to the main event offer. If the event is a cream tea at the castle, then NO – it must be possible for visitors to attend the HODs event as described in the directory’s main event description details entirely for free.

Ideally yes but parking charges are a grey area considering the sheer diversity of events and methods of reaching them people have. So, we will allow existing car park fees to be kept, but you must not raise them or add one where it was free - don't use this element as a fundraising option. Also, do make sure you include parking details in your entry so that visitors know in advance.

Toll roads and ferries are examples here and usually out of your control. As with car park fees, where there is a pre-existing fee it does not have to be removed for the festival, although it is wonderful if you can! To help visitors prepare though, please do include this information in your entry.

If you’re new to Heritage Open Days, you’ll first need to submit a login request to join the community. Once approved, this gives you access to our Organiser Area. Here you’ll find our online registration form, and be able to save, edit and submit your event(s). Check out our Registration Tips for an overview and step by step guidance.

NO – the online registration system enables you to copy an old event, update and submit for the new cycle.

NO – request a login to join the community and we will connect you to your organisation’s records. You will then be able to access the old events, clone, update and submit them for the new festival year.

• Everyone – From June anyone can search for events on the directory.
• Organisers – At all times you can check the status of your entries in the Organiser area by filtering the My events table to show events for the current festival year.
• Coordinators – At all times you can check for events using the HODs Community searches in the Organiser area.
• If still in doubt – ask the team!

YES – things change, and it’s really important that you keep the publicly advertised entry up to date. Check out our Registration Tips for step by step guidance.

Not a problem. There is no deadline for this. Cancel online or let us know and we will do it for you. Check out our Registration Tips for step by step guidance.

Do let people know locally as well – not all visitors check back for cancellations!

YES – they just need to request a login for the Organiser area.  We’ll then link them to your organisation where you can both access, amend and submit events. You will see all events under your organisation but not each other’s contact records. The person who last edited an event will be the Organiser linked to it.

Marketing materials can be requested from early May and are available until the registration deadline in August. You will receive an email notifying you when materials are available, and you can request these through the marketing page in your organiser area.

We strongly recommend that you order materials as early as possible to avoid disappointment, as we have only a limited amount available.

We offer bunting, banners, handwaving flags, A4 open signs, sticker sheets, kids activity sheets, tote bags, lanyards, and evaluation cards, all of which can be ordered via the materials order form. We also have a range of digital resources available throughout the year in the organiser area.

NO - All materials we provide are completely FREE - including postage!

We send out 2-3 press releases each year highlighting a selection of festival events. We strongly recommend registering your event as early as possible for a higher chance of being featured. Our long lead press release (for the September glossy magazines) is sent out in May.

Alternatively, you may want to produce your own press release—we provide templates and run a press webinar if you need any support.

YES - With almost 5,500 events registered each year, we sadly can’t promote every event on our channels and with such a high volume of events to look through, we may miss some when planning our posts. However, to increase the likelihood of being featured, we recommend high-quality, eye-catching images, using the national theme or offering something new/exciting.

Equally, if you have an exciting story/event that you’d like to bring to our attention, do pop us an email at: [email protected].

Within the HODs Community section, you can search for events by area or keyword – enabling you to connect with organisers to discuss common issues or cross-promote your events.