Monsters of the Sea, a Cathedral Big Wheel, a beach, a fox, a sheep, a host of family activities, organ proms, and pop-up cafes too – welcome to your cathedrals this summer. What will you discover?

Worcester Cathedral

Worcester Cathedral is stepping back in time with a Medieval takeover for a week from Monday 12 – Sat 17 August by creating a medieval village with a range of family activities on offer including soft archery, fire pit building, a dragon quest trail and storytelling.

Other events include tower climbs, medieval talks in the Abbot’s Kitchen, medieval dancing workshops and medieval library tours. The week will finish with a medieval banquet in the Great Hall – dressing up encouraged!.

For all the events and more about King John’s Day on Thursday 15 August – You can find a day-by-day breakdown on the website here to help plan your visit and pre-book activities as required.

Peterborough Cathedral

Peterborough Cathedral has just announced a special after-dark showing of its popular summer exhibition, “Monsters of the Sea,”

This exclusive event on August 10 will give visitors the unique opportunity to explore the “Monsters of the Sea” exhibition after hours, delving into the fascinating world of sea creatures large and small with a live performance by acclaimed mezzo-soprano and classical cross-over artist, Gabriella Pineda-Rodriguez.

Get tickets and find out more about what’s on this summer including free outdoor yoga and an immersive soundbath here.

Birmingham Cathedral

A Big Wheel, the Cathedral Square Wheel, is open in the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral inviting visitors to ride above the city skyline. Open every day from 11 -10pm.

Visit www.birminghambigwheel.com for more information.

Birmingham Cathedral is running four summer holiday club sessions for children this summer that cover science, craft, music and creative writing, one running per week. Find out more here.

And it has brought back its free guided tours every Monday and Thursday during July and August 2024. The tours are led by the cathedral’s knowledgeable volunteer tour guides and will generally cover the history of the cathedral, with a particular focus on the Burne-Jones windows.

No need to book, just meet us at the main entrance to the cathedral.

And for one night only, Festival of Voices is an evening of spoken word and poetry, celebrating diverse voices from across the city, the region’s heritage and the cathedral’s four remarkable stained-glass windows.

Poetry will be read by Birmingham Cathedral’s poet-in-residence, Nafeesa Hamid, inspired by the work of Edward Burne-Jones and will see the launch of the Tracing Glass podcast – bringing together voices from across the city to reflect on the themes of the windows, in collaboration with We Don’t Settle.

Blackburn Cathedral

Blackburn Cathedral has a full programme of musical events by candlelight, the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain in concert, theatre productions and an August Bank holiday Organ Concert.

Coventry Cathedral

Coventry Cathedral has announced a new family series for the summer – its Let’s Grow Series will see free weekly sessions every Thursday inviting families to think about how to best care for our environment with art, poetry, crafts and more.

There are free family sessions too at the Live and Dye Garden, an urban growing space in the Cathedral grounds with a focus on plants that can be used for either medicinal purposes or harvested and used for dyes, inks and other design resources. In partnership with Food Union the Cathedral is holding free gardening sessions and workshops.

Chichester Cathedral

Chichester Cathedral has family-friendly outdoor theatre, creative workshops and guided tours as well as seasonal trails for everyone to do. 

Newcastle Cathedral

Family tours, ceramic workshops and a summer of organ recitals are part of what’s on at Newcastle Cathedral.

Sheep is once more the theme at Newcastle Cathedral later this summer when it becomes the location for the last stop along the Illuminated Sheep along Hadrian’s Wall’ art tour. A non-illuminated sheep will be on display in the cathedral from September when churches across the diocese will be invited to decorate it and there are talks and craft activities running alongside.

Lichfield Cathedral

The Beach is returning to Lichfield Cathedral – the most landlocked of our cathedrals – for its third year, offering sand, decking, deck chairs, children’s activities, and refreshments. On selected dates there are also crafts, a magician and his circus, storytelling, trails, summer school and more. And for the first time in six years, Lichfield sees the return of its tower tours. We have a full article about the return of the towers that you can read here.

Find out what’s on this summer at Lichfield Cathedral here.

Norwich Cathedral

Norwich Cathedral has announced the launch of its new family trail, Flint the Fox, inspired by a stone carving found in its architecture.

The stone carving can be found in one of the Cathedral’s archways and is helping families explore the 900-year-old building this summer.

Two children’s activity days during the school holidays will have a Flint the Fox theme, there’s a free Cloister Club for primary school-aged children every Tuesday with different activities , meanwhile on Thursdays under sevens can enjoy a special Fox’s Tales story time session.

And there’s a new Follow the Fox trail leaflet to help families explore the Cathedral independently. Flint will also be the new face of the Cathedral’s Explorer Backpacks which children aged five to 11 years old can borrow.

Clare Williams, the Cathedral’s Head of Schools and Family Learning, said:

“We are delighted to introduce Flint the Fox to everyone this summer and beyond. Flint’s story is something which can capture the imagination and encourage greater engagement for our younger visitors, and we hope this will add to the feeling that the Cathedral is a place for all ages to explore and enjoy.”

Portsmouth Cathedral

There are specialist summer tours at Portsmouth Cathedral exploring its architecture and its memorials. Brass rubbing trails are running throughout the summer and there are regular Wednesday workshops for families. This summer the cathedral will host the Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society summer exhibition. This is the oldest and most prestigious art society in Hampshire and has been in existence for 115 years. Every Wednesday there are art workshops for visitors to explore the diverse styles and techniques of different artists from the local community.

Carlisle Cathedral

Carlisle Cathedral’s Rest Under The Stars project is back for its final installation in the cathedral for summer.

The installation has been on tour around Cumbria and returns to the Cathedral this summer with new awnings and new soundscapes – creating a whole new experience for 2024 and will be on display within the South Aisle of the Cathedral until the end of August.

Carlisle Cathedral has plenty of other events happening throughout the summer holidays including Angels’ View Tours of the Cathedral (*except Sundays), weekly activity groups – Little Stars (aimed at ages 0-7 years old) and Summer Stars (aimed at ages 8-11 years old) – and a special Squishy Slime Lab with The Science Booth.

 Tickets for all of the events (except Rest Under The Stars where booking is not required) can be booked at www.carlislecathedral.org.uk/tickets . 

Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral’s summer Organ Prom returns this August with part of the programme chosen by the public. The music ranges from hits from the big screen, popular classics, a new piece by Andrew Lloyd Webber composed for this year’s D-Day anniversary and popular songs like Over the Rainbow.

Now a firm fixture in the summer events calendar, the Organ al on Saturday 10 August is a relaxed informal evening, where audience members are invited to wander around the Cathedral, enjoying a drink while listening to the music played on the mighty Willis organ.

The organists will be David Halls, the Cathedral’s Director of Music, and John Challenger, Assistant Director of Music.

John Challenger said:

“I’m so looking forward to welcoming everyone to our 2024 Organ Prom. The Prom has become a firm fixture in Salisbury Cathedral’s summer schedule, and it’s always such a delight to have the building so full of people all sharing a love for music, the pipe organ, and just having a great time together! With two hours of wide-ranging music to look forward to in this amazing space, with the infectious enthusiasm of David Owen Norris as our compere, and with a glass of something in your hand, you can be sure that a great evening awaits.”

Tickets for the Organ Prom are £10, with under 18s £5. Available now, click here.

More ..

And there are pop up café’s this summer at Carlisle, Coventry and Bradford cathedrals.

It will mark Bradford’s second year when the pop up café opens from 31 July for a month, selling a range of hot and cold drinks, cakes and made-to-order food Wednesdays – Saturdays.

The Very Revd Andy Bowerman, Dean of Bradford, said:

“It’s been an exciting few weeks planning the return of the Pop-up Café and we hope this will be, once again, a welcome addition for those visiting Bradford Cathedral, with something to eat and drink the perfect way to wrap up a visit to this beautiful space.

“We’d like to invite you to the Cathedral this summer to discover more about our history, find some time for prayer and reflection, and to explore our amazing windows and monuments. “

There’s free family activities at Bradford Cathedral this summer too with family-friendly guided tours, trails and quizzes available.

This is just a selection of what you can discover in our cathedrals this summer. Do check local websites before travelling for up to date information.