The Heritage Open Days (HODs) 2016 Impact Report shows the huge numbers of people that explored England’s heritage for free in September 2016 – with an estimated 3 million visitors attending 5293 events.
The weekend of 8-11 September 2016 saw the 22nd Annual Heritage Open Days festival. The theme of the events was ‘Treasure your treasures’ with a focus on local heritage. The report’s findings include:
Increased numbers
- a record high of 5293 events
- put on by an extraordinary 2073 local organisers
- coordinating over 40,000 volunteers
Connecting communities
- 75% of visitors said HODs made them feel more part of their local community
- 76% of volunteers said HODs made them feel more pride in their local area/heritage
- estimated £10 million contributed to local economies over the festival
Cultural gateway
- 40% of visitors had not visited a heritage site in the past 12 months
- 80% of visitors were inspired to visit more in future
- 86% of visitors agreed that they are visiting because it is important to support local heritage
- 51% of organisers at sites that are open to the public on other occasions reported seeing a more diverse audience attending.
Read the full story and the full report
