Last month, I wrote about the regeneration plans within the city which are expected to be completed this year and mentioned some of the new plans which would be started during the year.

As we leave behind the darkest days of winter and look forward, I want to write about some of the major events which will take place in the city during the coming months, which are expected to attract many visitors.

We start with the returning Spring History Festival over the weekend of 12-14th April. 2023 saw the first such Spring History Festival and was a sell-out success. As in 2023 the talks will be held in the Blackfriars Priory and there are already several well-known speakers. The full line-up will be announced during February.

In May we will see the return of the Tall Ships Festival. This last occurred in June 2022, but this year the dates are for the weekend of 24-26th May. There will be lots of family fun and opportunity to visit several old ships and experience the hustle and bustle of yesteryear’s docks.

August will see the return of Gloucester Goes Retro – an enormously popular event when hundreds of keen classic car owners descend onto Gloucester’s Gate streets and overflow into the Docks with a magnificent display of classic cars, some of which are 100 years old. Events extend onto the water with Retro on the Water, whilst nearby there are live music performances, song and dance – usually concluding with a competition to find the best period dressers.

September 7th sees Gloucester Day when the city celebrates the day it was relieved of the siege in 1643 with the retreat of the King’s armies when the parliamentary forces arrived. This day starts a fortnight of events which include Heritage Open Days, when many normally hidden architectural gems around the city are opened for viewing and concludes with the autumn History Festival week, which sees dozens of talks from many historians, TV presenters and politicians.

Keep an eye on the Visit Gloucester website at www.visitgloucester.co.uk to get updates on other events that are taking place throughout the city during the year.