Things to do · Arts and crafts
Watch a town crier competition
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Town criers ring a bell, call "oyez" and read out the news, as they have since the Norman period. The Ancient & Honourable Guild of Town Criers, which represents more than 170 official criers, runs a season of competitions between spring and late summer and an annual championship.
GentleFreeAn afternoonOutdoorsAlone or with othersUK
Someone who has done it
How to start
- Open the Guild's competition calendar and pick an event within reach; the 2027 calendar lists about 14 Guild competitions between April and September.
- Check the host town's own page for the time and the place in the town where the cries are made.
- Use the Guild's directory to find out whether your own town has a crier you could go and hear first.
Where to go
We opened this link on 13 November 2026 and found it to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Two ways to plan it.
Plan it yourself Free
The links you need to book it, get there, find somewhere to stay and eat, and see what else there is to do nearby. They are searches for you to run; nothing is saved.
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Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. The hard part of a day out is the timing: the right season, tickets and getting there. The plan watches the calendar for you.
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