July | Projects
Festival of Archaeology at Nottingham Castle 2026
Saturday 25 - Sunday 26 July 2026
Rebellion at Nottingham Castle!
Civil War Re-enactment Weekend
The perfect time for you to make use of your ‘Pay Once, Visit All Year Round’ ticket over the Summer Holidays!
Celebrating Nottingham Castle’s role in the English Civil War, join us for a whole weekend of rebellion, excitement, and adventure! Enjoy historical re-enactments from The Sealed Knot, the UK’s oldest re-enactment society, specialising in recreating the events and battles of this tumultuous period of history…
Beyond the activities in the beautiful grounds, on site there will be mouth-watering food and drink options within the castle’s visitor centre and cafés, with wooden swords available in the Visitor Centre gift shop to get your little ones involved in the action!
🎫 Standard Admission
🎫 Pay once visit all year round
🎫 Adults: £18 | KIDS GO FREE (15 years & under, 3 per paid adult)
Disabled access: One free carer per paid ticket
This admission ticket excludes tours that are optional extra tickets. All tours are charged at £9 per person per tour.
❗Please note that this event will be in the castle grounds only. Dogs on a lead are permitted in the grounds, however not inside the building. Assistance dogs on a lead permitted onsite throughout. Picnics are welcome (excluding alcohol).
Join the rebellion and help defend the Castle against the King’s forces!
Explore living history at the Parliamentarian and Royalist camps, put your skills to the test in a kids’ weapons drill, learn some gruesome history with the Barber Surgeon, and see King Charles I and Colonel John Hutchinson in action!
There will also be talks and tours throughout the day.
Please note: this event recreates battles and skirmishes from the English Civil War. We expect loud noises and smoke.
Plan Your Day…
Want to discover even more…?
Cave Tours
Hear the tales beneath the depths of Nottingham Castle, with the cave tour to see Mortimer’s Hole or David’s Dungeon (subject to availability)
Tours run throughout the day. Tours are bookable in advance for the bank holiday weekend.
🎫 £9 per tour per person (Standard admission applies to the Castle & Grounds)
Castle Dungeon Tours
Join our Jolly Jailer to explore the grim and gruesome history of the caves underneath Nottingham Castle!
🎫 £9 per tour per person (Standard admission applies to the Castle & Grounds)
All year round | Tours
Cave Tours
Tours run daily