St Helens Heritage Festival to return this May

Article date: 25 April 2025

Taking place at various locations throughout St Helens town centre, the hugely popular free, family-friendly event will celebrate the varied and interesting heritage of the borough with stalls, craft workshops, performances, tours, displays and more besides.

As well as the usual vast number of fascinating local heritage and community groups in the town hall which will include St Helens Archive Service, Sankey Canal Restoration Society and Rainhill Railway & Heritage Society to name just a few - the day will also feature a vintage bus, courtesy of Northwest Museum of Road Transport, St Helens Classic Car Association and performances by St Helens-based Mucky Mountains Morris which visitors can take part in.

Attractions and activities new to this year's lineup include free tours of St Helens Parish Church; The World of Glass Museum - with free glass blowing demonstrations; the grade II listed Cannington Shaw Bottle Shop, which is being brought back to life as part of a Town Deal programme, and a heritage trail led by Rotary St Helens.

With St Helens Heritage Festival taking place on the last Saturday of the month, the popular Pop Up Market, known for its vibrant atmosphere and diverse selection of goods from award-winning producers, will set up stall in Church Square - while kids lantern making crafts will be on offer in St Helens Library, based in The World of Glass, making this the ideal family day out.

Encouraging residents and anyone with an interest in local heritage to attend, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Business, Leisure and Culture, Councillor Kate Groucutt, said: "Our borough is steeped in rich history and heritage, being the birthplace of the railway, England's first industrial canal, as well as world leaders in glass, pharmaceuticals - and of course, home of the mighty St Helens R.F.C. - one of the most decorated rugby league clubs in the world.

 "This day is dedicated to celebrating our identity and what makes us proud, so come along and maybe learn something new about our great borough which has more than played its part throughout British history."  

St Helens Heritage Festival will take place on Saturday 31 May between 10:00am-3:00pm and has been made possible thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of St Helens Archive Service's Creative Underground project.

For more information, visit: https://www.sthelensheritagehub.org.uk/pages/st-helens-heritage-festival