King Harold Festival Saturday 10th October 2026

About

King Harold Day, Waltham Abbey
Saturday 10th October 2026

Celebrate this special day in Waltham Abbey and take part in the various activities on offer:

WALTHAM ABBEY TOWN

12.30am Morris Dancing outside the museum

1.00 - 2.00pm King Harold Day Society Parade. Assemble outside the museum for a costumed procession through the town centre to a Flower-Placing Ceremony at the King Harold Memorial in the Abbey Churchyard. We remember King Harold II on the 960th anniversary of his death at the Battle of Hastings 1066.

EPPING FOREST DISTRICT MUSEUM

Drop-in and timed activities: Epping Forest District Museum – Don’t miss your chance to see “King Harold’s battle axe” up close in the museum’s display. Includes a Rune trail and Anglo-Saxon objects to handle, brass rubbing and meet King Harold, a Bishop and a Saxon Huscarl. Enjoy more by taking part in an Anglo-Saxon cooking session, Storytelling, and Arts & Crafts Activity. £7 per child.

Museum event times: Family Crafts 10.30am - 3.30pm, Storytelling 11am, 12noon and 2pm, Saxon Cooking 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm.

WALTHAM ABBEY CHURCH

12 noon Music for Lunch. Steel Pan in Motion: classical sounds of steel. Refreshments for 11.30am - admission free.

1.30 - 3.45pm (last admission 3.30pm): Bell Tower Open – climb to the top of the tower, see the bells and admire the view. Tea, coffee and cake served in the church. £5 adults / £2 children to climb the tower – supporting the Bell Fund. 

WALTHAM ABBEY LIBRARY

Drop-in activities: Waltham Abbey Library – Activities including Waltham Abbey Trails, colouring and crafts. Admission free.

More information on the museum facebook page here.

 

Book Tickets Online

Facilities

Catering

  • Refreshments Available

Map & Directions

Road Directions

M25 (junction 25/26) A121 – Waltham Abbey. The Abbey Church is in Highbridge Street (postcode EN9 1DG).

Car parking is available outside the Abbey Church – free for two hours. Or park in the Cornmill car park behind the Muhinur restaurant, or in the Abbey Gardens car park (accessible from the roundabout on the B194 at the junction of Abbey View and Crooked Mile).

Public Transport Directions

By Rail

To Waltham Cross (1.2 miles) from London Liverpool Street, Hertford East and Cambridge. – Services run approximately every 30 minutes in each direction. For details, contact Greater Anglia.

By Bus

Waltham Abbey is served by several bus routes – for information, refer to Travelline South East and Anglia. Use Find a Timetable and enter Waltham Abbey as the location.

King Harold Festival

Type:Heritage & History

Waltham Abbey Church Grounds and Museum and Library, Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey, Essex, EN9 1SQ

Tel: 01992 716882

Opening Times

King Harold Festival (10 Oct 2026)

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