Celebrating the Year of the Normans

Hastings Borough Council is excited about the plans and events being arranged to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror. 

There will be events across Hastings and the rest of the country and in France from this summer and into 2027, as part of the Year of the Normans. National events include the Bayeux Tapestry returning to the UK for the first time in almost 1,000 years at an exhibition at the British Museum. Hastings Museum & Art Gallery is working with the British Museum on the launch of the exhibition. 

The Hastings Embroidery, which was created to mark the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings will be on display at Hastings Town Hall. The exhibition will open over August Bank Holiday weekend and will run until the end of October for Hastings Week. 

There will also be a guided route taking in Hastings’ 1066 heritage from the train station to the castle and West Hill Lift. These plans are still being finalised, please keep checking our website and social media for more information. 

Other events planned so far include: 

Bayeux Doodle live art event in Bottle Alley on Saturday 29 August where artists will create a giant modern tapestry over the day. 

Bayeux Tapestry Family Day at Hastings Contemporary Gallery on Thursday 29 October with creative workshops, comic strip storytelling, hands-on activities, and take-home crafts. 

Stitch for Change community tapestry at community venues between October and March. 

Tapestry workshops and performance at schools and community venues in September and October with a performance in 2027. 

The language of legend, a project exploring how 1066 shaped our language taking place until October with writing workshops, a community anthology and live storytelling events. 

These events have all received funding through the first round of the council’s Norman Heritage Seed Fund with additional funding available for events in 2027. 

There will also be a Bayeux Tapestry digital projection experience at East Sussex College Group Station Plaza and Ore campuses from autumn until summer 2027. These immersive visual displays will use high-resolution imagery from the British Museum to bring the Bayeux Tapestry’s story to life. 

Cllr Julia Hilton, lead councillor for shaping places, regeneration and community wealth building, said: “I am really pleased that we have been able to help fund and plan a huge variety of events and activities in the next few months to celebrate this historic anniversary. I’m really looking forward to seeing how these events reflect and re-tell the story of this important part of our history as a town and country. I hope people will want to come and visit the place that inspired the making of the Bayeux Tapestry.” 

Details of the events being planned are available on the new Visit Hastings website. Anyone who is also planning events around the Year of the Normans is encouraged to add these to the website. 

Details of the events being planned are available on the new Visit Hastings website. Anyone who is also planning events around the Year of the Normans is encouraged to add these to the website.