National Heritage Week 2021 will take place from Saturday, 14th – Sunday, 22nd August 2021. The Heritage Council will once again invite individuals, communities and organisations to develop Heritage Week projects, and the call for accepting National Heritage Week projects will open on Wednesday, 16th June 2021. There is no subject-specific theme for National Heritage Week 2021. Instead, project organisers are encouraged to consider how they can connect with ‘heritage newcomers’, who have not engaged with National Heritage Week before; groups or individuals who may not traditionally feel included in local heritage; and heritage enthusiasts of all ages, when planning their projects. The last day to submit a project to the National Heritage Week website will be Monday, 30th August 2021.

National Heritage Week 2021
With the continuation of public health restrictions around social gatherings due to COVID-19, we are once again inviting you to organise a heritage project. The project approach is designed to promote the sharing of experience and knowledge. This year we are looking for projects that whose approach includes ‘heritage newcomers’, ‘heritage sharing’, and ‘heritage for all ages’.

The results of projects should be presented in a format that can be shared widely, for example an online talk or exhibition; a video; podcast or oral history recordings; a PowerPoint presentation, newsletter, dedicated website or blog; or via an interview with a local radio station or newspaper. A dedicated, moderated social media account could also be included as part of project outputs.

Depending on public health advice, project organisers may select to organise a small event in their community to showcase their project (e.g. an exhibition of photographs or material). However, each project should be able to stand alone without an event, given that public health restrictions during National Heritage Week 2021 may not allow for in-person gatherings.

In addition to developing new research, projects could also revisit or build on a heritage project which may already have been started at an individual, family or community level. This could include showcasing research already done on a monument, a waterway, or a skill or tradition in the community, and finding new ways to grow awareness of it or including groups or individuals in your community who may not feel included in local heritage.

All projects that meet the objectives of National Heritage Week in a meaningful way, will be promoted on the National Heritage Week website and considered for the National Heritage Week Awards 2021.