A HOST of celebrities and well-known historians and speakers capped off what organisers said was the most successful Chalke History Festival in its 14-year history.

Highlights of this year’s festival included talks by Sir Michael Palin, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, co-host of the Rest Is History podcast Tom Holland, and novelist Kate Mosse, who all took to the stage in front of packed audiences.

25,000 visitors descended on the festival at Broad Chalke near Salisbury from June 23 to 29, who were treated to a curated programme of living historians, performances and music to create an immersive day out for dedicated history fans.

A particular, and peculiar, highlight of the festival was the creation of a traditional hayrick – a technique to store hay not seen in the county for 70 years – which took place over the week of the festival, drawing regular crowds and generating reams of content online.

Living Historians at Chalke 2025 Picture: Ash Mills

Creative director and historian James Holland said: “The line-up for this year’s festival has showcased some of the best and brightest names from the world of history.

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“We’ve been able to give our audiences access to talks and spectacles they couldn’t see anywhere else.

“With everyone from former heads of states, thought leaders and people at the forefront of recreating history, this has truly been the best festival yet”.

The festival unveiled a new ticketing system for 2025, which for the first time allowed visitors entry to all talks included in the price of their ticket.

Anthony Scaramucci and James Holland Picture: Martin Cook

Managing director James Florence said: “We wanted to encourage our visitors to explore different topics and new speakers this year by making the festival talks more accessible.

“The feedback we’ve had during the week has been overwhelmingly positive – from both speakers and visitors – with people enjoying areas of history they had never engaged with before.”

Living Historians group at Chalke Picture: Ash Mills

Visitors to the festival also included over 2,000 schoolchildren who took part in the Chalke History Festival for Schools, with a curriculum-based programme of events, including talks from top historians, hands-on experiences, and living history performances.

The festival will return to Broad Chalke from June 22 to 28 next year.

In the meantime, festival fans can join the Chalke History Club, where talks from this year’s festival are scheduled to be published after the summer.

Michael Palin at Chalke 2025 Picture: Ash Mills