The popular Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival returns from Monday 26 August through to Sunday 15 September, at sites across Ironbridge.

Starting the festival on Monday 26 August will be the popular Coracle Regatta run by the Ironbridge Coracle Trust and will include coracle races, duck race, stalls, entertainment and much more.

Secret Severn Art 2024 will have activities from 6 to 15 September exploring the wonderful creativity and art available in the gorge. Browse open studios and purchase original pieces of art direct from the artist. Visitors can start off at Fusion for the main exhibition, then work their way around Jackfield and the gorge exploring the open studios. Over forty artists are featured in the main exhibition and 17 artists feature in open studios. Secret Severn Art will also be running an art workshop throughout the event.

Take part in the Heritage Open Days on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September at Coalbrookdale with Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and on Saturday 14 September the Ironbridge Open Day on the Wharfage runs from 11am to 4pm. The Open Day showcases traditional heritage skills, stalls, and street entertainment. The Wharfage will be pedestrianised for the day so a great opportunity to have a wander around the stalls, shops and grab a bite to eat.

And on Sunday 15 September people can bring their four-legged friends along and enter them into the Rotary Club of Ironbridge Dog Show. This is taking place at Dale End Park and you can register on the day from 12pm with 15 categories to enter.  

Telford & Wrekin Council have also announced the launch of the poetry competition run by West Midlands group Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists who will once again, be running the competition as part of the annual festival. 

The competition is open to poets from across the globe, and poems on any and every subject are welcome. In addition to the overall winning prizes, poems sent in by people living in a TF postcode will also be eligible for our local prize of £50. The competition opens on Monday 2 September 2024 and entries need to be in before the deadline of 6pm on Sunday 20 October 2024.

Find out more at ironbridgefestival.co.uk.