About the 2026 festival
Following our inaugural festival in 2025, our aim this year is to create a bigger, better and richer series of events for military history fans of all ages.
The first 12 speakers listed on the website give you a taste of the range and depth of what's to come, from an exploration of the power dynamics between Ancient Greece and Sparta’s Military Superpower, through the remarkable story of local hero King Offa, our keynote speaker Andrew Roberts talking about his new book on Napoleon and his Marshals to a gripping clutch of modern espionage from Charles Cumming, Roland Philipps and Charlie English.
With conflict escalation risk at its highest level in decades, we will be announcing details of talks and debates in the next few weeks and months on some of the most important national and global issues of our time, including a candid discussion on the Past, Present and Future of the SAS, the impact and consequences of Epic Fury in Iran and a full survey of the geopolitical landscape, from urban Britain to Ukraine.
Alongside events in our five venues in Hereford, we are developing a programme of parallel activities which will celebrate Herefordshire's extraordinary role in Britain's military history with a display of tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers and historic SAS Land Rovers, the ‘Ledbury Convoy’, a military history fair with re-enactments from the Vikings to the Victorians on Castle Green in Hereford, a commemoration of the extraordinary links between the Royal Hospital Chelsea and Hereford and Ross-on-Wye and a series of military history trails across the county.
The Festival is a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant and is committed to supporting the Herefordshire Veteran Support Centre.
New Stirling Series Events
The festival is pleased to announce the launch of the Stirling Memorial Series, named after Lieutenant Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, OBE, founder of the SAS. This series will include discussions and debates on some of the most important issues of our time, between some of the best minds and most interesting voices in Britain today.
Events in the Stirling Series include:
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The SAS - Past, Present and Future.
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DEFCON1? - A survey of the current national and global geopolitical landscape.
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Epic Fury - The impact and consequences of the war in Iran.
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Blood Money - Military force in the British Empire and the case for and against reparations.
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From the Spur to the Drone - How warfare accelerates technological progress.
Festival Venues
In the 20th century, Hereford played a critical role in Britain’s military story. The munitions factory at Rotherwas supplied shells to the British army in both world wars and the RAF training base at Credenhill equipped pilots for service in Fighter and Bomber Command.
Today, Stirling Lines in Hereford is the headquarters of 22 SAS Regiment. An estimated 25% of Herefordshire's population has a connection to the armed forces.
