Colchester Archaeological Trust Open Day

We’re excited to invite you to CAT Archaeology Day — a vibrant, hands-on public event where digging meets discovery, creativity and calm.

🗓️ Date: Saturday 2 August
🕙 Time: 10 am – 3 pm
📍 Location: Roman Circus House, Colchester, CO2 7GZ
🎟️ Entry: Free for all

This year, we’re aligning with the Council for British Archaeology’s Festival of Archaeology theme: 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴. At Colchester Archaeological Trust, we’re embracing this theme by offering a day designed to bring people together, stimulate curiosity, and promote better mental wellbeing through creative and mindful engagement with archaeology.

We’ll be exploring the Five Ways to Wellbeing (as promoted by Mind):
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 | 𝗕𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 | 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 | 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 | 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲

These core principles are woven into every part of the day — from tactile artefact digs to creative crafts and thoughtful conversations.

Here’s a glimpse of what’s in store:

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗢n

Try your hand at real archaeological techniques in our sandpit dig. Budding young archaeologists can use archaeological trowels to uncover artefacts.

𝗕𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲

Join us in the creative corner for colouring, word searches, collage-making, and more. We’re encouraging visitors to reflect on what archaeology and wellbeing mean to them.

𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲

Explore our archaeologists’ toolkit and guess which tools belong to which specialism. Dress up as an archaeologist and snap a photo! Fun for families and a window into career possibilities.

𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀

Can you identify a mystery object by touch alone? Test your skills and talk to our specialists about what you’ve found.

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀

Examine artefacts from our archives and guess their use and age. Learn how archaeological interpretation works and why context matters.

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲

Visit our memory box and leave behind a thought, story, or your own wellbeing collage. Pick up a leaflet and continue your archaeological journey beyond the day.

𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗻𝗶𝗰

Relax in our decorated picnic area in the Sergeants’ Mess gardens, on the site of the only known Roman Circus in the UK. It’s a unique chance to unwind at a site of national significance.

We’re proud to run this event in collaboration with our incredible team of staff and volunteers at the Colchester Archaeological Trust. Archaeology isn’t just about the past — it’s about people, community, and how we live today.

Join us for a day of digging, discovery and wellbeing.

We look forward to welcoming you!