If you have a soft spot for the 1940s, the North Norfolk coast has a proper weekend for it. The Sheringham 1940s Weekend, also known as the Holt & Sheringham Norfolk 1940s Weekend, is built around the North Norfolk Railway, the Poppy Line, which runs 5½ miles from Sheringham through Weybourne to Holt. It started with the railway, but it has grown to take in the whole area and now pulls in more than 20,000 people over the course of the event. The good news is that getting into Sheringham, Weybourne and Holt costs nothing, so you can wander the towns for free and only pay for the bits you actually want to do.
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The weekend opens with '1940s in the Town', when shops and window displays dress the part and staff turn up in period clothes. There is a 'Best-Dressed Window' contest run by the railway, and vintage music plays across the town. Two free competitions run across the weekend: a ration book challenge where you collect stamps at participating spots or on Facebook to win prizes worth over £550, and a photography competition with a £50 prize for the three best images, open to anyone over 18.
Saturday is the busiest day. The Knightingales, a British vintage harmony trio, hold singing and dancing sessions at the Sheringham Town Clock at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00. The 'Steam Back to the Forties' trains run between Sheringham and Holt, with tickets including entry to the Holt Exhibition, which is held in the fields at £15 for adults and £5 for children aged 3 to 15, free for under-3s and dogs. There are historical exhibitions and live music at Sheringham, Weybourne and Holt stations, and the day closes with a free 1940s vehicle parade at 19:00, which gathers at 18:30 and loops from Sheringham Station car park past the town clock and back.
Sunday keeps the theme going with live music, activities and 1940s stalls, and a free vintage bus service runs between Sheringham and Holt. The highlight is the People's Parade at 16:00, open to anyone dressed in 1940s clothes, with participants gathering at 15:30 on Wyndham Street near the Lobster Pub before marching past the town clock to Sheringham Station. The weekend wraps up with a closing ceremony at 16:20, presided over by the Town Mayor of Sheringham, the General Manager of the North Norfolk Railway and the Town Crier.
A few practical notes before you go. Dressing up is not compulsory, though a lot of people do. The railway is run almost entirely by volunteers, and the festival is backed by local businesses, volunteers and artists. To get there, Greater Anglia's Bittern Line goes to Sheringham Station, and Sanders Coaches run the Coast Hopper services 44, 44A, X44, X40 and X41. On the Saturday, there is a park and ride at Cook's Field on Cromer Road from 9:00 to 9:30 at £5 a day cash, with return bus tickets at £2 for adults and £1.50 for children. On the Sunday, there is a park and walk at Beeston Common from 9:00 to 18:00, about a five to seven minute walk from the centre. The central car park is £1.75 for the first hour and £1.45 for each hour after, cash or card.
Published Date
18 October 2026
