Highclere Castle gears up for bumper weekend

WORLD War commemorations will feature prominently at Highclere Castle this weekend as the iconic venue plays host to two of West Berkshire’s biggest and best-loved events.
On Saturday, the 14th Annual Battle Proms picnic concert, a firmly established favourite that sees thousands return year after year, will once again take place on the lawns directly in front of the castle.
A thundering of hooves will be heard as the mounted cavalry takes visitors back in time by demonstrating battlefield skill-at-arms with lances, pistols and horsemanship.
This year the cavalry will be in First World War regalia to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.
The summer evening will close with the traditional sing-along, flag-waving proms finale, including favourites Jerusalem, Rule Britannia, and Land of Hope and Glory, with fireworks following the music.
However, the weekend’s fun doesn’t end there as Sunday sees the popular ‘Heroes at Highclere’ event. There will be aerial displays from a Spitfire, the Red Devils Parachute Regiment freefall team and a 1944 Mustang, and the event will also feature live music from 2008 X Factor winner Alexandra Burke, as well as The Portsmouth Military Wives Choir and three-part vocal harmony group The Spitfire Sisters.
A celebrity football match featuring players from the Bayer Leverkusen team, currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league, will also take place. Their opponents will be a British All-Stars Team. The owners of Highclere Castle, Lord and Lady Carnarvon, wanted the match to take place to re-create the famous Christmas truce of 1914, when German and English troops played a friendly game in the no-man’s land of the battlefields.
For tickets to the Battle Proms, visit https://battleproms.ticketsrv.co.uk/index.php/highclere-castle
For tickets to ‘Heroes at Highclere’, visit https:// highclerecastleshop.co.uk/ categories/heroes-at-highclere