Chirk Canal Celebration

The Chirk Canal Celebration was a heritage-themed community event designed to celebrate the 225th anniversary of Chirk Aqueduct and highlight the rich history, landscape and identity of Chirk within the wider World Heritage Site. The event brought together a wide range of activities along the canal corridor, including storytelling, live performances, family-friendly workshops, heritage trails, trade boats and free boat trips across the aqueduct.

It was designed as both a celebration and a live test of how Chirk could function as a more active destination. By spreading activity across different locations and encouraging people to move through the space, the event explored how visitors could engage more deeply with the canal, local heritage and surrounding community. It also created opportunities for local businesses and organisations to be involved, supporting the local economy and increasing community participation.

Importantly, the event built on learning from earlier phases of the project, demonstrating how heritage, culture and community activity can be combined to activate place. It helped shift perception of the canal from something to look at, to something to experience, and reinforced Chirk’s role as an important part of the connected World Heritage Site story.