Cathedrals at Night – St Albans

For two nights only – Thursday 29 July and Friday 20 August – visitors can experience for themselves the unique beauty of this medieval cathedral as it moves from daylight to dusk.

Visitors are invited to experience St Albans Cathedral like never before – when the cathedral opens its doors for Cathedrals At Night.

This special reflective event will allow visitors to see the architecture and medieval wall paintings in a different light. St Albans is offering visitors the chance to discover more about its medieval past with activities to bring its stories to life with guided tours by costumed guides, there are prayer stations for those who want to light candle, and the opportunity to simply “be” in this sacred space, and experience for themselves its unique peace and tranquility.

St Albans is also offering visitors the chance to book tickets for a special twilight Tower Tour for unrivalled views of the Cathedral and the Hertfordshire countryside, or on its Great Survivor Tour to learn about the Cathedral’s exterior and how it survived war, revolt and neglect with experienced guides.

Twilight Tower Tours is suitable for age 11+ and costs £10 with concessions, tickets here.

St Albans is the first of our cathedrals to hold a Cathedrals at Night event this year and was the first cathedral to offer this new initiative last year after the first lockdown.

Cathedrals At Night was launched for the first time by the Association of English Cathedrals (AEC) to mark 2020 Year of Cathedrals, Year of Pilgrimage. Every Church of England cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Cathedral Isle of Man, and St Davids and St Asaph from the Church in Wales, had planned to open their doors after hours on at least one evening throughout the year to welcome in people of all ages to experience and explore their beautiful buildings in a new way, and to enjoy a taste of cathedral life by offering a mix of cultural, heritage and spiritual activities – all free of charge.

The first Cathedrals At Night event took place in Rochester Cathedral in February 2020 under Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon installation before the country went into lockdown due to the pandemic and all Cathedrals at Night events were postponed or cancelled.

When it could open again last July, St Albans re-organised its first Cathedrals At Night event – it was so popular it organised a second one in September, and has brought the event back again for two more dates this year.

Cathedrals At Night is a campaign to encourage people who would not normally come into a cathedral to find a warm welcome and an opportunity to explore and understand what a cathedral is and does, while allowing those more familiar with cathedrals to experience them in a new way.