Traditions that refuse to fade

Some traditions fade out. Preston’s never did.

Now two of the city’s most recognisable customs, Preston Guild and Preston Egg Rolling, are being put forward for national recognition as part of the UK’s UNESCO Living Heritage inventories.

Preston City Council has formally submitted expressions of interest for both events, recognising them not as pieces of history kept behind glass, but as living traditions that still belong to the people of the city. They are passed down, reshaped, and kept alive by each new generation that takes part.

The UK’s Living Heritage inventories exist to recognise cultural traditions that continue to matter in everyday life. By putting forward Preston Guild and Egg Rolling, the council is backing the idea that these events are more than annual dates in the diary. They are part of the city’s identity, woven into how Preston celebrates, gathers, and remembers itself.

Preston Guild sits at the centre of that story.

Dating back to 1179, it is one of the oldest and rarest civic traditions in the country. Held once every 20 years, The Guild began when King Henry II granted Preston its first royal charter, giving local merchants and tradespeople exclusive rights through the Guild Merchant.

More than 800 years later, the tradition still shapes the city. The Guild stretches across an entire year and builds towards huge civic ceremonies and processions that pull thousands of people into the streets. Schools, churches, community groups, marching bands, local businesses, volunteers, and families all become part of it.

At the heart of The Guild are the processions. Loud, colourful, chaotic in the best way. A chance for communities to make something together and take ownership of the city’s streets. To keep those skills and that energy alive between Guild years, Preston City Council launched Encounter Festival, helping procession-making continue to evolve rather than disappear between generations.

The next Guild is set for 2032.

Preston Egg Rolling holds a different kind of place in the city, smaller in scale maybe, but just as deeply rooted.

Since 1867, families have gathered on Easter Monday in Avenham and Miller Parks to roll eggs down the hill in one of Preston’s most loved traditions. What started with hard-boiled pace eggs dyed in onion skins has grown into a huge family event filled with bonnets, workshops, performances, and community activity.

It remains simple at its core. Thousands of people turning up, year after year, to take part in something shared.

The council says both traditions capture exactly what “living heritage” should mean: practices that continue to evolve while staying connected to the communities that built them.

Adrian Phillips, Chief Executive at Preston City Council, said: “We are incredibly proud to submit Preston Guild and Preston Egg Rolling to the UK’s UNESCO Living Heritage inventories. These traditions are deeply rooted in our city’s history and demonstrate its living heritage. By putting these events forward, we are recognising their importance to Preston’s cultural identity and reaffirming our commitment to protecting and celebrating them for years to come.”

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