Preston Guild 2012

With more than 800 years of tradition, Preston Guild is a famous and unique celebration. The first eye-witness account of a Guild dates from 1682, by which time it was already regarded as a rare historical survival.

There have been 26 Guilds for which records survive, held regularly every twenty years apart from a wartime interruption- there was no 1942 Guild.

Each Guild has been a triumph, despite the predictions of some Prestonians who have said, since the Guild began, "it can't be as good as last time". The Guild has adapted to change. It has included new trades, new events, new ways of celebrating the present, but at the heart of the Guild is a renewal ceremony which is as old as the Guild itself. Change and continuity have been its hallmarks for eight centuries.

In 2012 we have extended the traditional Guild Week to 10 days to celebrate 10 years as a city. Throughout its long history the Preston Guild has always been focussed on the first week in September, even though celebrations have taken place before and after.

This is when the ceremonial and civic events take place. The timing of Guild Week has been the same since 1562 - the Guild Court must be opened on the Monday after the feast of the decollation of St John the Baptist (29 August).

The civic events are our link with the rich and unique history of Preston Guild and all those people who have celebrated it before us.