Get your ration cards ready and victory rolls set as you…
Step back in time for our much-loved 1940s Weekend! With vintage trains, live entertainment and re-enactments, period displays, and an atmosphere bringing the era of wartime Britain vividly to life.
Step outside and explore an impressive display of classic vehicles, including military transport, vintage cars, motorbikes, and steam traction engines. From wartime utility vehicles to elegant pre-war motors, these machines help bring the 1940s to life – off the rails and onto the roads!
Soak up the sounds of the 1940s with live bands, singers, and dance demonstrations throughout the weekend. From swing and big band classics to the melodies that kept morale high, get ready to tap your feet. Plus, with a newly installed dance floor in the Quorn and Woodhouse Marquee, so you can jive and relive the music of the era! New for this year will be an entertainments marquee at Rothley station.
The past comes to life with reenactors in period clothing, recreating the spirit of the Home Front and wartime Britain. From soldiers on duty to land girls and civilians, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped straight into the 1940s. Highlights will include a re-enaction involving Merchant navy seamen and a demonstration of war time firefighting. And don’t forget – make sure you have your ID card ready!
Watch history in motion with authentic steam-hauled passenger and goods trains running throughout the weekend. See how vital wartime freight was transported and experience travel as it was during the 1940s – pulled by the power of steam.
With wartime rationing in full swing, we’re bringing the flavours of the decade to life.
Our trader village is being re-located to Quorn, with stalls offering vintage clothes, accessories and jewellery.
Delve deeper into the decade that was dominated by war with authentic displays of Allied forces, civilian life, and local history. From military encampments to Home Front exhibits, discover how ordinary people played their part in Britain’s wartime effort. Learn about the challenges of daily life, the resilience of communities, and the vital role of railways in keeping the country moving.
Re-live the atmosphere of a 1940s dance hall with live music on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Dancing to Lady Lindy Sings and DJ Woody on the Friday, and Ding Dong Daddios on the Saturday, these two FREE dances will evoke the spirit of a different age.
There will be a special appearance from the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight across both days of the event. A highlight of the weekend, the Memorial Flight pays tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of those who served during the Second World War. The timings for the flight are 14:03 pm on Saturday and 13:57 pm on Sunday, the plane will be Spitfire on both days.
The Quorn Local History Group has put together a fascinating look at life in the village during the 1940s, including evacuees, wartime events, the 82nd Airborne, Wright’s Factory, the POW camp, and the Village Hall canteen. Learn more on their website: quorndon.com/localhistory.
On Saturday, vintage buses will shuttle between Quorn and Loughborough Central stations all evening, right up to the end of the free dances, in the Quorn & Woodhouse marquee, to help revellers get home. Bus timetable to follow soon.
New for Loughborough Station over the 1940s weekend will be the Heroes in the Sky presentation. The times will be 12.30pm and 14.15pm.
Heroes in the Sky is a storytelling presentation which draws on extensive theatrical experience to bring to life forgotten stories from the aerial war in Britain during WW2. From tales of pilots’ derring-do to anecdotes from the homefront, the lives of civilians as well as female pilots, this is a chance for an audience to gain an insight into an overlooked corner of history, through the lens of a quasi-theatrical storytelling experience.
