Press Room

Hear it here first! For important National Bell Festival announcements, special news, and team successes, tune in below. We're making sound waves!

Bells of Historic Significance Can Be Retuned, Says Diocese of Durham

The medieval, Grade II-listed All Saints’ Church, Stranton, in the port town of Hartlepool, England, boasts a ring of eight merry peal bells ranging in size from 450 lbs. to over 1,400 lbs. (bells hang in only two other churches in Hartlepool: St. Aidan’s and St. Oswald’s). A couple of the church’s bells date to the middle ages and one, in particular, has caused quite the commotion of late.
 

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Royal Shipwreck from 1682 Identified by Ship’s Bell

It was a bright and fresh morning. The HMS Gloucester was under full sail, bound for the Scottish capital at Edinburgh. The fluttering royal standard atop the highest mast denoted the presence of royalty and, indeed, the Duke of York, younger brother to His Majesty King Charles II and heir to the English throne, sat ensconced in his well-appointed cabins.

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Great Paul Leads Bell Ringing Tribute at Platinum Jubilee

This weekend, Her Majesty The Queen is marking an extraordinary accomplishment: the first British monarch to celebrate 70 years on the throne with a Platinum Jubilee. Four days of nationwide commemorations, splendor, and pageantry (including an estimated 16,000 street parties across the United Kingdom) will last from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5, 2022.

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The Bells of the Netherlands Carillon Resound Back to Life

The Netherlands Carillon, a gift from the people of the Netherlands to the people of the United States in gratitude for American aid during and after World War II, has rung out again over Arlington Ridge Park after a three-year restoration.

The restoration beautified and secured the open steel structure, while all 50 tower bells were returned to the Netherlands for cleaning and retuning. An additional three bells were cast and added to the assembly, elevating the instrument to grand carillon status. 

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Join Us at the Netherlands Carillon for a Freedom Concert

The National Bell Festival is thrilled to join the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the National Park Service in celebrating the Netherlands’ Liberation Day and the completion of the rehabilitation of the Netherlands Carillon.

And you’re invited! After a years-long restoration that began in late 2019, the Netherlands Carillon is set to resound back to life this coming Thursday, May 5, during an inaugural Freedom Concert. The morning event, which is free and open to the public, will include performances on 53 bells and addresses from both embassy and park officials.

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Love, Elation, Intrigue, and Death at UC Berkeley Campanile

Here at the National Bell Festival, we spend more than our fair share of time scrambling up rickety ladders and winding up narrow stairs to explore what treasures a bell tower can hold. Often, that discovery comes replete with a few surprises. Turning a corner to get a face full of spider web, hearing the unsettling crunch of a rotten floorboard underfoot, or startling a pigeon into frantic flight – we’ve seen it all. 

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Peace Bell in Mariupol Falls Silent

As the horrors of the Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to unfold, one bell stands in mute testimony to the resilience of the Ukrainian people: Mariupol’s Peace Bell.

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World Carillon Federation Organizes Concerts for Peace

Bell towers across the globe will resound in unity this weekend, sending a message of peace with the playing of beloved Ukrainian melodies on bells. From Europe to Asia and from Australia to the Americas, bells will ring out in a heartfelt appeal for peace, as the sovereign people of Ukraine stand against invasion and war.

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Bells in America to Ring for Peace in Ukraine

In a heartfelt appeal for peace, as the sovereign people of Ukraine stand against invasion and war, the National Bell Festival joins the archbishops of Canterbury and York in calling for a day of prayer and reflection. This Sunday, February 27, 2022, bells across America will toll between the hours of 11:30am – 1:00pm local time in support of dialogue over destruction, collaboration over conflagration.

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An Old Bell Rings Anew in Georgetown

The 19th-century bell at Georgetown Lutheran Church has resounded for the first time in decades, following a months-long restoration effort funded by the National Bell Festival. Marking 250 years since the congregation’s founding (1769-2019), the bell’s return and rededication celebrations had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but were finally realized this last weekend.

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Bells of Historic Significance Can Be Retuned, Says Diocese of Durham

The medieval, Grade II-listed All Saints’ Church, Stranton, in the port town of Hartlepool, England, boasts a ring of eight merry peal bells ranging in size from 450...
Royal Shipwreck from 1682 Identified by Ship’s Bell

It was a bright and fresh morning. The HMS Gloucester was under full sail, bound for the Scottish capital at Edinburgh. The fluttering royal standard atop...
Great Paul Leads Bell Ringing Tribute at Platinum Jubilee

This weekend, Her Majesty The Queen is marking an extraordinary accomplishment: the first British monarch to celebrate 70 years on the throne with a Platinum Jubilee...
The Bells of the Netherlands Carillon Resound Back to Life

The Netherlands Carillon, a gift from the people of the Netherlands to the people of the United States in gratitude for American aid during and after World War II,...
Join Us at the Netherlands Carillon for a Freedom Concert

The National Bell Festival is thrilled to join the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the National Park Service in celebrating the Netherlands’ Liberation...
Love, Elation, Intrigue, and Death at UC Berkeley Campanile

Here at the National Bell Festival, we spend more than our fair share of time scrambling up rickety ladders and winding up narrow stairs to explore what treasures a...
Peace Bell in Mariupol Falls Silent

As the horrors of the Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to unfold, one bell stands in mute testimony to the resilience of the Ukrainian people: Mariupol’s Peace...
World Carillon Federation Organizes Concerts for Peace

Bell towers across the globe will resound in unity this weekend, sending a message of peace with the playing of beloved Ukrainian melodies on bells. From Europe to...
Bells in America to Ring for Peace in Ukraine

In a heartfelt appeal for peace, as the sovereign people of Ukraine stand against invasion and war, the National Bell Festival joins the archbishops of Canterbury and...
An Old Bell Rings Anew in Georgetown

The 19th-century bell at Georgetown Lutheran Church has resounded for the first time in decades, following a months-long restoration effort funded by the National...
Request for Proposals: Casting 51 Carillon Bells

The National Bell Festival is seeking the services of a professional bell foundry with extensive experience and craftsmanship in bell making to cast a set of bells...
A Bell Tower in Southwest England Could Use Your Help

Historic bells in the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist in the small market town of Hatherleigh, Devon, are at risk of falling silent. Resounding over Hatherleigh...
Traditional Russian Bell Ringing Adds New Resonance to BellFest

This year, a new sound was heard at the National Bell Festival: Russian Orthodox bell ringing. Distinctive in style, tone, and mechanics, the traditional bell ringing...
The 2022 National Bell Festival in Review

That’s a wrap! The last reverberations from the final toll of the 2022 National Bell Festival have rippled across the skies. We couldn’t be more excited about all we...
Bell Towers Across Four Continents Set to Ring in the New Year

This New Year’s Eve, the first-ever Ring around the World will invite bells to resound in an international moment of unity and celebration. At midnight local...
Bicentennial Tribute to Harriet Tubman Planned for New Year’s Day

At noon on New Year’s Day 2022, a solitary bell will ring 200 times at the Military Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery to mark the years since the birth...
Israeli Archeologists Unveil Cache of Bells Recovered from Ancient Shipwreck

The Israel Antiquities Authority has published findings from a recent submarine survey, bringing to light a ship’s cargo that sank nearly 1,700 years ago. The...
Announcing the 2022 Official Festival Artist: Daniel Horowitz

With the third annual National Bell Festival just two weeks away, we’re thrilled to announce the 2022 Official Festival Artist: Virginia-based landscape and urban...
Update to the Change Ringing Schedule at BellFest

Not one, but two full peal attempts will be happening this New Year’s weekend! The Washington Ringing Society has announced a second full peal attempt will be added...
The Countdown Is On!

In just one month, the third annual National Bell Festival returns with the privilege of ringing in the New Year. This year’s community festival will be our most...
Protecting a Bell that Tolls the Story of Women Who Serve

When a neighbor needs help, you help them. That’s why, when the Military Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery mentioned they needed some help readying...
Three New Bells Complete the Vision for St. Bernadette

When St. Bernadette Church in Springfield, Virginia, was dedicated in 1981, parishioners delighted in the contemporary architectural stylings that would form their...
Denver Art Museum to Repatriate Ancient Cambodian Bell

Fallout continues after the October 2021 publication of the Pandora Papers, a cache of almost 12 million documents obtained by the International Consortium of...
Another Grim Milestone Resounds Over Washington

The Bourdon bell at Washington National Cathedral will toll 700 times this evening in honor of the 700,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic...
Bell Tower Green Opens to the Public in Salisbury, North Carolina

A new park surrounding a historic bell tower has just opened to the public in Salisbury, North Carolina. After more than two years of construction (ground breaking...
Bells of London to Resound on July 31

Greater vaccine adoption across England means that the beleaguered City of London is finally able to reopen. COVID-19 restrictions across the city are being eased and...
Celebrating the Bicentenary of the Ellacombe Chiming Apparatus

This June 26 marks the 200th anniversary of Rev. Henry Thomas Ellacombe’s invention of a mechanism that allowed a single person to ring a set of tower bells. Two...
In Memoriam: Luigi Bergamo

The pandemic has left many grieving hearts in its wake. Those in the business of making bells felt this all too keenly this spring when Luigi Bergamo, 76, former...
Whitechapel Bell Foundry to Become Boutique Hotel

Whitechapel Bell Foundry, Britain’s oldest factory, shut its doors in 2017 and a fight for its future has been raging ever since. The foundry had been casting bronze...
BellFest Salutes Australia’s Inaugural Festival of Bells

Congratulations to Australia's inaugural Festival of Bells! The event centered around Bathurst's recently-upgraded and now world-class War Memorial Carillon. Music,...
Bells Toll in Honor of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

As the longest-serving royal consort in British history, HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, provided vital, continuous support to Her Majesty The Queen and the...
Bells to Half-Muffle in Tribute to Americans Lost to COVID-19

Today, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation directing the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the more than 500,000 Americans...
President-Elect Biden Calls on Bells to Ring

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) planning the events and activities surrounding the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect...
That’s a Wrap!

The second annual National Bell Festival is concluded and we couldn’t be more excited by all we accomplished this last year. Even in the face of a pandemic, our...
Washington National Cathedral Announces New Year's Day Carillon Recital

New Year's Day has traditionally been celebrated at Washington National Cathedral with change ringing by the Washington Ringing Society on the Cathedral’s 10-bell...
What We Know About the Middle Collegiate Church Bell After Weekend Fire

Early Saturday morning, just before 5:00am, a yet cause-unknown fire broke out and then rapidly spread through three buildings in New York City’s East Village along...
BellFest to Film on Location at Historic Perry Belmont House

The annual National Bell Festival, taking place on New Year’s Day, will this year conclude with a performance on piano by acclaimed musician, Elizabeth Hill. A...
Announcing the 2021 Official Festival Artist: Cris Clapp Logan

The National Bell Festival has tapped D.C.-based illustrator Cris Clapp Logan to serve as the official artist for the second annual festival on New Year’s Day....
Metro Motor Returns as BellFest Presenting Sponsor

Reconfirming an investment in and commitment to the Washington, D.C. community, Metro Motor has announced it is renewing Carillon-level sponsorship of the National...
It’s Official: National Ring a Bell Day is a Thing

Looking for even more reason to love New Year’s Day? Not only is the first day in January the annual date of the National Bell Festival, it’s also now National Ring a...
BellFest Welcomes New Health and Wellness Advisor

The global and regional response to the novel coronavirus has challenged many organizations to reevaluate their operations and adjust their programming to keep...
Even More Ways to Make It Ring

This year, as part of our commitment to keeping you safe, we are featuring activities that allow you to celebrate the New Year and join in the ringing with the...
This Weekend, Bells will Ring to Pay Tribute to Fallen Firefighters

The National Bell Festival is honored to participate in the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, the official national tribute to all firefighters who have...
We Have Liftoff

For the first time in decades, a bell has hung at Georgetown Lutheran Church – not in the church’s formidable grey stone tower, nor in the purpose-built pagoda of the...
You shop. We ring.

What’s the easiest way to support the National Bell Festival? Designate us as your preferred charity on Amazon Smile! It only takes two clicks to do, costs you...
Ring at Noon During the Pandemic

The National Bell Festival is pleased to highlight and support a new project by City of Bells, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit committed to coordinating, restoring, and...
Why Don't I Hear the Bells?

A hush has fallen on the Washington area’s four change ringing towers as the novel coronavirus continues to disrupt our community. Normally, with less congestion and...
Metro Motor Announces Sponsorship of the First National Bell Festival

Metro Motor is helping Washington ring in the New Year like never before by becoming a Carillon-level sponsor of the first National Bell Festival (BellFest), taking...
Bells and the Anglo-American Special Relationship

The National Bell Festival was delighted to receive a group of 12 students traveling to Washington, D.C. from the University of Westminster in London as part of their...
We Came, We Saw, We…Concurred

For the first time in decades, a light has shone in the old bell tower at Georgetown Lutheran Church. Why? You might recall the National Bell Festival is working to...
You Must Be New Here

So are we! We’re thrilled to announce the first National Bell Festival, a day when Washington comes together to ring in the New Year. Whether you’re just visiting the...