River Festival

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be marked by Britain’s biggest national celebration for decades during the extended bank holiday weekend of 2 to 5 June, and Medway will join the festivities with three days of special events.

Chatham Waterfront is the place to be on the Saturday, 2 June, when yachts and sailing vessels of every kind will join together for the Medway River Festival. Celebrating Medway’s maritime connections and supported by Chatham Maritime Trust, the free family event will run from 10.30am to 4.30pm with river displays and races running all day, along with food stalls, exhibitions and live music.

Among the events scheduled to take place will be yacht and dragon fleet races and displays by the Medway Watersports Trust, the Medway Towns Rowing Club, Medway Yacht Club and The Morning Star Trust. The Kingswear Castle Paddle Steamer is also set to sail by as part of the day’s events. The Mayor and Mayoress of Medway will officially open the festival at 10.30am.

As part of Medway’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations there will also be special service at Rochester Cathedral on Sunday, 3 June. And on Monday, 4 June Medway will join the rest of the nation as thousands of community jubilee beacons are lit across the UK.

From 10pm to 10.30pm, six community beacons will be lit at Capstone Country Park, Gillingham, Riverside Country Park, Gillingham, Broomhill, Strood, Victoria Gardens, Chatham, Kingshill, Four Wents Road, Hoo, and the Great Lines Heritage Park, Chatham where there will also be a free fireworks display.