Gravesham and Dartford Saint Georges Day
The sun was shining on Saint George’s Day festivities as the local community came out to celebrate the patron saint of England on Thursday 23rd April in Gravesend and Dartford
The celebrations were produced by Cohesion Plus, supported by Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Dartford Borough Council, Arts Council England and KKB Construction.
The celebrations started in Gravesend in the morning with 13 local schools and some 700 young people participating in the parade through the town centre. In the afternoon the festivities moved to Dartford where 10 local schools and some 600 young people paraded through down the High Street.
Each young person had the opportunity to display their Saint George themed shields, coats of arms, dragons and signs which they produced in workshops led by arts organisation Same Sky in the lead up to the celebrations. The creative makes conveyed the message of unity, friendship, unity and tolerance in the spirit of Saint George and everything he stands for.
Each town also played host to a dazzling programme of live entertainment showcasing the colourful and diverse nature of England with performances taking place in the respective high streets from artists such as Premier Brass Band, DDFK Brass, Live Experience Baja Band, themed stilt walkers and Saint George himself in full chainmail costume. Other highlights included an appearance by the magical Show Globe a mobile life size, fully interactive snow globe representing the English Rose and a giant fire breathing dragon which processed with the schools and wowed onlookers.
The celebrations stood as an opportunity to celebrate and showcase England within the context of 2026 and how regardless of ethnicity, faith and background, everyone can come together to celebrate Saint George’s Day and wave the flag with pride.
Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL the Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus commented “I am so proud of what we were able to achieve. I hope that the children will go away having had a great time and made special memories. We started the celebrations in Gravesend in 2006 and in Dartford a few years later, it is amazing to see how popular they have become. I am of course also very grateful to all of our funders and partners who continue to support our work principally Arts Council England which allows us to deliver these celebrations in the heart of local communities”.
