Published: Thursday, 13th April 2023

Medway residents are cordially invited to join the nation and Commonwealth for the historic Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

In honour of the momentous occasion, Medway will be proudly coming together to mark the historic Royal event.

Watch the live Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6 May from the spectacular grounds of a once Royal-occupied Rochester Castle.

Don’t miss out - join Medway’s party in Rochester Castle Gardens with live coverage from a big screen and hear the crowds cheer as King Charles is officially crowned. Bring a picnic or treat yourself to a feast fit for a king from one of the food and drinks stalls which will be in the castle grounds.

The event will also be made special for children with family-friendly entertainment:

  • a fun fair,
  • face painting,
  • a children’s arts and crafts tent,
  • children’s entertainment,
  • royal stilt walkers (Saturday only),
  • bubble shows (Saturday only), and
  • Punch and Judy shows.

Come back for more Royal celebrations on Sunday, 7 May and watch the Coronation Concert, with the castle gardens staying open until 10pm. Rochester Castle Gardens will be open from 10am on coronation day and each day throughout the bank holiday weekend.

The streets of Medway will also be turned red, white and blue over the historic weekend, with more than 30 street parties being held. If you’re celebrating at one of the street parties, be sure to share any pictures with the hashtag #CoronationMedway.

Medway has a proud royal history - it was only last year that Their Majesties were here, with His Majesty King Charles III visiting the Historic Chatham Dockyard and Her Majesty Queen Camilla opening an exhibition at The Guildhall Museum.

For those keen to discover more about Medway’s royal connections, the amazing Union Jack themed open top bus tours will be right up your street. Board the bus and be taken back in time - an actress portraying Queen Victoria will greet you and give live commentary about Medway’s royal history, both past and present, throughout the tour. 

The hop on, hop off bus tour will be running hourly services on the Saturday and Sunday, starting at Rochester Visitor Information Centre at 10am. Tickets cost £6 for adults and £3 for children aged 15 and under.

A fantastic weekend of right royal fun

Dee O’Rourke, Medway Council’s Assistant Director of Culture and Community, said: “The Coronation is a momentous event for our country and it is incredibly important we recognise and celebrate it. We have put together a stellar programme of activities for our residents to enjoy, and we are looking forward to seeing Medway’s communities come together for what is sure to be an absolutely fantastic weekend of right royal fun - both at our own spectacular events and at street parties being held across Medway.

“I’m particularly delighted that we are putting on a range of fun and interactive activities for Medway’s children and young people. This will be a memory they will have for decades to come, and ensuring we put them at the centre of what we do supports our ambition to make Medway even more child-friendly.”

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