King's Coronation Community Events

Shaftesbury Town Coincil is organising several community events in celebration of the King’s Coronation (Saturday 6th – Monday 8th May).

These events have been designed to offer something for all tastes and ages, so we hope that you will be able to join us for all or some of them.

Saturday 6 May – King’s Coronation Community Festival
4pm til late, Wincombe Recreation Ground
Kicking off the weekend in style, we will be welcoming a host of local musicians to entertain the crowds at our Community Festival, alongside a variety of food and drink establishments. Headlining the event will be local band Jarmarca, ably supported by Belle Street, Conor and The Reel Deal. Gritchie will be providing the pop-up bar and the Scouts will be doing a BBQ. You are also more than welcome to BYO picnic.

Sunday 7 May – Crown Hunt
11am-2pm, St James’ Park
Perfect for the little ones, our Crown Hunt will take place in the newly reopened St James’ Park. We’ve hidden 1,000 wooden crowns in the grounds of the park and Shaftesbury Abbey – find five to win a special Coronation prize!

Please register via Eventbrite as places are limited.

Monday 8 May – Byzant Ceremony/Maypole Dancing (Steps in Time) 11am, Town Hall.

Members and supporters of the Gold Hill Museum will be re-enacting a Byzant Ceremony.

The colourful and lively procession will start at the Town Hall and then make its way down to Tout Hill and onto Enmore Green; the location of the springs that once supplied most of the town’s water. From there, it will go up Jubilee Path and along Park Walk back to the Town Hall.

Although the exact start date of the ceremony is unknown, it was documented in a letter from the Abbess in 1364.The ceremony involved the Byzant (a sort of totem) which was given by the town to the Mayor of Gillingham as a thank you for the use of water springs in Enmore Green. Other gifts included a pair of leather gloves, a calf’s head, two wheaten loaves, a gallon of ale and (possibly) 7 silver pennies. The Byzant was returned at the end of the ceremony as a sign of the renewed agreement. The modern ceremony uses a decorated besom (broom). The original Byzant can be viewed in Gold Hill Museum. Steps in Time will also be doing Maypole dancing as part of the ceremony.

More details on the website.

More information:
Visit Event Website