We are delighted to announce that we are 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.
Event timings*
4pm: DJ
5.15 – 6.15pm: Conor Smith
6.30 – 7.30pm: Belle Street
7.45 – 8.45pm: The Reel Deal
9 – 11pm: Jamarca
*Please note that timings are subject to change
Food and drink
In addition to the BBQ, we currently have Gritchie (pop-up bar), Hidden Pizza and Sugar & Spice on board, but will be confirming more vendors soon, so watch this space!
The Acts
Jarmarca
Jamarca is a four-piece based in Shaftesbury, Dorset. The band was formed in 2016 by good friends Marcus Tettmar (guitar, vocals, sometimes keys), Dave Gordon (bass and vocals) and Sven Thomas (drums/percussion). Their music has been variously described as “funk groove” and “indie ska”, perhaps alluding to their eclectic mix of influences.
In 2020, after Dave moved away from the area, Jamarca was joined by bassist Bill Leivers and then in 2022, they invited singer Vicky Louth along. The addition of Vicky brings a new dynamic to the band, allowing them to explore a more soulful sound, expand their repertoire in new directions and create richer textures as evidenced by their first release featuring Vicky: ‘Cool, Cool Summer’.As well as playing their own original material, they occasionally put their own slant on popular up-beat covers and have a reputation for creating a beach bar style vibe that ends the evening with the room on its feet.
Belle Street
Band members Susan Grant and Joni de Winter are based in North Dorset. They form a lively vocal duo bursting with energy and wit, ready to entertain any crowd intimate or large with clever covers and parodies of popular songs ranging from 20s to modern day.
Conor
Shaftesbury-based musician, Conor Smith, describes himself as a busker, singer/songwriter and guitarist. If you’ve ever visited the town, you will probably have seen him with his iconic blue guitar! Usually found playing in a local pub/venue, performing at a wedding or entertaining the crowds on a busy street.
The Reel Deal
The Reel Deal form part of a loose collection of local acoustic folk musicians. Not normally seen on stage, they are usually to be found playing music sessions around pub tables in and around Dorset and Somerset. Playing guitar, mandola, fiddles, whistles and bodhran, they will be bringing you Celtic jigs and reels as well as songs and airs from lots of other parts of the world too. The spirit of their music comes from having a great love of playing music together for many years, not normally as a performance, but just for the sheer fun of it.
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.
Thanks to members of the Royal British Legion who have supported this event and to Shaftesbury Fairtrade for sponsoring the chocolate prizes.
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.