Public Events at Canterbury Cathedral

Below you will find details of our main public events. To see details of all events and services, check the Calendar View, which can be viewed per day, week or month. For news items, see the News & Newsletter section.

May 2017

Drawn to Light: The Hidden Cathedral

15 May-15 October 2017 09.00-17.00

An exhibition of paintings and drawings by Cathedral stained glass artist Grace Ayson.

Summer party night

21st July - 22nd July

Enjoy a summer evening at the Cathedral Lodge.

22nd July 19:30 - 21:30

Organ Recital by Robert Quinney, director of music at New College, Oxford.

25-28 July

Join us for a week of archaeological discovery!

26th July 19:30 - 21:30

A truly inspiring choral celebration featuring the all the choirs who have taken part in the 2017 International Children’s Choir Festival. The International Children’s Choir Festival was founded in 1997 by David T.

28th July 14:30 - 17:15

A delicious afternoon tea and the chance to hear about Cathedral stonemasonry and the ongoing conservation work.

29th July 10:00 - 16:00

People have come on pilgrimage to Canterbury for centuries. Share in family-friendly activities which link medieval and current day pilgrimage and prayer and encourage us to experience the Cathedral through our senses.

Archives tour and afternoon tea

4th August 14:30 - 17:15

Tea and a tour of the Cathedral Archives and Library.

4th August 16:30 - 17:30

The annual service to be held in the Cathedral’s Memorial Garden. All are welcome to attend.

18th August 14:30 - 17:15

Enjoy tea and tour of the Cathedral Archives and Library.

21-25 August, 11.00-16.00 daily

Join us for a week of discovery at the Cathedral

Hop Hoodening

9th September 11:00 - 13:15

Service following by dancing in the Precincts to celebrate the Kentish harvest festival.

16th September - 17th September

An exhibition of paintings by retired GP Peter Livesey in the Canterbury Cathedral Shop.

16th September 10:00 - 20:00

Come and join "Messiah-in-a-day" under the musical directorship of Cathedral Organist and Master of the Choristers Dr David Flood.

20th September 18:30 - 21:00

The annual behind the scenes look at Cathedral life.

Tapestry of Light: Intersections of Illumination

14 Oct - 19 Nov 10.00-16.30 daily

The Cathedral's Chapter House is a dramatic setting for artist Irene Barberis' glowing tapestry. Following the end of the Canterbury Festival the tapestry will not be available to see between 4 November and 8 November but will be on display again between 9 and 18 November.

14th October 17:30 - 18:45

Choral Evensong to include the Royal School of Church Music Festival Service.

15th October 15:15 - 16:00

A week of talks and Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral focussing on the five central themes of the Reformation.

21st October 09:00 - 13:00

Canterbury Festival Parade all details including timings TBC

23rd October 17:30 - 18:30

Dan Cruickshank The Huguenots of Spitalfields One of Britain’s best-loved art historians and BBC television presenters Dan Cruickshank has a special interest in the history of architecture. He has lived in Spitalfields for the past four decades in a house first occupied by French Huguenot silk weavers in the 18th century.

24th October - 25th July

David Lough Churchill and Trumps: birds of a feather? It takes some chutzpah to compare two holders of the world’s greatest offices, but David Lough, a former banker with a first-class degree in history from Oxford, fearlessly examines the private records of Winston Churchill and Donald Trump before each became a national leader – and

25th October 17:30 - 18:30

Patricia Davies and Jean Argles In conversation Two remarkable sisters, now in their nineties, recall their father Colonel Owtram and his fascinating secret war diary – published this spring – kept hidden while British Camp Commandant of a Japanese POW camp.

26th October 17:30 - 18:30

AN Wilson The Queen Prolific, droll and always entertaining, AN Wilson casts his waspish eye on the Queen, painting a vivid portrait of ‘Lilibet’ the woman, while examining the recent history of the monarchy and how and why the Royal Family has survived.

27th October 17:30 - 18:30

Tom Kerridge In conversation Tom Kerridge has all the ingredients of a national treasure-in-the-making.

28th October 20:00 - 22:00

To mark their fifteenth anniversary, Tenebrae is reviving its first major commission – Path of Miracles by Joby Talbot. Based on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the work received dazzling reviews when it premiered in 2005.

30th October 17:30 - 18:30

The history of Britain has traditionally been defined by its conflicts, its conquests, its men and its monarchs. It’s high time that it was defined by its women. In her most recent book, Woman’s Hour presenter Jenni Murray tells the stories of women who refused to succumb to the established laws of society.

31st October 17:30 - 18:30

Paul Atterbury The Story of the Poster Colourful posters for advertising, travel, entertainment and propaganda have shaped and documented our lives for 150 years, combining design and social history in a dramatic and often memorable way.

Canterbury Festival Talk – James Alexander-Sinclair

1st November 17:30 - 18:30

James Alexander-Sinclair Thirty Years in Gardens James designs gardens all over the place, from the Western Isles to the outskirts of Moscow, and most recently the Listening Garden for Radio 2’s Feel Good Gardens at Chelsea Flower Show. The master of innuendo and wit, he writes regular columns for Gardens Illustrated and Gardeners’ World magazine.

2nd November 17:30 - 18:30

Nicholas Crane The Making of the British Landscape ‘At heart, I’m a walker – it’s just you, a backpack and a pair of boots’. Writer and broadcaster Nicholas Crane never leaves home without a map, a compass and his trademark umbrella – and has written books and presented television series based on his explorations.

3rd November 17:30 - 18:30

Nigel West Operation Garbo and Kent In the months leading up to D-Day in June 1944, the most successful doubleagent of World War II – Juan Pujol García, Codenamed Garbo – pretended to have agents reporting on Allied troop concentrations in the Canterbury area.

3rd November 20:00 - 22:00

Host – The Dean of Canterbury Cathedral Choir Director – David Flood Jubilate Brass Organist – David Newsholme The Dean of Canterbury, the Very Rev’d Dr Robert Willis has long been an admirer of the works of the Irish composer Stanford (1852-1924).

4th November 19:30 - 21:30

Canterbury Choral Society English Chamber Orchestra Tasmin Little – Violin Katherine Crompton – Soprano Edward Grint – Bass Richard Cooke – Conductor ‘Nation shall not lift up sword against nation’ An evening of expectation, harmonic beauty and reflection in a programme which comprises a world premiere, Tasmin Little – one of the country’s best-loved violinists,

15th November 2017 09:45-17:00

A free one-day conference for 16-25 year-olds, exploring the life and influence of the Black Prince

16th November - 17th November

Exploring the following and fascination around Edward Woodstock, Prince of Wales - "The Black Prince" 1330 -1376.

18th November 19:30 - 22:00

The Girls and Men of Canterbury Cathedral Choir give their debut performance of Handel’s famous oratorio, Messiah. They will be joined by critically-acclaimed period instrument orchestra The Harmonious Society of Tickle-Fiddle Gentlemen and internationally-renowned soloists for the performance in the Cathedral’s Nave.

Festive lunches and Christmas parties

1st December - 22nd December

Enjoy the festive season with family, friends or colleagues at the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge.

6th December 20:00 - 21:20

The annual carol service of the 3PWRR Battalion.

16th December 19:00 - 20:30

Canterbury Choral Society and Canterbury Choral Society Youth Choir. Doors open at 18.30. Tickets go on sale late September from 01227 787787 or www.marlowetheatre.com.