Brush off your quills and join Chaucer and his pilgrims for a day of tales, trails, and merriment at Canterbury’s Medieval Pageant and Family Trail
Sound the fanfare and grab your knightly shield as Canterbury’s Medieval Pageant returns for a special 10th anniversary edition on Saturday 5 July 2025. This year’s pageant puts a spotlight on the medieval pilgrims that came to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket, and the author that wrote Canterbury into the history books – Geoffrey Chaucer!
So, brush off your quills and join Chaucer and his pilgrims for a day of tales, trails, and merriment in our medieval city. Meet colourful characters, peaceful pilgrims and the author himself, as you explore 21 trail stops, each with plenty of tales to tell.
Our colourful parade of pilgrims will be joined by giants, musicians and local school children to process through the city centre at 11am, starting at the Westgate Towers and finishing in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral, where a short Canterbury Tales performance will be given by the Canterbury Shakespeare Festival actors.
Then it’s time to make your Pilgrim Promise and start your own trail across the city. Collect and decorate a pilgrim badge, take a vow with the visiting medieval royal household, watch knights battle, meet squires, weavers, blacksmiths, millers, writers, bakers and more. You can even visit England’s oldest toilet (although you can’t use it!).
Your pilgrimage can be as long or short as you like, with different locations taking part in the trail including free entry to St Augustine’s Abbey, the St John’s Hospital (Northgate), the Cathedral Precincts, the Westgate Towers and a beautiful trail through Canterbury Christ Church Campus, including their medieval bakehouse. Visit at least 5 locations and you can claim a free giant chocolate coin at the Cathedral Welcome Centre.
In addition to the trail, you can enjoy live music performances and even have the chance to join a choir workshop. You can also meet the Wildwood team to discover more about their Chough reintroduction programme and enjoy a Pilgrimage Exhibition at the Cathedral.
The event is organised by Canterbury Business Improvement District (Canterbury BID), sponsored by Canterbury Christ Church University and supported by a large team of volunteers including in-kind support from all of the trail stop locations.
Lisa Carlson, CEO of Canterbury BID, says: “Our first Medieval Pageant, 10 years ago, marked the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta and it has grown from strength to strength with 13,000 trail visits in 2024. We are delighted to see it continue to grow in popularity, highlighting Canterbury’s rich history, bringing new visitors to the city and telling even more tales!”
For more details of the event and the route it takes through the city centre visit: www.canterburymedievalpageant.co.uk
