Plenty to look forward to at the 167th year of Canterbury Week

THEoldest and most iconic festival in the country, Canterbury Cricket Week, begins tomorrow, lasting until Sunday. Over the years, there have been many historic moments at Canterbury Week but this year“s event promises to be memorable for a number of reasons.

Table topping Kent face struggling Middlesex in the LV County Championship, starting tomorrow, before taking on the same opponents, Middlesex Panthers, in the first match of the NatWest Pro40.

Canterbury Cricket Week dates back to 1842 and has been held every year since then, apart from the years of World War I and World War II. It is the 167th year of Canterbury Week.

In its early years Canterbury week was instrumental in putting Kent cricket firmly on the map with its two annual fixtures, Kent v England and the Gentlemen of Kent v the Gentlemen of England, in each of its first 13 years.

Apart from the traditional positioning of tents around the perimeter during the festival, other long-established traditions of Canterbury Week include Ladies Day and the laying of a wreath at the foot of the Colin Blythe memorial.

This year Ladies Day takes place on Thursday, culminating in the judging of the ladies hat competition, with some fantastic prizes on offer. There will also be the Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers playing during the lunch interval.

The laying of a wreath by the Supporters’ Club, to honour the fallen in both wars, will take place during the tea interval on Wednesday.

The ground has been specially manicured for its big week and Kent“s Director of Business Development, Jamie Clifford, is anticipating a typically bumper crowd: “Canterbury Week is a very special occasion, steeped in tradition with its own unique feel. We expect fantastic crowds, and if you have never experienced this fantastic cricket event, do come and give the team your support. We hope to see lots of families as ‘the week“ really does span the generations.”

A full rundown of this week’s events can be found below:

Wednesday
Laying of the wreath by the Supporters Club – Tea on first day
Cider tasting from Rough Old Wives
Mercedes Demonstration

Thursday – Ladies Day
Horse and Dray
Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers
Ladies Hat competition – 1st prize £200 Whitefriars vouchers
Ladies Arcade – including jewellery, fudge, hair dressing, milliner, make-up stalls
Flower arranging demonstration
Pilates exhibition
Shane Hampsheir – crooning during the Tea Interval
Massage therapy
Mercedes Demonstration
Save Canterbury Cathedral Presentation
Pimm’s station

Friday – Family Day
Free entry for children
Hornby roadshow with giant scaletrix and connect 4
Team RAC – British Touring Cars
A guest appearance from our mascot, Bomber the Spitfire
Cricket inflatables