Rochester Christmas Market & Dickensian Christmas

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1 Information for visiting groups and coach booking form. All coaches must book in advance. Rochester Christmas Market & Dickensian Christmas Rochester Christmas Market: 25 & 26 November, 1-3 and Dickensian Christmas: Saturday, 2 and Sunday,

2 Rochester Christmas Market (Rochester Castle Gardens) 25 & 26November, 1-3 and Set in the historic and picturesque Rochester Castle gardens, overlooked by Rochester's 12th Century Norman Keep, market visitors will enjoy a selection of festive foods including mulled wine, hot chocolate with Baileys and roasted chestnuts as they browse stalls for unique gift ideas and unusual stocking fillers. Features of the market include: * Magical festive atmosphere with live music * Luxury and unique gifts throughout the market. * Bavarian Village and Craft Fair. * Tasty treats from local producers. * Easy access to historic Rochester High Street with its eclectic mix of independent retailers, eateries and period architecture. * A step back in time to a Victorian Christmas to meet some of Dickens' heroes and villains (Dickensian Christmas Festival 2-3 ). Even more luxury and unique Christmas stalls are expected for 2017 so visit our website for more up-to-date details The Christmas Market is a separate event from the annual Dickensian Christmas festival (Saturday, 2 and Sunday, 3 ) and will also be operating during the festival weekend. Please note there will be no High Street parades on November, 1 and Admission to the Christmas Market is free, so day trips are welcome and apart from coach parking there is no need to book. To book your parking space, simply complete and return this form to Medway Council. The Rochester Christmas Market at the castle makes a perfect day-trip for turkey and tinsel tours. So if you are touring Kent or passing Rochester en-route to London or the channel ports, then why not include this Christmas market in your itinerary? Dickensian Christmas (Rochester town centre) Saturday, 2 and Sunday, Each year, the first weekend of brings Victorian festivities to Rochester in the form of a Dickensian Christmas. You can experience street entertainment and parades, readings and a candlelit procession with carols in the snow. You will be captivated by Dickens characters as you explore the literary journey that was the great author s life. Each day there are parades through Rochester and the magnificent surroundings of Rochester s cathedral and castle with guaranteed snowfall creating a truly charming scene. Due to the large number of coaches attending the Dickensian Christmas event, pre-booking is required. Coach parking is free of charge. Simply complete and return the booking form. The Rochester Christmas Market in the castle gardens will also be taking place during the Dickensian Christmas weekend. The castle gardens are only able to accommodate a certain number of visitors at any one time. Dickensian Christmas is extremely busy so if the market is your only interest, then it is advisable that you consider coming to Rochester on one of the alternative market days (25-26 November 1 and 8-10 ). Don t forget to still complete and return the coach booking form for both events. 2

3 Festival Parades and Carols both days 12 noon Main Parade Led by the Mayor of Medway, Cllr Stuart Tranter the parade will start on the High Street by Almon Place. It will move along the High Street before finishing on the Boley Hill Stage. 4.45pm Candlelit Parade Led by the Mayor of Medway, Cllr Stuart Tranter, the parade will start on the High Street by Almon Place. It will move along the High Street, turn left at Northgate into Boley Hill, to join the carol concert on the openair stage. 5pm Carols for Christmas Join BAE systems Brass Band and all the festival performers in a selection of popular Christmas carols outside Rochester s magnificent Cathedral in Boley Hill under guaranteed snowfall. If you wish to stay for the candlelit parade and carols, the first departure slot will be 1730 hours (however, spaces for this departure time are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis). When the capacity for this departure time slot has been reached, we will allocate the next available time slot of 1800 hours. 3

4 Coach Booking Form Dickensian Christmas & Market 2017 Medway Council is pleased to announce that there is no charge for coaches to park at these events. Closing date for bookings is Friday, 27 October Contact Person: Company/Organisation: Address: Postcode: Phone: Name of group or coach company: NB. If you are a private group/organisation, we need the name of the coach company you will be travelling with. For coach and tour companies, please provide the name of the tour leader, or groups name if making this booking on behalf of a private hire client. Fax: Dickensian Christmas Saturday, 2 and Sunday, Date No. of Coaches No. of minibuses (specify no of seats per vehicles). Estimated arrival time in Rochester Preferred departure time up to 1700 hours * Candlelit Procession/Carols Preferred departure time ** Saturday, 2 Sunday, 3 * Preferred departure time up to 1700 hours. Departure times available will be hourly as follows 1300 / 1400 / 1500 / 1600 / 1700 hours. Sorry, no in-between times due to coaches being blocked parked on-site. ** If you wish to stay for the candlelit procession and carols, the first departure slot will be 1730 hours. Departure times available are 1730 / 1800 / 1830 hours and later. These peak departure times will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, so it is advisable to book early to secure your preferred departure time slot. Later times are available for groups wishing to take advantage of dining in Rochester after the festival (please still specify your departure time on the form). Are you bringing any wheelchair users? If yes, how many chairs Coach parking arrangements: Dickensian Christmas is very popular with visiting coaches and can attract around 200 vehicles per day. Therefore, town centre parking is extremely limited due to high volumes of visiting coaches, all coach arrivals and departures are controlled by event traffic marshals. Special arrangements are made for passengers to be dropped off/picked up close to the festival and coach drivers will be directed to a designated parking zone outside of the town centre to park. Heavy traffic delays are expected during peak arrival and departure times of and hours. Please allow extra time getting in and out of Rochester during the peak arrival/departure times, especially when booking ferry or Eurotunnel crossing. Confirmation pack with parking permit(s) and full instructions on where you will be dropping-off, parking and picking-up passengers will be sent out 2-3 weeks before the event in November. Once parking capacity has been reached we will be unable to accept any additional coaches, even if you apply before the closing date. 4

5 Rochester Christmas Market (Rochester Castle Gardens) Dates and times: Saturday, 25 and Sunday, 26 November 10am to 6pm Friday, 1 12 Noon to 8pm Saturday, 2 and Sunday 3 10am to 7pm (Dickensian Christmas) Friday, 8 12 Noon to 8pm Saturday, 9 and Sunday, 10 10am to 6pm. Note: If you re booking the market days only, please remember to provide us with your contact details by completing the relevant section on page 4. Date No. of Coaches No. of Minibuses (specify No. of seats per vehicle) Estimated arrival time in Rochester Departure time from Rochester. Saturday, 25 November Sunday, 26 November Friday, 1 Saturday, 2 and Sunday, 3 Dickensian Christmas (Please complete booking form on page 4 for this event) Friday, 8 Saturday, 9 Sunday, 10 Please return form by post, fax or to: Mary Sewell, Senior Tourism Officer Medway Council Level 3 Gun Wharf Dock Road Chatham ME4 4TR Fax No: * Telephone No: (ansaphone) * coachbookings@medway.gov.uk * Please note, due to remote working I will only be able to pick up messages/faxes every now and then. For a quicker response, please me. For accommodation, attractions, local high street businesses and further details on festivals and events visit 5