Around 1,000 local participants will bring sound, colour, action and celebration to the streets of Coventry city centre as part of the culmination of UK City of Culture 2021.
Coventry City of Culture Trust is putting on a spectacular weekend of events across 13, 14 and 15 May as the city’s year as UK City of Culture approaches its end.
That includes This is the City, the city’s longest ever carnival-style parade will celebrate the local communities and wonderful array of artists that have helped Coventry move over the past 12 months.
This free event, takes place at 1pm on Saturday, 14 May, and will be full of dancing, drumming, music, singing with colourful costumes, flags and so much more, a real mash-up of the wonderful creative events that have marked the year. Each section of the parade is based on the 12 themes that have led the UK City of Culture year.
The 12 sections – representing each month of Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture and talk to the identity of the city and our many stories – include Welcome, Sanctuary, Harmony, Freedom, Peace, Utopia, Coventry in the World, City of Light, Being Human, Hope, Amazing Women and Green Futures.
This Is the City Parade will start and end at the Cox Street Car Park and will travel on a 2.8km route around the city centre, passing Coventry Transport Museum, Belgrade Theatre, the former IKEA Building, Bullyard, The Wave, Assembly Festival Garden, Coventry City Council House, the Herbert Art Gallery and the Elephant.
Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, said:
“It’s been an extraordinary year for the city, full of many wonderful memories, and This is the City is the perfect chance to reflect on some of the amazing highlights. The parade will be a vibrant celebration of the diversity of cultures and creativity here in the city and across the region.
“At about 350 metres in length, This is the City will include everything from all night ravers, upcycling fashionistas, faith leaders, ska steppers and community choirs, creating a feast of sound and colour to celebrate the city and its people.
“So many people have played a part in creating this memorable year and everyone will have lots of favourite moments, so this is a chance to relive some of the excitement. For others perhaps late to the party, come along and see for yourself what’s changed in the city and experience the energy, youthfulness and creativity of this extraordinary place and see Coventry Move.”
Participants and performers representing these identities are now in rehearsals to bring so many of the highlights of Coventry 2021 together in celebration.
The full procession is expected to last around two hours before it reaches its conclusion back at Cox Street Car Park.
During the weekend of celebration, the UK’s first permanent immersive digital art gallery, The Reel Store will open at the Telegraph Hotel on Friday, 13 May. Later that evening, and repeating on Saturday, 14 May, The Awakening, a world premiere by ground-breaking French company Gratte Ciel will take place above Broadgate.
On Sunday, 15 May, Our Wilder Family, a spectacular artist-led drone show inspired by the movements of flocks of birds, will take to the skies above the city at War Memorial Park.
Wildlife Gathering takes centre stage on the third weekend (Friday 20 to Sunday 22 May), with Coventry's myriad of parks and green spaces being celebrated with activities. The festivities conclude with Radio 1’s Big Weekend coming to Coventry’s War Memorial Park from Friday, 27 to Sunday, 29 May with Harry Styles recently announced as one of the headliners.
The full This is the City line-up includes:
Welcome
- City Hosts Gold Badge Holders
- River Runners - Louis Lewinson, Nancy Gibson
- Breakdots Extreme Sports Performers - Choreographer and Breakdancer Marius Mates, Breakdancer Jamaal O’Driscoll, Scooter Keelan Phillips, Bike Josh Tyler
- City Hosts Coventry Samba Collective
- Radford Bubbles - Sherrie Edgar, Mounira Bitchikh, Saradha Krishnamoorthy, Joy Batchelor, Jennifer de Sousa, Chloe Griffin
- Earlsdon Primary
Choreography - Jenni Jackson and Lucy Glassbrook
Music - Impact Steelband
Sanctuary
- Circolombia
- Sanctuary Community
- Sharing Cultures
Creative Lead - Hannah Beck
Harmony
- Sound Truck - Sisters in Dub, Mackabees
- Reggae Fever Carnival Participants
- The Curious Club
Creative Lead - Colin Bell
Freedom
- The Crew Girls
- Cubbington Silver Brass Band
- Fabularium
Peace
- Faith Community
Creative Lead - Jennifer Davis
Designer - Tom Piper
Utopia
- HOME Festival Participants
- Underground Lights
- Choir With No Name
- Holy Family Primary School
Creative Lead - Frankie Robson
Coventry in the World
- Circus Raj & Raj Brass Band
- Bulgarian Community
- Ska Dancers
- Irish Dancers
- Bollywood/Bhangra Dancers
- International Childrens’ Games
Choreography - Jenni Jackson and Lucy Glassbrook
City of Light
- Sahyadri Friends Group
- Kadence Music Drummers
- Abundance Participants
- Legion of Warriors
Being Human
- Queer Disrupt
- Ascension Dance
- Grapevine Associated Groups - Coventry Youth Activists/Connecting for Good/Fight For Your Right To Party/Creative Kindness
- Reform the Norm
- Foxford Community School
Creative Lead - Jo Gleave
Hope
- John Bernard - MC
- Echo Dance
- Hype Dance
- Fridays
- Positive Youth Foundation
Creative Lead - Frankie Robson
Amazing Women
- Modern-day Godivas - Christine Sugary Staples, Jess McLish, Kristy Brewerton, Last Mafuba, Pru Porretta, Reena Jaisiah, Surinder Dhillon
- Godiva Trust
- Women of the City
- Knights of Middle England - Horses and Riders
Creative Lead - Hannah Beck
Green Futures
- Haus of Kraft Collective
- This is Africa - Drummers
- Sidney Stringer Primary and Secondary School
- St John Vianney Catholic Primary School (Junk Kouture)
Creative Lead - Jeanefer Jean-Charles