Plans are underway to celebrate the bicentenary of Gloucester Docks. A cultural and community partnership including Gloucester City Council is looking at plans to stage a city-wide bicentenary cultural programme to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Gloucester Docks.
The programme will take inspiration from Gloucester’s maritime history and how its port connects the city with the wider world. Gloucester City Council said it will build on the themes from the Tall Ships Festival over the last 20 years.
Taking place in 2027, the anniversary aims to feature a series of events and activities across the year that could include performances, community events, public art, and opportunities for creative expression for people across the city. It is hoped that the celebration will include every ward of Gloucester, helping to foster greater connection with the waterways.
The partnership, made up of community groups and cultural organisations, hopes to encourage vessels to visit and moor in Gloucester all year round during the anniversary year so people can experience tall ships whenever they visit the Docks. Plannerds will take inspiration from other ambitious festivals such as the six-month cultural programme that was part of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Plymouth Mayflower 400.
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The partnership is keen that the Docks’ 200th anniversary is created with the people of Gloucester, is accessible by every community, and leaves a lasting legacy for the city.
Councillor Caroline Courtney, cabinet member for Culture and Leisure, said: “The Docks bicentenary is a rare opportunity to bring the whole city together for a celebration of our waterways, our communities, and Gloucester’s global connections made because we’re a port. This is still in early planning, but we are hopeful that it will leave a lasting legacy and help put Gloucester on the map.”
Gloucester Docks
(Image: Graham Ryan)
Planning for the anniversary programme is part of a review of festivals and events being undertaken by Gloucester City Council. It says it hopes to increase the number and variety of events that take place across the cultural calendar, through supporting local organisations and producers to access funding to stage their own events.
The review follows the launch of the Together Gloucester initiative with Gloucester Culture Trust and other local partners. It has set out to create a more collaborative approach to producing cultural events in the city and give local people more say in what is staged.
If you are interested in obtaining funding and support for a cultural event in Gloucester, you can find information and current funding opportunities through Together Gloucester here.