Dover at Night is back this spring, promising an unforgettable evening on Friday, March 7th, from 5pm to 9pm. With 15 venues participating and over 20 community groups involved, this year’s event is set to be even more exciting than before.
The rare chalk stream of the River Dour is the central theme, and the community has been hard at work preparing for the festivities. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to explore Dover’s historic and creative spaces, with entrances to local venues lit up in celebration. More than 1,000 children from local schools and youth groups have created inspiring River Dour artwork, which will be projected onto the town’s buildings.
Dover Castle will be illuminated in blue and green, and five storytellers will share the unique tales of historic ladies from the past in Dover Market Square. Hosted by EKC Dover College, the evening will feature a vibrant lineup of music, dance, and drama, including performances by The Fuddlers, EKC Junk Band, Nepalese drumming, Bollywood dancing, and LED hula hoops.
Families can look forward to a wealth of creative activities for children, such as creating creatures for the big textile River Dour at the Charlton Centre, designing watercolor silhouettes with the Dover SmArt team, and experiencing spooky torchlit tours of Dover Museum. With so much to see and do, this illuminated night promises to be a lot of fun – the only challenge will be fitting it all in!
Dover at Night is led by the Maison Dieu and Artswork in partnership with over 20 community partners and has been made possible with generous funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Artswork and Arts Council England.
Martin Crowther, Engagement Officer at the Maison Dieu, said:
“Following the success of last year’s Dover at Night event, we have welcomed even more local partners to celebrate the town’s rich history, heritage and treasured chalk stream this year. We are delighted to put on this event for our residents and visitors to enjoy. Look out for the illuminated stained-glass windows at the Maison Dieu too – we can’t wait to open its doors to the community once more in a few months’ time.”
Louise Webb, Creative Producer for Artswork, said:
“Our Placemaking programme is all about celebrating local communities and we have really enjoyed working with Dover residents to appreciate the beautiful River Dour. This rare chalk stream runs through the very centre of the town and its rich biodiversity deserves to be highlighted and celebrated with this Dover at Night event.”
Full Event Information – Find out more
- As part of the Reawakening of the Maison Dieu, DDC’s Maison Dieu team has worked with Dover’s community groups, who shared their vision of putting on more Dover-wide events
- For full event information, visit www.maisondieudover.org.uk/events