Kent College celebrates three years as Headline Sponsor of the Canterbury Festival

2020 marked the third year of Kent College’s Headline Sponsorship of the Canterbury Festival.

Canterbury Festival 2020 succeeded against the odds, delivering over 50 socially distanced events over two weeks from 17th to 31st October.

Head Dr David Lamper said: "We are delighted to be associated with the Canterbury Festival and we applaud the organisers for their courageousness in ensuring the event happened this year.

"It was so appreciated by the community."

Kent College has helped the Festival to develop emerging artists, showcase the very best in performance, deliver community participatory projects and provide opportunities for young people to explore and develop their creative talent.

Launched in 2018 and continuing annually, the Kent College Lecture has proven to be a highlight of the Festival’s Talks programme.

Expert speakers have included award-winning architect Ptolemy Dean, the BBC's Sky at Night presenter Chris Lintott and most recently author and physicist Jim Al-Khalili.

These engaging events have provided a unique opportunity for both general audiences and Kent College students to hear directly from and engage with experts in their fields.

Pupils were invited to attend all events and take part in exclusive Q&A sessions.

As part of the Festival’s year-round participatory work, pupils have also taken part in a number of projects including the Festival’s Schools’ Poetry Competition and Made In Kent Project – which both featured a series of classroom workshops led by Festival practitioners.

Both organisations are extremely proud of the partnership.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on both education and the arts, however it is clear that creative development, collaboration and participation are more important than ever.