The official Visit Medway guide for summer 2026 covers everything from Medway Pride and free art exhibitions to family fun days and newly opened heritage spaces across the area.
Visit Medway published its summer 2026 guide on 3 June, laying out a packed calendar of events and heritage attractions across Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham and Hoo — aimed at day-trippers and long-weekend visitors alike, with a decent mix of free activities and ticketed events at some of the area’s best-known sites.
The headline act is Medway Pride 26 on Saturday, 22 August at Rochester Castle Gardens. The event has run since 2021 and grown steadily since. This year it brings a musical line-up, a market, food and bar facilities, and a pride parade through Rochester high street. The parade itself is free to watch — though you’ll need a ticket to get into the castle gardens.
Rochester Cathedral, which has stood since 604 AD, hosts Art on the Delta in August. Free to attend. Large-scale sculptures fill the nave, with prints, photographs and print workshops running in the crypt below.
Over at the Historic Dockyard Chatham, the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition puts 116 award-winning photographs on show. And Fort Amherst — described in the guide as Britain’s biggest and best-preserved Napoleonic fort — has been restored for visitors to come and learn about its significance in the Napoleonic War and both World Wars.
Eastgate House is worth noting too. Its second floor has opened to the public for the first time in more than 40 years. Quietly remarkable, that. The Guildhall Museum, Rochester Castle and the Royal Engineers Museum round out what is, frankly, a hefty heritage offer for one stretch of the Medway valley.
Family events include Dino Day on Wednesday, 12 August (10am–3.30pm) at Chatham High Street and the Pentagon Shopping Centre, and Super Saturday on Saturday, 29 August (10am–4pm) at the same spots. The Hoo Family Fun Day on Friday, 14 August (11am–2pm) at Hoo Recreation Ground and Village Hall, the Great Rainham Seaside Spectacular on Friday, 14 August, the Inflatable Fun Day on Tuesday, 18 August (10–11.30am and 12.30–2pm) at Medway Park Sports Centre, the Imagine-Nation Create & Make Day on Friday, 7 August in Strood, and Sticks & Stones on Saturday, 22 August at the University of Greenwich Medway Campus are also on the list.
The guide is part of Visit Medway’s “Who Knew” campaign, which sets out to put the area’s lesser-known corners alongside the bigger draws.
Key information
- Medway Pride 26: Saturday, 22 August, Rochester Castle Gardens — tickets required for the gardens; the Rochester high street parade is free
- Art on the Delta: free exhibition, Rochester Cathedral, August — large-scale sculptures in the nave, workshops in the crypt
- Dino Day: Wednesday, 12 August, 10am–3.30pm, Chatham High Street and Pentagon Shopping Centre
- Hoo Family Fun Day: Friday, 14 August, 11am–2pm, Hoo Recreation Ground and Village Hall
- Great Rainham Seaside Spectacular: Friday, 14 August, Rainham
- Inflatable Fun Day: Tuesday, 18 August, 10–11.30am and 12.30–2pm, Medway Park Sports Centre
- Imagine-Nation Create & Make Day: Friday, 7 August, Strood
- Sticks & Stones: Saturday, 22 August, University of Greenwich Medway Campus
- Super Saturday: Saturday, 29 August, 10am–4pm, Chatham High Street and Pentagon Shopping Centre
Visit Medway sets out summer 2026 events calendar for Rochester, Chatham and Medway Quiz
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