If you are looking for a different kind of Christmas celebration in the UK, Rochester offers a very unique Festival called the Dickensian Festival. The name comes after Charles Dickens' inspiration for some of his novels and even lived close by. The Festival is free to attend and usually runs the first week of December over a weekend. The festival's highlights are the parades with Dickens characters' costumed-people. It also has a Christmas Market on the grounds of Rochester Castle. However, there's many attractions in the area which makes it a whole day to spend in Rochester.
Here are the attractions that you can visit:
- Rochester Cathedral - free to visit
- Rochester Castle - free to visit if English Heritage member. It is not accessible as the lots of stairs to reach the different levels. If you go to the top you have beautiful views of Rochester! The grounds is where the Christmas Market and rides are. However, the queues to enter the grounds are long but there are 2 entrances which helps manage the crowd. Nevertheless, please be ready to queue for a while. The market had a lot of stalls and a wide array of rides were available which guarantees the fun element for the whole family!
- Eastgate House - entrance fee applies. This house features 'In The Mystery of Edwin Drood'. It is currently a museum but once was Victorian boarding school, a hostel and a family home of a senior officer at the Royal Tudor Dockyard. In the back there's a a chalet which was a present for Charles Dickens.
- Guildhall Museum holds the history of Rochester including a part about Charles Dickens' life and connecting to Medway and Rochester. It has a small entry fee. During holidays, there are arts and crafts for children. I particularly liked the part about Hulks, old prison ships, which I was never aware of so glad to have learnt this part of history!
Overall, I loved the festive atmosphere and being part of this unique annual festival! Even if you go any other times, Rochester is great!
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