21 May 2024
For the first time, the popular Alban Festival and Pilgrimage will be combined into one single event on the same day.
The new Alban Day Pilgrimage and Festival will take place on Saturday June 22 and bring together the spectacular Pilgrimage Procession, the Alban Street Festival, family events in the Cathedral Orchard and the district’s celebration of Windrush Day.
A joint statement from SADC and St Albans Cathedral said: “The Cathedral and the council are working even closer together to bring what promises to be a fabulous new event to the city, celebrating the city’s patron saint.
“In former years the Pilgrimage and the Alban Festival have attracted thousands of people to the city centre, taking place on successive days over the same weekend, and we anticipate a similar level of support and interest this year from both local residents and visitors alike.
“Combining the events will provide opportunities to bring together aspects of our history while showing off our modern city to its best advantage and in all its variety. Set against the backdrop of the busy market and vibrant retail environment, we anticipate that blending the Festival and Pilgrimage, and bringing thousands of people into the city centre, will benefit local businesses and market traders too.”
The decision appears to be the result of increased financial pressure on the district council.
The statement added: “Combining them also means that the council, with help from its sponsors and partners, has been able to continue to support our community with its popular summer festival in what is a challenging financial environment. We hope that lots of people come out to celebrate.”
St Albans BID manager Vivien Cannon added: “As a sponsor of both the Cathedral and SADC events, we were informed of the idea and think that this collaboration serves to focus on the true reason for celebration, St Alban, our founding namesake. It promises to bring many people into the city and the Cathedral’s activities closer to the trading centre where activities led by SADC will be located. We expect that many people and business will gain from and enjoy the day.”
