Kingston River Cultures Festival has a royal visit
A spectacular flotilla of 70 boats welcomed His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, to Kingston on Saturday (6 September) to celebrate the 1100th anniversary of the crowning of Athelstan, the first King of England, right here in the town.
The event was part of the Kingston 2025 River Cultures Festival, celebrating the central role the river has played throughout history in the communities and culture of the Royal Borough.
His Royal Highness took a salute from the 70-strong procession of vessels which snaked its way up the Thames from Raven's Ait in Surbiton to Canbury Gardens in Kingston.
One of the biggest flotillas to sail this stretch of the Thames, crafts of all shapes and sizes from the Saxon era to modern day were crewed by sailors in costume, representing many different parts of the culture of Kingston.
Among the boats involved in the flotilla was one carrying the Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Noel Hadjimichael, and Kingston's Town Crier, Mike Seygel the Longboat which was built for the 2010 Robin Hood film, and a boat showcasing the Durga Idol.
Speaking about the festival, Cllr Hadjimichael told Kingston Nub News: "Today has been a fantastic example of royal Kingston coming together.
"We've had His Royal Highness Prince Edward - the Duke of Edinburgh - we've had hundreds of volunteers and we've had thousands of residents coming together and this is the spirit of Kingston."
Before taking the royal salute, The Duke officially opened the new Athelstan Gardens on Queen's Promenade, planting a tree and unveiling a commemorative plaque.
His Royal Highness, who is a patronage of Kingston-based charity Creative Youth, met representatives from the Friends of Queens Promenade, who designed and created the garden.
The Duke also greeted key members of the community including Kingston Council Leader, Cllr Andreas Kirsch, the Mayor of Kingston, Sir Ed Davey, and representatives from Community Brain, Citizen Zoo, Namaste Kingston and Heritage Bengal Global and children from the Rewilding Rangers group.
Speaking about the event, Dr Debojyoti Das, a Kingston and Surbiton Green Party member and member of Heritage Bengal Global, said: "It's an historic moment today where we have gathered together to celebrate the royal coronation and the celebrations.
"As Heritage Bengal Global, we are showcasing our Durga Idol, which is sustainable, and we are trying to promote the idea of sustainability through this festival.
"We're trying to talk about intercultural communication. We're talking about diversity and we are representing the Durga Idol, which is all about intangible heritage for humankind as the Durga festival has been decarbonised as a unicycle heritage for humankind."
Global Heritage Bengal also set up a stall in Canbury Gardens displaying artefacts and craftwork from South Asia, which Dr Das said "is all about bringing the community together".
Heritage Bengal Global's Director, Anirban Mukopadhyay, added: "The Durga festival celebrates the River Ganga where the Durga comes from, so then we do the worship on the land and then do what is called immersion on the Ganga.
"The link between the Thames and the Ganga is immersion, so by doing this we are symbolising the connection with water."
The River Cultures Festival continued following the departure of His Royal Highness, with local crews taking part in thrilling river races between Raven's Ait and Kingston Bridge.
While on land at Canbury Gardens crowds enjoyed community stalls, delicious food, open air music at the bandstand, children's theatre performances and an interactive maypole workshop.
The festival also saw performances from local cultural groups, including Bharatham, a dance group from the Kingston Tamil Society, who performed traditional South Asian dances.
Following the flotilla parade, Kingston's Mayor welcomed King Athelstan with a speech highlighting the event.
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