Friday September 6 will see the biggest Maidstone Mela Launch Parade to date take place with 9 local schools and some 500 local pupils taking part. The parade will depart from County Hall at 1.35pm; go along Week Street into Fremlin Walk before finishing on Jubilee Square just after 2pm. The children will be accompanied by culturally diverse artists including Bloco Fogo Samba, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, Lucky Moyo African Drummers and the Maidstone Grammar Girls Samba.
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The children have been working with renowned arts company Samesky in the build-up to the Parade making flags and visual creative arts pieces which they will showcase on the day. The parade will be led by special guests from Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council.
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According to Gurvinder Sandher the Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus who is co-ordinating the organisation of the parade “We are very pleased that so many local schools have taken up our offer to take part in the Mela Parade. The Mela is a well-established event now in Mote Park but we hope through organising a large parade and the stage programme that we have planned on Jubilee Square that we can start to build up the presence of the Mela in the Town Centre as well, promoting the work of diverse artists to a wider audience. As ever I am very grateful to the on-going support of our partners Maidstone Borough Council and Arts Council England for helping make this vision a reality.”