More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A 10-day event marking a key part of Kent's history comes to a fitting finale today.
Medway in Flames will feature water screens, projections and a spectacular fireworks display.
It is part of a programme that aims to dramatically relive the Battle of Medway when Dutch ships launched a surprise attack on the English naval fleet moored at Chatham dockyard 350 years ago.
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Events will kick off at St Mary’s Island at the Ship & Trades pub, the Outlet Centre and Chatham Historic Dockyard, with free water activities including dinghy rides, sailing, canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding at the Arethusa Venture Centre and Medway Watersports Trust.
At 3.15pm there will be a Splash Dog water display and after 5.30pm there will be a sail past by ships and displays of tugs and jet skis.
The evening finale will include water screens, digital projection, characters from history, pyrotechnics, special effects and fireworks.
To watch the display, visitors need to be on the Chatham side of the river.
Live music will be on two stages and the bandstand area throughout Saturday, June 17.
The Dutch raid, which is said to have set the River Medway on fire, led to huge investment in new ships and dockyard improvements, laying the foundations for Britannia to rule the waves for the next 200 years.
Commemorations to mark the 350th anniversary began last week with tall ships and plenty of pomp and ceremony at Chatham Historic Dockyard as Dutch royalty and locals watched the start of the festivities.
A collection of Dutch and British art, historic manuscripts and objects on loan from around the world are on display to coincide with the commemorations at the Chatham Historic Dockyard.
Entitled Breaking the Chain, it will run at the dockyard until Sunday, September 3.
There is also now a new permanent exhibition at Upnor Castle, which was at the centre of the battle, which tells the story of the Battle of Medway through specially commissioned paintings and extracts from diarists of the time, including Samuel Pepys.
Both exhibitions have had funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Medway Print Festival, which runs until Sunday, June 25 and is the second annual celebration of all things print, has workshops, activities, talks and exhibitions at various venues in the area.
