Coventry Peace Festival

Coventry’s annual Peace Festival happens in November promoting the city’s ongoing work of peace, tolerance and friendship. The city is well known around the world as a welcoming place and also as the city of peace and reconciliation.

Welcome to the 2024 Peace Festival

I am honoured to welcome you once again to our city’s cherished Peace Festival. 

This annual event is a special time that brings everyone together to celebrate Coventry’s ongoing work as a city dedicated to peace, reconciliation, sanctuary and welcome.

The efforts we make here in Coventry mirror the important work our city undertakes globally, fostering unity and friendship among people of all faiths, cultures and nationalities.

This month marks the 84th anniversary of The Blitz, a tragic event that devastated our city but also marked its rebirth as a symbol of reconciliation. In the years since, we have accomplished so much, but the need for peace remains as critical as ever, with conflicts still affecting many parts of the world. The call for peace is as urgent today as it was decades ago.

That’s why Coventry will always continue its vital work both here at home and with our friends and partners around the world—and why the Peace Festival continues to hold such importance.

This year, as always, there are many exciting activities to take part in. You can join the 10,000 Stars of Coventry workshop, enjoy the Peace in Nature session or take part in the Annual Peace Walk with the Multi-Faith Forum.

The Lord Mayor’s Peace Lecture this year will feature an engaging talk by Professor Nicola Pratt, professor of International Politics of the Middle East at the University of Warwick.

Our younger generation will also be actively involved, whether through arts and craft activities, essay writing, or other creative expressions.

The Festival offers a chance for us all to learn, connect with others, and find ways we can each contribute to a more peaceful world. Whether you attend many events or just one, I sincerely thank you for your participation and support, and I also extend my gratitude to all those who make this Festival possible.

Coventry’s efforts for peace, welcome, and friendship are only possible because of its people. The Festival is both a celebration of these shared values and an inspiration to continue striving toward a better, more peaceful future.

Enjoy the Festival, and I wish you all peace and happiness.

Yours,

Cllr Mal Mutton, Lady Mayoress of the City of Coventry

Friday 1 November

Godiva Trust in partnership with Coventry Multi-Faith Forum

Peace Perfect Peace

Time: 11am - 12.30pm

Venue: Priory Visitor Centre

Join the Godiva Trust to develop your artistic skills and discover what peace means to you. Share your stories of peace with art workshops and storytelling with a musician.

Info: 07973 654569

Saturday 2 November

Positive Images Festival

Peace poetry event

Time: 1pm - 4pm

Venue: Central Library

Positive Images Festival is back with its annual poetry competition. This year, over 80 entrants have been asked to write poems on peace and rebirth. Join the event to hear the amazing poems that have been submitted. The winners of this year’s competition will have their poems published online and will be interviewed on Hillz FM community radio.

Info: 07886 689416

Creative Kindness

10,000 Stars for Coventry Workshop

Time: 11am – 3pm

Venue: Central Methodist Hall

Our 10,000 Stars for Coventry Tree is on display at Central Methodist Hall, and we invite you to make a star for the tree, write a peace message and make a pledge to help eradicate all forms of violence in the world. There will also be other peace activities, including dove crafts and peace badge making.

Email: 10000starsforcoventry@gmail.com

Tuesday 5 November

Positive Images Festival

Put the flags out, messages of peace

Time: 2.30pm – 4.30pm

Venue: W.A.T.C.H Centre, Hillfields

The women-only art and craft group will be creating and displaying colourful flag bunting, each decorated with messages and words of peace from the local community. This piece of art will be displayed in the reception of the W.A.T.C.H Centre to welcome its visitors.

Info: 07886 689416

Wednesday 6 November

Earlsdon Primary School

Seeds of Hope

Time: 1.30pm – 3pm

Venue: Earlsdon Primary School

This free drop-in session invites the community to plant a seed of hope, add their hope for a peaceful future to our Seeds of Hope Wall and take home their own potted seed. Reflect on your wishes for hope and watch as your plant germinates and grows. This event links with a newly launched UNESCO initiative “Seeds of Hope”.

Email: rbollands@earlsdon.coventry.sch.uk

Lord Mayor’s Committee of Peace and Reconciliation

Coventry Lord Mayor Peace Lecture 2024 with Nicola Pratt

Time: 7pm – 9pm

Venue: Coventry Cathedral

Join us at Coventry Cathedral for a thoughtprovoking lecture on the relationship between peace and justice in the Middle East. This event, part of the Lord Mayor’s Peace Lecture series, welcomes speaker Professor Pratt who is professor of International Politics of the Middle East at University of Warwick and a prize-winning nationally recognised writer on gender issues, war and security.

Visit: coventrycityofpeace.uk

Thursday 7 November

Peace in Nature

Wild Earth

Time: 12.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Wild Earth Allotments at Lake View Allotments

This gathering invites you to unwind, breathe, and embrace the beauty of nature. Enjoy guided mindfulness walks, sit spots, observe wildlife and calming outdoor meditations, all designed to help you cultivate peace and gratitude. We will help nature along the way by making seed bombs and bird feeders in the workshop.

Visit: www.wild-earth.org.uk

Friday 8 November

Step into Peace - A Coventry Welcome Walk

Time: 12.15pm - 1.30pm

Venue: Priory Visitor Centre

‘Step into Coventry’ with our EnV city host volunteers by taking part in a relaxed and informative walk with a peace and reconciliation theme all taking place within the proximity of the city centre area. Join the hour-long peace trail led by our experienced Welcome Walk Host volunteers bringing the city centre to life, highlighting key and interesting facts leaving you with a greater sense of connection to the city.

Email: info@env.uk.com to secure your place

Saturday 9 November

Vanny Radio Community

Broadcasters Uniting for Peace

Time: 12pm – 3pm

Venue: Broad Horizon Enterprise Centre

Join Vanny Radio as they explore peace through child-friendly activities. Take part in the displaced cook-off where young people learn about welcoming newcomers, learn about conflict affected countries by learning their playground games and become a critical thinker with the Fake News Workshop.

Info: 07904 100074

Coventry Multi-Faith Forum

Coventry Multi-Faith Forum Annual Peace Walk

Time: 10am – 2pm

Venue: Priory Visitor Centre

The Coventry Multi-Faith Forum will be hosting its annual peace walk as part of the Coventry Peace Festival 2024. Beginning at Priory Visitor Centre, join the group as they visit places of worship throughout the city, creating connections and reciting their faith pledge.

Email: multi-faith.forum@hotmail.co.uk

Sunday 10 November

Creative Kindness

Creative Kindness Peace Workshop

Time: 11am – 3pm

Venue: The Visitor Centre, War Memorial Park

Creative Kindness invites you to a peace and remembrance workshop with lots of craft activities for the whole family to enjoy, including decorating log slices for the Peace Garden, rock-painting, poppy-making, peace message badge-making and more!

Email: creativekindnesscoventry@gmail.com

Coventry City Council

Remembrance Sunday Service and Parade

Time: 10.45am

Venue: War Memorial Park

The Remembrance Sunday Service commemorates the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.The service takes place at the Cenotaph and is open to the public. It includes a military parade consisting of past, present and future armed forces personnel marching to the Cenotaph.

Visit: www.coventry.gov.uk/remembrance

Coventry City Council

Communal Grave Service

Time: 3pm

Venue: London Road Cemetery

The service will consist of a short reading, prayers and a two-minute silence, along with the laying of wreaths and closing prayers to remember civilian lives lost during the First and Second World Wars.

Visit: www.coventry.gov.uk/remembrance

Monday 11 November

Armistice Day Poppy Drop

Time: 10.45am

Venue: West Orchards Shopping Centre

A brief service will be held to mark the day World War One ended, at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918. This will be concluded with the sounding of the last post at 11am followed by a two-minute silence whilst 4,000 poppies fall from the dome.

Website: www.westorchards.co.uk

Lyng Hall School

Seeds of Hope

Venue: Lyng Hall School

Lyng Hall School invites you to share your stories from around the world to be incorporated into their Continent Story Gardens – a space to discover stories from multiple nations that find their home in their school. Celebrate one another’s culture and promote understanding within the city. This event links with a newly launched UNESCO initiative “Seeds of Hope”.

Email: lhagan@lynghallschool.co.uk

Time: 3:30pm – 5pm

Tuesday 12 November

Coventry Peace House Education Trust

Community Food Gardening

Time: 3.30pm - 5pm

Venue: Foleshill Library

The Abundant Jungles at Foleshill Library is a year-long project funded by Severn Trent with sessions sharing thoughts about water, greening and growing food to eat in small urban spaces.

Email: trust@covpeacehouse.org.uk

Wednesday 13 November

United Nations Association Coventry Branch

Intercultural Conversation

Time: 10am – 3pm

Venue: The Hub, University Square

The United Nations Association Coventry believes in order to live peacefully together, we must understand how different religions, cultures and communities function. This event will ask Coventry University students to exchange information about their home culture with others and relay what they have learnt. Prizes will be awarded to the best conversation reports, which will be published to their website.

Visit: unacov.uk/events

Lord Mayor of The Coventry Committee of Peace and Reconciliation

Guided Walks of Coventry Peace Trail

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Cathedral Ruins

Join two experienced tour guides on the Coventry Peace Trail and visit 27 sites around the city centre that help attendees develop thinking about peace, reconciliation and citizenship.

Visit: https://coventrycityofpeace.uk

Coventry Cathedral

Art on the Streets: a film screening

Time: 7pm – 9pm

Venue: Coventry Cathedral

An opportunity to see this film which focuses on the 1943 ‘For Liberty’ exhibition, created by anti-fascist artists on the ruined remains of John Lewis on Oxford Street in London. The film will be followed by a conversation with the film’s director, Harriet Atkinson.

Visit: www.coventrycathedral.org.uk

Thursday 14 November

Coventry Lord Mayor’s Committee for Peace and Reconciliation

Guided Walks of The Coventry Peace Trail

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Cathedral Ruins

Join two experienced tour guides on its Coventry Peace Trail and visit 27 sites around the city centre that help attendees develop thinking about peace, reconciliation and citizenship.

Visit: https://coventrycityofpeace.uk

Coventry Cathedral

Blitz Remembrance Vigil

Time: 6pm – 7pm

Venue: Cathedral Ruins

A simple time of music, readings and reflection by candlelight as we remember all those who served in The Coventry’s Blitz, those who survived, and those who died.

Visit: www.coventrycathedral.org.uk

FWT - a centre for women

Global Peace & Reconciliation

Time: 9.30am – 3pm

Venue: Foleshill Women’s Training

In this women-only session, attendees will engage in meaningful conversations, sharing their thoughts and experiences related to peace and reconciliation. The afternoon session will consist of activities to reinforce the theme of peace and reconciliation and will provide attendees with practical tools and strategies to promote peace in their communities, building connections and promoting teamwork.

Various dates

HOPE Coventry

Good Neighbours volunteer introduction session

4 November: 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Venue: Allesley Park Library

6 November: 7.30pm - 8.30pm

Venue: St Clare’s at the Cathedral

11 November: 1.30pm - 2.30pm

Venue: Coundon Library

12 November: 1.30pm - 2.30pm

Venue: Tesco Extra, Cross Point

Business Centre, Olivier Way Park

Good Neighbours will be holding sessions throughout Coventry’s Peace Festival, for those who may be interested in becoming a Good Neighbour volunteer. These introduction sessions will teach attendees how they can support older people in their community who are struggling with loneliness and isolation. Our project improves the mental wellbeing and mindfulness of our volunteers and the older people they support.

To attend one of the sessions, please sign up via the link.

Visit: tinyurl.com/GNinfosession or text: 07544 488724 

Coventry Cathedral

Moonlight Sonata

Date: 4 - 29 November

Time: 10am – 4pm daily

Venue: Coventry Cathedral

An exhibition of paintings inspired by Coventry’s Blitz by Ian White. These paintings capture the destruction of the city, as well as the resilience and stoicism shown by the citizens of Coventry in the face of such adversity.

Visit: www.coventrycathedral.org.uk

Coventry Peace House education trust

Coventry Peace House Year Round

Bike Workshop

Date: Every Tuesday

Time: 10am – 2pm

Venue: Coventry Peace House Housing Cooperative

Bring your bike along to the Coventry Peace House and be taught how to repair it.