St George’s Day 2022 in Gloucestershire – The best pubs, parades and events to try

The celebration of St George in England dates back more than a millennium and has inspired many English painters, poets and publicans to commemorate the nation’s favourite saint. This year, St George’s Day is taking place on the usual date, Saturday April 23, and there are events taking place across Gloucestershire to celebrate the dragon-slaying Christian warrior.

This date is supposed to mark the death of St George which took place on April 23 in 303AD, after being tortured by the Romans for holding Christian beliefs – the dragon-slaying myth would come almost 800 years later when the saint became a symbol during the Crusades. Despite these semi-mythical origins, many in England have chosen this day to celebrate our country’s unique history and traditions.

Within Gloucestershire, this uniqueness is being celebrated in a variety of ways, from the classic boozy St George’s Day trip to the pub, to village parades and even a jazz evening. If you have a few tins of red and white facepaint knocking around in the cupboard, or simply fancy waving the St George’s Cross and singing ‘Jerusalem’ you’re sure to find an event for you.

READ MORE: On the Queen’s 96th birthday, we take a look back at Her Majesty’s visits to the county

If you are planning on celebrating England’s favourite saint, take a look at the Gloucestershire events below.

Parade Scouts taking past in a previous St George’s Day Parade in Gloucester

Alongside being the English national saint, St George is also the patron saint of the British Scout movement. As such, Gloucestershire Scout troupes will be taking part in a traditional St George’s Day parade to mark the celebration.

Starting at 11.30 in Coleford from outside the Angus Buchanan VC Recreation Ground, a collection of Scouts, Guides, Police, Air, Sea and Army Cadets will march to the town’s centre. Flags will be waved, songs sung, and there will be some displays from the young people who took part in the march.

Parking charges will be suspended in the town for the course of the St George’s Day celebrations.

Jazz Evening

It isn’t the first thing that you might think of when it comes to the saint, but Under the Edge Arts in Wotton-under-Edge are hosting a “St Georges Day Jazz Evening”. Piano jazz trio Utrillo are expected to play “a selection of standards with a mixture of latin flavours and modern jazz styles for a perfect way to end St Georges Day.”

Being himself supposedly a Roman soldier at the time of his death, perhaps the jazz’s soft latin flavours are the best way to commemorate the middle eastern martyr. The evening is part of the wider Wotton Arts Festival and tickets start from £10 per person.

Morris Dancing 2016: Traditional Morris Dancing at Gloucester Cathedral on Boxing Day Picture by Carl Hewlett/TWM – Thousand Word Media Ltd

Another old English tradition, St George’s Day is a major day in the Morris Dancing calendar. At two events in Gloucestershire, dancers clad in white will be showing off their skills to crowds to celebrate the saint’s day.

Morris Dancing dates back centuries within Gloucestershire and, though it died out for a few hundred years, some local Morris groups still date back more than a hundred years.

Morris displays will be taking place in Chipping Campden and Miserden in the Cotswolds. The display in Chipping Campden will begin at 6.30pm while the Miserden performance starts at 7.45pm outside the Carpenter’s Arms, with music and song afterwards inside the pub.

Choral Evensong For the Feast of St George

For the more religious amongst us, looking to celebrate the more theological side of the saint’s day, there is an evening of choristers, discussion and dinner with the former Anglican Bishop of Rochester, who has since converted to Catholicism. This evening is hosted at St Peter’s Church in Stanway and promises to be a lively evening.

Choristers from Gloucester’s renowned Cathedral Choir will be performing at the historic country home from 6pm, Monday April 25. Events will follow at the nearby 14th century Stanway House.

This evening is a real cut above with early arrivals being treated to “a cup of Tea and have a guided tour of Stanway House led by the Earl of Wemyss” for just £10, while supper and discussion is included for those staying after the choir, at a ticket price of £26

Pub visit – The Beehive in Prestbury

It wouldn’t be St George’s Day if you weren’t at least tempted to head down to the pub for some out-of-tune renditions of Sweet Caroline and warm ale. While it is a Saturday and many pubs are open, this year not many are publicly advertising their St George’s Day celebrations.

However, Cheltenham’s The Beehive is hosting a St George’s Day celebration, should you want a guaranteed boozy pub celebration of the dragon-slaying saint. This pub is located on Bouncer’s Lane in Prestbury and is open from 11am to 11pm, if you are planning on commemorating St George all day long.

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