Rochester Sweeps Festival

The Rochester Sweeps Festival is a free, three-day International Festival of Folk Music and Dance held over the May Day weekend in historic Rochester. It has become one of the largest May Day celebrations of its kind in the world, attracting over 55,000 visitors. The festival features folk musicians and bands, hundreds of Morris dancers from across the country, and a programme of international dance groups and workshops. Saturday offers the largest gathering of Morris dance groups performing throughout the high street; Sunday showcases Morris and international folk dance and music; Monday celebrates May Day traditions with a Jack in the Green Parade.

The festival’s history dates back 300 years. In Victorian times, chimney sweeps had their one day off on 1 May, and in Rochester they would parade down the high street dancing and singing. When the Climbing Boys Act of 1868 stopped the employment of young boys in chimney cleaning, the tradition gradually faded. In the 1980s, historian Gordon Newton revived the festival, spearheading a small parade that included Morris dancers from his own Motley Morris crew. Since then the festival has grown into a major event, offering spirited dance troupes, folk music, and eclectic musical acts.