Mayflower 400, the anniversary commemorating the historic sailing of the Mayflower ship to America four hundred years ago, has announced new dates for key events within its event and culture programme that will now relaunch from this August and run through to July 2021.
Following the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown, the main national programme, supported by Arts Council England, will now start in Southampton from 15 August with Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America, a national touring exhibition curated by The Box, Plymouth about the continuing search for a lost treasure of indigenous America.
This will be followed with an online documentary presented by well-known TV historian Dan Snow on 16 September, marking exactly 400 years to the day since the Mayflower ship set sail. The documentary will reflect the story of the Pilgrims' journey, its impact on the Native American people who helped them when they first arrived and the wider colonial context of this journey. It will also include a look at some of the cultural projects involved in the programme.
The Mayflower 400 programme will then run through to 2021 culminating with a Four Nations Commemoration Ceremony in Plymouth involving the USA, Netherlands, UK and Wampanoag nations on 11 July next year.
The anniversary programme will importantly involve representatives from the Wampanoag nation who will tell their side of this story in their own words for the first time, having been censored or not included in previous anniversaries.
The Mayflower 400 programme includes:
Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America
New touring dates: the exhibition, curated by The Box, will tour to: SeaCity Museum, Southampton (15 August to 18 October 2020), Guildhall Art Gallery, London (8 January to 14 February 2021) and The Box, Plymouth (15 May to Sat 19 July 2021).
Mayflower 400 year anniversary – 16 September 2020
The anniversary day will see a 60 minute online programme presented by history expert Dan Snow available on the History Hits channel and also via the Mayflower 400 website.
Mayflower 400: Legends & Legacy – The Box, Plymouth – 29 Sept 2020 to 18 Sept 2021
Legends and Legacy will be the largest commemorative Mayflower exhibition in history and will include over 300 objects. The exhibition has been co-curated by The Box, Plymouth with the Wampanoag Native American Advisory Committee.
This Land - Theatre Royal Plymouth – April 2021
Theatre Royal Plymouth will stage its first-ever international community production, titled This Land. Created and performed by 120 citizens of Plymouth, UK and 30 members of the Native American Wampanoag Tribe from Massachusetts, USA, This Land is the story of what happened then and what it means to us now. Witness the making of history with this unique and vital piece of theatre, which brings together communities from both sides of the Atlantic.
Directed by Alan Lane and produced by Theatre Royal Plymouth, it also features text by Nick Stimson and songs written and performed by Seth Lakeman
‘Roots Up!’ by Street Factory – Barbican and the Hoe - 22 May 2021
A bold and contemporary mass street dance on Plymouth Hoe aiming to get people from all walks of life participating in this representation of the Mayflower 400 values, led by the award-winning Street Factory hip-hop group in Plymouth
Mayflower International Festival including Mayflower Four Nations Ceremony – 8 to 11 July 2021.
The key events that would have formed Mayflower Week, originally due to take place in September 2020, have moved to next July 2021 and comprise:
- Rehabilitation Triathlon hosted by the Royal Marines: 8 July 2021
- Mayflower Military Muster: 10 July 2021
- Mayflower Four Nations Ceremony: 11 July 2021
The main ceremony on the 11 July will involve an exciting major public event on Plymouth Hoe including a 1,000 voice choir, the full orchestra of the Band of HM Royal Marines Plymouth, a depiction of the Mayflower story and representation from the four nations – UK, USA, Netherlands and for the first time, the Wampanoag nation.
Deputy Leader of Plymouth City Council, Pete Smith, said: “It’s been an extraordinarily challenging year, but we’re delighted to be able to carry so much of the Mayflower 400 commemorative programme into 2021. A huge amount of work has already gone into all of these events, so it’s fantastic that locals and visitors will still be able to enjoy what is an impressively varied and creative programme throughout the next year.
“The finale will be the spectacular Mayflower Four Nations Public Ceremony on the Hoe; it’s going to be an unmissable event which brings together all four nations involved to reflect on the Mayflower story.”
Adrian Vinken OBE, Chair of Mayflower 400, says: After all the recent uncertainty I’m delighted that we’re finally in a position to confirm the key elements of the Mayflower 400 programme starting now and taking us through to next July. We look forward to people across the country engaging with these remarkably diverse activities and the raft of other smaller Mayflower community projects based on the voyage and its many impacts.”