Coventry's annual Peace Festival returns to celebrate peace and unity.
With a diverse programme of free events and activities, there’s something for everyone – from families to individuals of all ages. Events will take place across Coventry, including the city centre and I local communities, however there are some events in Nuneaton and Bedworth too. No booking is required to attend the events unless stated otherwise.
Thursday 5 November
Peace Poetry: "Light Guiding Us Towards a Shared Future"
Time: 10am-12noon for the workshop. The performance will be held on Tuesday 10 November, 10am-12noon
Location: Methodist Church Coventry, Warwick Lane, Coventry, CV1 2HA
Organisers: Coventry and Warwickshire SACREs, Godiva Trust, Coventry Multifaith Forum and Central Hall Methodist Church.
Creative poetry workshops bringing Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 pupils together to explore light, understanding, dialogue and a shared future across different backgrounds.
Peace Poetry at St Nicholas Church, Nuneaton
Time: The workshop will take place at 2pm. The performance will be held on Thursday 12 November at 2pm.
Organisers: Coventry and Warwickshire SACREs, Godiva Trust, Coventry Multifaith Forum and St Nicholas Church, Nuneaton.
Young people explore peace, hope and shared humanity through collaborative poetry writing, culminating in a public performance.
Friday 6 November
Godiva Sisters: Women Building Peace, Hope and Reconciliation
Time: 12noon to 2pm
Location: Priory Visitor Centre
Hosted by the Godiva Trust, this interactive community event brings together women from diverse cultural backgrounds to explore peace, hope, justice, kindness and community cohesion. Participants, including women with connections to countries affected by conflict, will share experiences and reflections through facilitated discussions, creative activities and a shared lunch. An art installation inspired by participants' words and stories will also be created.
Empower Change, Inspire Peace
Time: 3pm to 5pm
Location: Canley Library Garden
A free, community-led outdoor storytelling event bringing together secondary-aged young people, children under nine and their families. Working with Westwood Academy's Community Hero students and local librarians, participants will share stories about peace, create a Values Charter, and enjoy nature-based crafts using materials gathered from the garden. The event aims to build empathy, encourage mutual respect and strengthen community connections.
United Through Food
Time: 5pm to 7pm
Location: Canley Community Centre, Coventry, CV4 8FT
Organiser: Malaysian Coventry Society (MCS)
Celebrate peace through food, culture and storytelling. Enjoy Malaysian, Hong Kong and Nigerian food heritage through demonstrations, tastings and cultural discussions that bring communities together through shared traditions and experiences.
Saturday 7 November
Fingerprints of Peace
Time: 11am to 2pm
Location: Foleshill Library
A free, drop-in community artwork for all ages. Visitors are invited to write the word"peace" in their own language, helping to create one giant fingerprint on canvas, a shared symbol of everyone who calls Coventry and the wider UK home. Led by SJ of Ochré, the workshop is inspired by themes of identity and culture, drawing on the artist's Fingerprint of God pieces, created entirely from scripture and also produced in Arabic. The completed artwork will be unveiled at Foleshill Library on Saturday 14 November before being gifted to the city.
Multifaith Walk
Time: 10am-1pm
Location: Starting at the Polish Church, Harnall Lane West, Coventry
Organiser: Coventry Multi Faith Forum
Held as part of Coventry Peace Festival and Inter Faith Week, this community event explores how different faith traditions promote peace, hope, justice, kindness and community cohesion. Through displays and facilitated discussion, participants will learn how Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim festivals use light as a symbol of hope, and are invited to share their own ideas for a more peaceful and inclusive city. Open to people of all faiths and none.
Communities of Cov Peace Trail
Time: 11:30am to 12:30pm
Location: St Mary's Guildhall Courtyard, Bayley Lane, Coventry, CV1 5RN
EnV City Host Volunteers invite residents and visitors to take part in the Communities of Coventry Peace Trail, exploring Coventry's unique heritage as a City of Peace and Reconciliation. This relaxed, accessible guided walk through the city centre offers an interactive and informative experience, bringing people together to learn about local history, share memories and reflect on the city's journey towards peace and reconciliation.
Email to book your place: info@env.uk.com
Peace and Remembrance Workshop
Time: 12noon to 3pm
Location: War Memorial Park Visitors' Centre, Coventry
Organiser: Creative Kindness
Creative Kindness invites families to a peace and remembrance themed craft workshop. Activities include wreaths and bunting, poppy making, rock painting, peace doves, peace message badge making and more, giving parents and children a chance to create together and talk about peace and remembrance. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Peace Poetry Writing Workshop with Rayna Harmony
Time: 1pm to 2pm
Location: Central Library, Smithford Way, Coventry
Join renowned local poet Rayna Harmony for a creative writing workshop exploring how we define, feel and experience peace. Through interactive writing exercises, visual prompts and group discussion, participants will create their own peace-inspired poem. No previous writing experience is necessary, and all languages are welcomed and encouraged. The workshop aims to bring together diverse perspectives to create a richer picture of peace within our city
Peace Wreath Workshop
Time: 1pm to 3pm
Location: Priory Visitors Centre, Coventry
Organiser: Normandy Day UK, The Peace Orchard
The Coventry Peace Orchard invites people of all ages to make natural peace wreaths using foliage gathered from the Orchard. Participants will reflect on words and images of peace and reconciliation, write personal messages to weave into a wreath to take home, and share conversation about remembrance. One wreath will be made collectively on behalf of the Peace Orchard community and laid at a Coventry Remembrance service in November 2026.
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November
Family Remembrance Craft Workshop
Time: 12pm to 3pm
Location: War Memorial Park Visitors' Centre
Creative Kindness invites families to join a peace and remembrance-themed drop-in craft workshop. Activities include wreath-making, poppy crafts, rock painting, peace doves, peace-message badges and more.
Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Sunday 8 November
Remembrance Day Service
Location: War Memorial Park (10.45am) and London Road Cemetery (3pm)
A key part of the Peace Festival each year is the Remembrance Sunday Service and Parade which takes place at the War Memorial Park. This is followed by the Communal Grave Service at London Road Cemetery at 3pm.
Remembrance Day Service, Family Lunch and Crafts
Time: 10:30am onwards
Location: St Francis Church, Radford
Join St Francis Church for an all-age Remembrance Day service reflecting on those affected by war and conflict. From midday, attendees are invited to stay for a light lunch, family discussions on peace and reconciliation, and peace-themed crafts.
Monday 9 November
Coventry in Cohesion Conference
Time: 9am
Location: Coventry Technological Park
Wellbeing and Peace for Ethnic Minority Women in Pregnancy
Time: 9:30am to 12:00pm
Location: FWT, 70-72 Elmsdale Avenue, Coventry, CV6 6ES
This women-only session, delivered through the FWT MAMTA Child & Maternal Health Project, brings together pregnant women from ethnic minority communities who are currently receiving support through the programme. Many participants are newly arrived in Coventry and may be experiencing isolation, resettlement challenges and a lack of local support networks. The session will provide a safe and welcoming space for women to share their experiences, explore what peace means to them and take part in open discussions with others facing similar circumstances. Through conversation, reflection and shared refreshments, participants will have the opportunity to build friendships, strengthen community connections and support one another's wellbeing during pregnancy.
Booking: This is a closed session for existing service users only. For more information about the MAMTA Child & Maternal Health Project, please email mamta@fwt.org.uk.
Children's Commonwealth Service
Time: 10am
Location: Coventry Cathedral
Organisers: Coventry and Warwickshire SACREs, Godiva Trust and Coventry Multifaith Forum, in partnership with participating schools, churches and faith communities.
A celebration of shared values, community cohesion and mutual respect, bringing children and young people together with local churches, the Gurdwara and SACRE representatives to celebrate diversity and a shared future.
Lighting the Way to a Shared Future
Time: 10am
Location: Pocket Park, Livingstone Road, Foleshill, Coventry
This special remembrance event honours those who served and sacrificed during times of war while highlighting the importance of peace, harmony and mutual respect. Bringing together local residents, schoolchildren, civic dignitaries, faith leaders and community organisations, the programme includes poetry, reflections, interfaith prayers and wreath-laying.
Following the service, attendees are invited to the local Gurdwara for refreshments and fellowship.
Wednesday 11 November
Coventry Peace Trail Guided Introduction
Time: 10.30am-12noon
Location: Coventry Cathedral Ruins
Organisers: David Fish and Mary Goodwin for Coventry Peace Committee.
A guided introduction to the self-guided Coventry Peace Trail, featuring 30 sites in Coventry city centre linked to peace, reconciliation and international friendship.
Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day - Peace Workshop for Women
Time: 10am to 1pm
Location: FWT, 70-72 Elmsdale Avenue, Coventry, CV6 6ES
A free workshop for women from different cultural and community backgrounds. Through creative activities, peace-themed crafts, candle lighting, refreshments and conversations, participants will share experiences, build friendships and exchange messages of hope. Hosted in a welcoming women-only environment.
Radio Peace
Time: 3:30pm to 5pm
Location: WATCH Charity, 12 Victoria Street, Hillfields, Coventry, CV1 5LZ
Organiser: Working Actively To Change Hillfields (WATCH)
Participants from WATCH's Skillz with Hillz radio training cohort will create, produce and broadcast a community radio programme inspired by peace, reconciliation and community cohesion. Through workshops, interviews and group discussion they will build skills in presenting and audio production while amplifying diverse local voices. Open to adults. The venue is fully accessible.
Booking / Information: nadia@watchcharity.org.uk | 024 7655 0564
Peace Lamps
Time: 3:30pm to 5:00pm
Location: WATCH Charity, 12 Victoria Street, Hillfields, Coventry, CV1 5LZ
Organiser: Working Actively To Change Hillfields (WATCH)
A creative workshop for children and young people aged 8 to 18 exploring peace, hope and reconciliation. Participants will learn about Coventry's history as a City of Peace and the use of light as a symbol of unity after conflict, then design and decorate glass jars to make their own peace lamps. Guided discussions on kindness, respect and diversity accompany the craft, and the finished lamps will form a collective display. The venue is fully accessible.
Booking / Information: nadia@watchcharity.org.uk | 024 7655 0564
Thursday 12 November
History Tour of Coventry Cathedral
Time: 3:30pm to 5pm
Location: Coventry Cathedral, starting at WATCH Charity, 12 Victoria Street, Hillfields, Coventry, CV1 5LZ
Organiser: Working Actively To Change Hillfields (WATCH)
A walking history tour for children and young people aged 8 to 18, taking in some of Coventry's most historic buildings and the Cathedral's role as a symbol of peace and reconciliation after the Coventry Blitz. Participants will reflect on forgiveness and rebuilding relationships, then use what they have learned to plan and produce a show for local radio. Parents do not need to attend.
Booking / Information: nadia@watchcharity.org.uk | 024 7655 0564
Lord Mayor’s Peace Lecture – “Is Reconciliation Possible in the Midst of Conflict? Coventry’s Gift to the World”
Time: 6.30pm-7pm
Organiser: Lord Mayor and Coventry Peace Committee.
A lecture exploring reconciliation amid conflict and Coventry’s contribution to peace around the world, presented by Dean Rev. John Witcombe and chaired by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Bailey.
Saturday 14 November
Commemorative Planting of the Arnhem Oak
Time: Planting at 11:00am, with a procession beforehand
Location: Liberty Wood, Sowe Common North, Coventry, CV2
Organiser: Friends of Sowe Common
Friends of Sowe Common will plant a young oak grown from an acorn of one of the surviving oaks at the Arnhem battlefield, opposite the spigot mortar mounds and anti-tank furniture beside the Oxford Canal. A procession of the tree will lead to the planting, and invitations are extended to Coventry Parachute Regiment. Attendees are invited to wrap in blankets, recalling those who sought refuge on Sowe Common during the Blitz. This is an outdoor event and the ground may be muddy or wet, which will restrict wheelchair access.
Peace Poetry Workshop
Time: 10am-12noon
Location: All Saints Church Bedworth
Organisers: Coventry and Warwickshire SACREs, Godiva Trust, Coventry Multifaith Forum and All Saints Church, Bedworth.
A creative poetry project bringing children and young people together to reflect on peacebuilding, community cohesion and dialogue across different beliefs and backgrounds .Performance of the poetry will take place on Saturday 28 November 2026 10am-12noon
Sense of Unity
Time: 6pm-7pm
Location : University Square
Organiser: Coventry City Council
Sense of Unity is a spectacular outdoor arts project supported by Arts Council England through the Coasters touring programme. Created by Worldbeaters and DUNDU, and produced by Activate Performing Arts, the project brings communities together through giant illuminated puppets, dynamic drumming and music inspired by West African kora. The performance celebrates togetherness, diversity and shared experiences, transforming public spaces into vibrant, inclusive cultural events that connect people through the power of the arts. Read more about the event.
Sunday 15 November
It Takes a City - Online Screening
Time: 5pm (40 minutes)
Organiser: Talking Birds
A special online screening of It Takes a City by acclaimed Coventry theatre company Talking Birds, one year on from its performance in the evocative setting of Coventry Cathedral. It Takes the City tells the story of two World War 2 bombs dropped on the city - one found undetonated in 1940, the other unearthed behind the Belgrade Theatre in 2008 - and of the selfless actions of the two Bomb Disposal crews tasked with dealing with them.
Thursday 19 November
Peace Poetry at All Saints Church, Bedworth
Time: 10am-12noon for the workshop. The performance will be held on Saturday 28 November, 10am-12noon.
Organisers: Coventry and Warwickshire SACREs, Godiva Trust, Coventry Multifaith Forum and All Saints Church, Bedworth.
A creative poetry project bringing children and young people together to reflect on peacebuilding, community cohesion and dialogue across different beliefs and backgrounds.