Heart of Kent Hospice, along with its Official Partners and Sponsors, are excited that Elmer’s Big Heart of Kent Parade will be taking place in Maidstone this summer.

Elmer and his friends will be marching onto the streets of Maidstone to form the first-ever public art trail in the County town on Saturday 19 June 2021 for nine weeks.

With a blaze of colour and creativity, Elmer and his friends will bring a ton of fun and laughter to our local area. After what has been a difficult year for everyone, this Parade is a chance for the whole community to come together to recover, heal and have some fun! This free outdoor walking trail will provide a much-needed boost to everyone’s wellbeing and the local economy.

The Parade of beautifully designed Elmer sculptures will form three suggested walks totalling around six miles. The trail will reflect the town’s history, economic heart and areas of natural beauty. You can do the trail your way – you might want to dip in and out of areas over the nine weeks, spend a weekend completing the trail, or if you are feeling energetic, do it all in a day!

The Parade is open to everyone and we hope that as many people as possible will explore all or parts of the fully accessible trail over the summer. You’ll be able to pick up a copy of a beautifully hand-illustrated map at key town centre locations across Maidstone or use the official Parade app to help you explore.

The free Parade app will be available to download from 19 June. It will show you the location of each Elmer and the herds of small Elmers, along with information about our Official Partners, Sponsors and artists. Each Elmer will have a unique app code. Once you tap the code into your mobile device, it will reveal some exciting rewards for you to download.

Get ready to have some fun and explore!