A weekend of wonderfully wacky and creative events will kick-off this year’s hotly-anticipated Barnaby Festival.
The 10-day biannual festival – which celebrates arts and culture in the town – will run from Friday, June 17, until Sunday, June 26, with dozens of exhibitions, events, performances and gigs taking place around Macclesfield.
The carnival parade is expected to be the star of this year’s festival with thousands expected to line the route to watch as colourful costumes and flamboyant floats pass through the town.
John Hartshorn, the parade’s artistic director, said: “We’re thrilled with the interest this year – everyone from cubs, to pubs, to dance troupes and community groups have come together to shape our star-spangled parade. I can’t wait.”
The theme for this year’s Barnaby Festival is ‘space’, and Macclesfield Community ArtSpace, which organises parade, is also building a giant star which will be raised at the end of the festival as part of the family event, La Lune.
The five-point star – which measures more than 18ft across – is being decorated by five different community groups, including residents from the Hurdsfield estate, children from Ashgrove School, Macclesfield Beavers, participants in Brick Project at Park Lane underpass and a group celebrating the lives of lost loved ones.
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John added: “The giant star is a unique project aimed at getting people involved creatively in the whole La Lune adventure.
“The five points will be joined together to make one enormous star, which will play a magical part at ‘The Moon Rising’, a free outdoor event on Saturday, June 24. It’s going to be pretty spectacular seeing it all come together.”
Karl Wallace, festival director, said: “The carnival parade has always been central to the festival, it epitomises the Barnaby ethos that engagement is at the heart of what we do. The parade has grown year on year and it provides an opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate Macclesfield and have fun. Anyone is welcome to join in, so long as they wear a ‘space’-themed costume and make a noise. Strolling musicians, bands, street performers, choirs, dancers are especially welcome, as we want to be heard across the town as well as seen.
“If you enjoy watching or taking part in the parade don’t forget ‘The Moon Rising’ the following Saturday, which is another festival spectacle for families. Something very exciting is going to happen, which you will have never seen before in Macc so don’t miss it.”
The parade is on Saturday, June 18, at 1pm, starting at Macclesfield Town Hall in Market Place.
The Moon Rising takes place at Christ Church on Saturday, June 25 at 8.45pm.
For more about joining the parade, contact John Hartshorn at sambajohn1@yahoo.com.
