Whitehaven Harbour
Saturday 31 August 11-5 pm
This year's festival is once again in partnership with the Whitehaven Harbour Commissioner and will feature live promenade performances, music, arts and crafts, and much more, illuminating the unique Harbour of Whitehaven and celebrating the local community. The event is free and open to all.
We are proud to offer a range of free family arts and crafts activities on-site, ensuring that everyone, regardless of age, can participate. Soak up the performances, music, food, and community feel-good atmosphere.
The full downloadable programme will be available closer to the date, but in the meantime, check out the confirmed artists below...
Parade - The Giant Wheel
Parade is a large-scale travelling performance featuring a Giant Wheel powered by 6 professional performers and a community cast of local participants celebrating individual identities whilst honouring our collective journeys. Autin Dance Theatre uses their unique blend of contemporary storytelling, striking physicality and innovative large designs to transport audiences and communities along a carefully choreographed procession.
https://autindt.co.uk/
The Fabularium - the Crew
It was a time of tempests, of great disruption and uncertainty. The humans' disregard for Mother Nature angered the Gods, and so they turned their backs on them...all but one. Amongst the pandemonium - One of the Gods still has hope and decides they must teach the humans how to live together, or risk dying alone. Two storm riddled shipwrecks, two ancient cultures, two very different claims on the world...two people. Yet without each other, this crew have no hope of navigating their way to safety.
https://fabularium.co.uk/
Folk Dance Remixed - Ceilidh Jam!
Ceilidh Jam will get you on your feet for a funked up, unique, folky, social dance – a fabulous chance for all to dance! Using traditional callers to teach, we’ll be mixing folk formations, street dance, legendary moves and freestyle grooves – from the Soul Train Line to Lucky 7, Strip the Willow to the Electric Slide.
Trigger - Teabreak
Have a well-deserved Teabreak in this heart-warming new show. As you stir your cup, gently glide through the history and ritual of tea with a transportive audio and live dance performance. Follow the journey of tea across continents and centuries, onto our shores and into our teapots as the great comforter of our time.
Experience the rich tapestry of tea's history. This unique performance will leave you feeling both refreshed and enlightened, offering a moment of relaxation amidst the hustle and bustle of the festival.
www.triggerstuff.co.uk/
Gary 'Gacko' Bridgens - Trunks
Trunks is a delightful and family-friendly collection of songs, tales, and routines accessible to all. Meet Gacko, the Royal Troubadour of Piel Island, proudly promenading with Dolly, his peripatetic perambulator of performance. Always ready to unload his curious cargo of songs, stories, and routines, this wandering vagabond showman explores every nook and cranny of where he is.
https://garybridgens.com/
Handpicked Production - Mahoosive Fish Heeds
Come and make a massive fish head hat and parade around the Harbour! Will yours be funny, whimsical, or perhaps a bit scary? Let your imagination run wild as you design and craft a hat that showcases your unique style. Whether you go for bright colors and bold patterns or eerie details, your fish head hat is sure to be a standout. Join in the fun and watch as the Harbour comes alive with a sea of Mahoosive Fish Heeds.
Ragtag Arts - The Ragtag Roadshow invites young and old to REUSE, CREATE and PLAY!
So step inside Scrappy Van and join Rag, Tag and friends in a day full of creative fun! Complete with kids theatre, scrap-art workshops & imaginative play in an action packed creative programme celebrating the power of scrap and imagination…
Emma McGordon - Coffee Cuplets
Emma McGordon has created something special for this year's Harbour Fest.
Emma wants to spread some playful KINDness and fun throughout Harbour Fest on Saturday, 31 August. She is collecting couplet poems that will be given out as a surprise when people buy drinks from The Coffee Man. It’s a delightful little surprise with people’s coffee.
Haul Away!!
Find out how rope is made with our expert from Ropework UK
Ian Outram from ROPEWORK-UK developed an interest in rope work whilst working in the Ships Riggers with the Fishermen of Fleetwood, Lancashire. For over 40 years his experience of creating rope solutions to everyday challenges in work and play is based on his passion for preserving the heritage of rope work its materials and way of working.
https://ropework-uk.com/
Nautical Knots
Help create a collective macrame masterpiece. Macrame is an artform where textiles are created using knotting techniques. Sailors have used macrame knots for centuries, to create nets, hammocks, ropes, and even decorative items for their ships. Artist Morwenna Muir from Knotted Wood Studios will show you how to tie simple knots so that you can help to create a macrame piece of art, which will grow and grow as the day develops. If you can tie your shoelaces, you can do macrame! Suitable for 6yrs and over.
Photo by Carla Whittingham Photography
SHIFT: Celebrating Local Talent in Whitehaven
SHIFT is a programme of live events running through 2024 by Soundwave. The programme includes collaborative elements with youth groups around Whitehaven, contributing towards immersive installations that explore how our communities access and engage with music and the arts. All events are free and held in open spaces in and around Whitehaven.
One of these events will be at this year's Harbour Fest, where it will shine a light on the amazing local talent in the area. Come and see the incredible creativity of young people in our community.
