The biennial Macclesfield Barnaby Festival got off to a great start last weekend, and MP David Rutley joined hundreds of local residents to ‘paint the town Barnaby’ during the event’s big weekend.
See: Barnaby 2018 In Pictures, click here
Macclesfield’s Barnaby Festival takes place from 15th to 24th June, celebrating arts and culture inspired by Macclesfield’s rich history and heritage.
A key feature of the festival is the traditional parade through the town, providing a spectacle of costume, colour and creativity.
A number of local groups were represented and cheered on by the large crowds, as they demonstrated their own interpretations on the 2018 theme of ‘Routes and Roots’.
Those participating were inspired by Macclesfield’s unique silk heritage, at the end of the ancient Silk Road, and its landscape and people.
Other family-friendly events taking place over Barnaby’s big weekend included live music; street theatre; story telling; stalls selling artisan and locally-made produce; activities ranging from parcour workshops to kaleidoscopic coding.
Visitors enjoyed music from live bands and DJ sets in the dedicated marquee set up outside St Michael’s churchyard, as well as drinks from the festival’s very own Barnaby Tap pop-up bar.
The weekend also saw the unveiling of a mesmerising new light installation at the Silk Museum on Park Lane, produced by artist Zarah Hussain, who is originally from Macclesfield (read more).
The installation, named ‘Invisible Threads’, was commissioned by the Barnaby Festival to highlight Macclesfield’s vital position at the western end of the Silk Road as well the artist’s own father’s work in a local textile factory. It will be available to view throughout the festival period.
On Sunday, HOPE In North East Cheshire (the umbrella group of over thirty-nine churches of many denominations in Macclesfield and Bollington and the surrounding villages) held a well-attended open-air service in Market Square.
The service was an important and timely opportunity to recognise the vital work undertaken by so many churches in and around local communities, as well as the all those who volunteer in civil society across the local area.
David commented: “It was great to attend another vibrant and successful Barnaby Festival and to see local residents coming together to celebrate our town’s rich heritage and unique sense of community spirit.
“Barnaby has become an integral part of the Macclesfield calendar and it remains a statement of our town’s creativity and ambition for the future.
“As ever, I would like to thank the festival’s organisers, who volunteer their time to put on this much-loved community event, and encourage local residents to continue to see for themselves all that the Festival has to offer in the days ahead.”
