Will you dress to process at this year’s Midsummer Fayre?
On Saturday 4th June, the Midsummer Fayre is back! And this year it’s extra special:
- It’s our first Fayre since before the pandemic, so it’s a chance to come together and celebrate the support we’ve all given each other over those past 2 years.
- We’ll be welcoming the Mayor and other guests from Wellington’s twin town, Chatenay-Malabry in France, so want to give them a trip to remember.
- The event is doubling up as Wellington’s main celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – a historic occasion that marks the Queen’s 70 years of service.
Expect a right royal spectacle of fun, food and music – choirs, bands, soloists, fire-eaters, jugglers, dancers, skateboarders, a Zumba demonstration, and a costumed procession where EVERYONE can get involved! Never seen Queen Victoria playing an inflatable guitar? Now’s your chance.
The 1pm costumed procession is a regular fixture of the Fayre, its Classical and 18th Century cast of characters directly inspired by the ‘Wellington Jubilee’ Whitsun processions of the 1770s. But this year George III, Harlequin and Bacchus will be joined by some more contemporary figures – YOU!
We’re inviting visitors to come in fancy dress representing something or someone from the last seven decades of the Queen’s reign. You could Brylcreem your hair like a ’50s Teddy Boy, slip into a pair of flares like a Disco king, or don a fluorescent leotard like an 80s TV fitness instructor. Maybe dress as your younger self, or as your parents or grandparents, a famous pop star or sports person – the choice is yours. Just avoid anything too raunchy please (the procession starts and ends outside the church, after all) and obviously avoid anything that could cause offence. If we judge that you’ve broken either of these rules then you won’t take part!
Children are welcome to join in too, accompanied by a responsible adult. They can either dress up with the same ‘Seven Decades’ theme in mind, or they can make their own Jubilee crowns earlier on in the day (at Wellington Methodist Church in New Street) and wear those.
Joining instructions: simply arrive outside All Saints Church in your costume by 12.45pm, ready for a 1pm start. Seven Decades fancy dress people will be at towards the back of the line. We will walk from the churchyard through Market Square, up and down New Street, through the Market Hall, back up Market Street and to the church. We will be finished by 1.30.
And if the costumes are good enough, prizes will be awarded. So get rooting around in that wardrobe or raid the charity shop and see how creative you can be…