Celebrate the fantastic world of Roald Dahl
Archived press release
Date Published: 17/06/10
Roald Dahl Festival parade
A community festival celebrating the work of one of Britain’s best-loved children’s authors will take place in Aylesbury on Saturday 3 July.
Organised by Aylesbury Vale District Council and sponsored by Chiltern Railways, with additional support from Aylesbury Town Council and Mix 96, the eighth annual Roald Dahl Festival is bound to be a big hit with people across Buckinghamshire.
The festivities will incorporate a parade of characters from Dahl’s classic tale Fantastic Mr Fox and other attractions in the town centre.
Months of hard work by local schoolchildren and professional artists will result in a spectacular procession of giant puppets including Fantastic Mr Fox himself and farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean.
Lead artist Sarah J. Ebdon and her team have been working with art students at Aylesbury Vale Academy and the Grange School in Aylesbury and the Royal Latin School in Buckingham to create the puppets. Meanwhile other artists have been working with hundreds of junior schoolchildren to create unique and exciting artwork for the parade.
Traditionally the parade has always started and ended at Aylesbury Civic Centre, but now that the Civic has closed in preparation for the opening of the new Waterside Theatre, it will start instead from St Mary’s Church.
The colourful parade begins at 11am and will involve local schoolchildren, youngsters from the Jonathan Page Playcentre, St John’s Badgers, cheerleaders and teachers. Samba dancers will lead the procession into Market Square from Temple Street, down towards the Court House and then back up the other side of the square into Kingsbury, returning to St Mary’s through Pebble Lane, accompanied by live music and colourful street theatre.
All the other activities around the town centre will begin after the parade at about midday. There will be an information point in Kingsbury with details about the day’s activities and events.
Kingsbury will be alive with carnival music and arts activities provided by the Queens Park Arts Centre and the district council’s play services teams.
Nearby, the County Museum and Roald Dahl Gallery will have a fantastic fun day and Aylesbury Library offers storytelling sessions and other fun activities for youngsters.
There will also be arts activities at St Mary’s Church and a treasure hunt in the town centre with prizes including shopping vouchers and two tickets for the opening night of Evita at the Waterside Theatre.
Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “This annual event is hugely popular as Roald Dahl still continues to capture the hearts and minds of children all over the world. There is also a strong link between Roald Dahl and Buckinghamshire, which makes the event even more special. The festival will be bigger and better this year with a host of fantastic activities for everyone to enjoy.”
Dahl, who died in 1990, wrote many of his most famous stories such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda while living in the Buckinghamshire village of Great Missenden.
For more information about this year’s Roald Dahl Festival, please visit the council’s website at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/leisure-culture or call 01296 585210.