Barnaby Festival success

Welcome to the Carnival (Fiona Bailey)

Barnaby Festival 2016 brought magic, music, science and wonder to Macclesfield town centre again last weekend to round off what organisers say has been their most successful festival yet, with twelve sold out shows and the biggest audiences ever.

Almost a thousand people gathered on Christ Church Lawns to see the ‘Moon Rising’, the spellbinding finale of the festival’s specially commissioned family adventure , La Lune. As dusk approached, the huge Community Star made by ArtSpace working with five groups including Ashgrove Primary School and the Macclesfield Beavers who each decorated one of the points was raised 28 meters into the air and flashed above the crowds.

The ‘Astronomer’ on the top of the church tower asked the audience to chant the rhyme they’d heard at ‘The Astronomer’s Story’ the previous weekend to tempt the moon back into the sky and save the town from peril. A heliosphere – an illuminated, inflated balloon with an acrobat suspended below – emerged from behind Christ Church and gracefully swept up and across crowds to ethereal music. Children looked in awe as the aerial dancer swooped down head first down to touch outstretched hands and stars.

Other highlights of the weekend included Spacepod Challenge on Saturday where children and adults created 16 ‘pods’ of various ingenious designs which were tested in front of an audience of over 100. Only 5 of the eggs dropped 6 meters onto the cobbles of Market Place smashed and space writer and Robot Wars judge Dr Lucy Rogers selected a winner in which the young engineer had strapped balloons to the side of the pod for protection.

Macclesfield’s first Comic Convention Macc-POW! was packed with almost 500 visitors who draw, illustrated, swapped and chatted comics all day at the Old Sunday School.

The collaborative community project Yardens at the premises of Reach Out and Recover proved a huge hit with over 800 people visiting the small transformed yard over the weekend, now boasting edible plants, handmade furniture and flower beds. Some residents and visitors were visibly moved by the achievement, messages of support and the connections made.

It was a bumper day for Macclesfield’s monthly Treacle Market which took over the Barnaby ‘Maccles-field’ turning it into a ‘Makers-field’ including a foraging workshop from expert James Wood. The Brass Band Bonanza saw young and older musicians entertain the crowds, followed by another free performance at St Michael’s by Macclesfield Youth Brass Band who played the new ‘space’ themed work by Lucy Pankhurst, Contact Light (said to be the first words spoken on the moon) narrated by Brian Blessed.

Organisers reported fabulous feedback from Maxonians and visitors who praised the depth, breadth and quality of the festival which celebrates Macclesfield’s heritage and talent as well as bringing new experiences to the town.

Barnaby Festival Director, Karl Wallace, said: “Barnaby 2016 has been the biggest and brightest with a record number of sold out shows, the larger audiences and more involvement from community groups and local organisations. Barnaby and its incredible team of volunteers have brought arts, culture and science into the heart of the town – and Maxonians have loved it! We’re also proud that the festival has become an attraction with visitors pouring into Macclesfield to see the brilliant work on display. Macc once again proves itself to be a cultural town with creative endeavour pulsing through its veins.”