Preparations are well under way for the sixth annual outing of the now traditional end of Festival street parades.
Preparations are well under way for the sixth annual outing of the now traditional end of Festival street parades.
This year's theme is 'Trans Formations/Trans Actions' and the events will include, as the organisers say, "entrancing sounds, captivating sights, moving textures and an inspiring spectacle of different colours".
The parades are now established as the signalling of the closing of one Festival and the beginning of the process of creating the next.
There are two parades – the first on Saturday 11 July at 11am in Joza and the second on Sunday 12 July through the town centre.
Both will include musicians, dancers, giant puppets, stilt walkers and, of course, the now famous tortoise which is on its fourth outing.
Performers will include local school and community groups – many of whom are involved in the National Arts Festival's various skills development initiatives.
There will also be other local and visiting artists – including international performers.
Preparations and rehearsals are in full swing and, if you were on the Village Green on Sunday 5 July, you might have seen a sneak preview as some of the performers – including a very large spider – staged a pre-parade intervention to publicise the event.
There will be other Village Green interventions towards the end of this week.
For more information and pictures, search Facebook for 'National Arts Festival Street Parade', consult the Festival programme (p144) or buy Grocott's Mall on Friday for more details and maps of both parade routes.
