Ryde Arts Festival Parade
by Di Coppell
Ryde Arts Festival Parade hits town on July 8th and promises to be the biggest and best yet. Hundreds of revellers will be taking part in the Let’s Celebrate themed
procession, representing every school in Ryde plus visitors and community groups.
The Parade will be among the highlights of a bumper weekend planned for July 7th-9th, raising the curtain on this year’s nine-day Ryde Arts Festival, which runs through until July 15th. Moved from its traditional finale slot in the festival, the Parade is the first costumed procession in the Island’s packed carnival season. It will set off from upper Dover Street at 1pm, on Saturday, July 8th, following a route through the town via Park Road, Star Street, High Street and Union Street to the seafront where activities including a live music stage – featuring local bands,
carnival inspired music and jazz – will be taking place on each of the three days.
Expect plenty of surprises in the colourful, feel good parade. Not least of these will be the first showing of the Paint the World animated float, which is being created by visiting Italian artist Umberto Cinquini.
Umberto is developing and sharing his skills on the Island this summer under the Arts Council England International Artists Fellowship scheme. Back home in Viareggio, Umberto helps to create what are some of the world’s largest carnival floats. Island carnival goers enjoyed a taste of his work last summer when he spent ten days in Ryde working with local artists to produce huge papier mache Nelson and Long John Silver characters which appeared in the 2005 Arts Festival parade.
Supported by the Isle of Wight Beacon, this year’s Ryde Arts Festival has again been co-ordinated by Ryde Development Trust in partnership with artists, promoters, individuals and venues. Details of this year’s mixed arts line-up which includes live music, history and storytelling walks, visual arts, poetry and more, can be found in the Arts Festival programme which will be available at outlets around Ryde from June 1st, or on the web site www.rydefestival.org
Daily exhibitions, forays into history and heritage, poetry, plus evenings at the new Ryde High School Theatre - including a first showing of short films capturing lantern and festival parades and other community events –are among the attractions during this early summer festival for all the family. Music lovers can take their be found in the Arts Festival programme which will be available at outlets around Ryde from June 1st, or on the web site www.rydefestival.org
Daily exhibitions, forays into history and heritage, poetry, plus evenings at the new Ryde High School Theatre - including a first showing of short films capturing lantern
and festival parades and other community events –are among the attractions during this early summer festival for all the family.
Music lovers can take their pick from a varied programme which runs from world music (Swiss band Tiger The Lion) to gospel, laid-back jazz, open air and church band concerts, one of Britain's most sought-after harp and vocal duos, Sarah-Jane Dale and Luisa-Maria Ovett (Sunday July 9th) plus the cream of the local crop at pub gigs and al fresco.
Workshops and activities provide several opportunities to take part. These include a Young Pavement Artists Competition (for primary, middle and high school ages), the chance to help create a giant canvas working with artist Marcia Mence at Artworks High Street store, parade day face painting at Craft Crazy in Union Street and craft sessions including first steps in knitting. Ryde’s rich history can be explored in the company of local historian Roy Brinton, who is again leading one of his popular history excursions.