More attractions added to March's St George's Festival

In advance of the main event on Sunday, April 23, a colouring competition, free poetry workshops and an art exhibition have been added.

The main event in and around March Library, in City Road, will now include some fun fair rides, at City Road Lorry Park, inflatables and a free climbing wall.

As previously announced, a dragon march led by a dragon created with community help will kick off the main event, leaving the bandstand in West End Park at 10am.

Community groups are now invited to register to take part in the march alongside children who have been working on dragon puppets in local schools. The march will also be supported by Newmarket Samba Band.

The day will include arts, crafts and food stalls, live music and performances, improvised poetry with poet Charley Genever, circus skills, miniature golf, falconry and static scooter club displays.

In March Library, attractions will include music creation; virtual reality and 2D animation with arts organisation Collusion; storytelling, with Dave Tonge, the Yarnsmith of Norwich; live chalk window drawing and other arts and crafts activities.

• For more information check out the  St George's Event Programme (PDF) [1MB]

Visitors are being urged to walk or cycle to the event where possible. Town centre parking will be limited.

Residents will also begin to see chalk drawings by professional artist Cary Outis, transform windows of March town centre shops, including Paninis, in Market Place and High Street's March Quality Meats, Costa and Greetings.

Places are still available at family friendly screen-printing sessions to help create the scales for the dragon at the centre of the main event and other free fun and creative sessions at March Community Centre, in Station Road.

Colouring competition

A colouring competition is now running with entry forms available from March library and to download here:  St George's Colouring Competition (PDF) [3MB] . Art supply vouchers will be awarded as prizes in several age categories.

Entries must be returned to March library by 2pm on Sunday, April 23.

Free Walking Poetry Workshops

Marketplace Creative People & Places has commissioned poet Charley Genever to take groups on a walk around March, discovering the town with new eyes, creating their own poem and recording the finished piece using 20Twenty Production's state-of-the-art recording equipment.

The sessions are suitable for all levels of writer, and everyone aged 14+. The sessions are being held on:

• Saturday, April 15, 10am to 2pm - meet at March Town Hall.
• Saturday, April 22, 10am to 2pm - meet at March Town Hall.

Lunch will be provided.

Booking is essential. Book via Eventbrite at: bit.ly/40Lz1eL

Art exhibition

An art exhibition 'Hooked!' by March's Neale Wade Academy art club will be on display at March Community Centre, Saturday, April 15 to Friday, April 21.

The students have learned lino-printing amongst other techniques, some of which have been inspired by images of March. This includes recognisable street scenes, historic features and an array of interesting March architectural buildings.

Exhibition opening times are 10am to 4pm Saturdays and 9am to 5pm weekdays.

Dragon scale making workshops

There's still time to get involved in making scales for the St George's Festival dragon at free family-friendly screen-printing events at March Community Centre where attendees can also put their design on a t-shirt.

Events take place Saturday, April 15 and Saturday, April 22, book via Eventbrite.

Fun and creative free community centre sessions

Other pre-festival day events also taking place at March Community Centre include coat of arms making, Dragon Beatz musical instrument-making and a Stranger Things inspired drop-in event.

For details see our previous St George's Festival release.

Parking and access

City Road Lorry Park will be closed from 5pm on Saturday, April 22 to 7.30pm on Sunday, April 23.

The car park at George Campbell Leisure Centre and March Library and car parking along The Brewin Chase will be closed to traffic from 5am to 7.30pm Sunday, April 23.

There will also be reduced parking at City Road Car Park.

The festival is being held in place of the traditional St George's Fayre, which is usually held in Broad Street.

The St George's Festival has been organised by March Events Committee, MarketPlace - Creative People & Places, March Library, The Library Presents, 20Twenty Productions and Cambridgeshire Skills.

Register your community group to join the April 23 dragon march

Community groups can register to take part in the April 23 dragon march via email: marketsandevents@fenland.gov.uk

March 2023