Day of fun ahead at Heptonstall Festival

The family fun event will bring a unique combination of the Wizard of Oz procession and performance in the old church ruins and finish off with an afternoon of music, as top bands take the stage to perform.

Dog owners are welcome to bring their dogs and parade them in the dog show, while a bouncy slide will fun for the kids.

Children and families will gather at 9.45am at Munchkin City in Heptonstall School playground, met by the Mayor, the Good Witch (Ursula Holden Gill, last year’s Red Queen), and the bad witch (Sonya Moorhead). Then, led by the Emerald City band, everyone will process to the Emerald City itself (that’s the old church ruins) to meet the Wizard of Oz and much magic for the whole community.

Festival traffic - and how to get to the big event

On Saturday, September 20, Heptonstall Festival Day, the main village street (Towngate and Smithwell Lane) will be closed to traffic from 9.30am till 5pm, with just access for residents with their own parking space and disabled visitors allowed.

There will be a main Festival car park at the top of the village, by kind permission of Anthony Holt, so all festival-goers coming by car are asked to drive around the Heptonstall by-pass (Lee Wood Road and Draper Lane) to access the village at the top. Parking will be well signposted.

The 596 bus route to Blackshaw Head will also by-pass the village and drop festival-goers at Draper Corner. The alternate buses which general go to Slack will terminate in the middle of Heptonstall.

Running order of performances on the two stages:

CHURCH RUIN STAGE

Noon, Katie Ritson

12.50pm, 3 Men & A Box

1.40pm, Magic Show

2.30pm, Feather Teeth

3.20pm, Tim O’Connor & Doc Rossi

4.20pm, Neil-Bob-Herd and friends

5.40pm, The Tiny Minds

6.40pm, The Lottery Winners

WEAVERS STAGE

1pm, Incidentals

2pm, Le Neon Noire

3pm, Last Chance Saloon Band

4.20pm, James Paul

5.20pm, Harry and MK

Then there is the evening classical concert which will close this year’s event:

OLD CHURCH RUINS

8pm, Three Valleys Gospel Choir, who will be followed by Due Voci