Final Press Release -
WONDERLAND COMES TO WHITTINGTON PARK FOR HOLLOWAY ARTS FESTIVAL'S FINALE WEEKEND
This year's Holloway Arts Festival ended on a high this weekend as 5000 people came out to enjoy the final weekend of events, including the festival's free outdoor day, the Big Day Out in Whittington Park on Saturday 4 July.
65 children from local schools and community groups were transformed into an army of white rabbits, knaves of hearts, mad hatters and musical playing cards for a spectacular carnival procession on the theme of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
The children had made their own costumes at workshops in the weeks running up to the carnival. The choreographed parade was set to music created especially for the event. Eight children from The Bridge School, a community special school that caters for pupils with learning difficulties, worked with Drake Music on the composition, taking elements of the musical play Alice Through the Looking Glass by film, TV and theatre composer Stephen Daltry. Daltry himself accompanied the procession live on piano.
Mayor of Islington, Cllr Anna Berent, who attended the Big Day Out, said: "It is a brilliant day once again, and the carnival costumes were wonderful. I love the fact that there is an Alice in Wonderland theme because it was one of my favourite books when I was a child."
Performance poet Paul Lyalls, star of BBC2's Big Slam Poetry House, compered the main stage, introducing a lively mix of music from bands Victor Menace, Mukka, Matzos and Deathray Trebuchay, while on the dance stage audiences enjoyed a range of dance performances including Caribbean dance, hip-hop and belly dancing.
Other activities during the day included arts and crafts workshops, a screening of short films from local and up-and coming filmmakers, a penalty shoot-out competition from Arsenal, and weird and wonderful street theatre including a huge roaming Jaberwocky and two comical Traffic Wardens making festival-goers laugh with their ridiculous rules and regulations.
Jeremy Corbyn MP said: "It's nice to have the Holloway Arts Festival showing the diversity and vibrancy of the community in the north of the borough."
Fynn Bolger, local resident, said: "I loved the man blowing bubbles on stilts and the Alice street performers, they're very funny. It's a nice friendly atmosphere, a great day out for kids and a chance for the community to come together."
Another local resident, Michaela Delahunt, said: "This is fourth Big Day Out I've been to. It's the best local festival in north London."
The day was rounded off with a comedy night at Hargrave Park School with comedians Dan Antopolski and Richard Herring, hosted by performance poet Paul Lyalls.
In total over 8000 people have taken part in this year's packed programme of over 40 events, which showcased the work of local artists and brought national and international performers to the area, as well as giving people a chance to try out arts activities in workshops. These included the Cubitt Gallery Everybody Click workshop, at which young people set up a studio and took portraits, and The Big Sing, at which people learned new songs and gave a performance.
Other highlights included Connecting Conversations with graphic designer Storm Thorgerson, creator of well-known album covers for bands such as Pink Floyd, at which the audience got involved in creating a unique piece of art; and a new venture for the Festival, Archway Open House, at which artists displayed their work in local venues in Holloway and Archway.
The Holloway Arts Festival was produced by The Rowan Arts Project in partnership with a range of local organisations.