Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival 2023
Bringing back the West Yorkshire village of Slaithwaite’s spectacular lantern festival in February 2023.
About the Project Creator
Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival is an extremely popular week of lantern-making, music and storytelling, which culminates in a unique finale re-enacting the legend of Moonraking from the eighteenth century.
It brings together local residents and visitors of all ages and abilities. The festival has developed over 30 years as a catalyst for community creativity, building a reputation for artistic excellence that has seeped into the fabric of the area and has been at the heart of the community's creative and cultural development. It is organised biennially by a voluntary committee and trustees and has grown from a small half-term activity focusing on young children and families to a nationally respected community festival, creating a shared cultural experience for generations of local people.
We strive to
- build the artistry of lantern-making,
- broaden the scope of the festival programming with community engagement, empowerment and leadership at its heart.
- showcase celebratory spectacle that puts their location on the national map
- create a participatory programme that is artist-led and engages a cross-section of groups (family, friendship, neighbourhood, interest) and individuals.
- use distinct themes that build on the experience of each festival to develop new innovations and skills to develop the core festival template
- include outreach making workshops to involve and promote diverse communities; cross-generational activities; people with additional needs; creative cultural exchange
The team responsible for building or installing the project.