HORSHAM TOWN CENTRE FESTIVAL
Thursday 29 - Saturday 31 October 2009
After two years of poor festival weather the sun shone at last on Horsham’s Town Centre Festival helping thousands of visitors to enjoy a bumper three days of fun during the autumn Half Term week.
With the Old Mill Steam Fair creating a fantastic carnival atmosphere throughout the town centre Horsham visitors also enjoyed some foot-tapping world music over three days on the bandstand, from an exciting fusion of Russian and Celtic folk to West End show-tunes and Salsa grooves.
The Rotary Club of Horsham were on hand throughout the Festival and, thanks to the generosity of visitors to Horsham, raised over £500 for charity through well-attended Halloween mask-making workshops and pumpkin games. Children were then able to show off their artwork and Halloween costumes in a fancy dress competition on Saturday afternoon which proved popular with the crowds and generated some good audience participation! Thanks are extended to the Non Stop Party Shop in Horsham for offering some great prizes. The Trick or Treat Shops Competition around Horsham town centre was also well received by both visitors and traders alike with children of all ages enjoying special treats (and maybe just a few tricks!) whilst parents could check out the latest range of goodies on show in Horsham’s shops.
Light showers on Saturday failed to dampen the festival spirit with hundreds enjoying the funfair rides, live music and comedy Halloween-themed street theatre including Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and a stilt-walking wizard with his smoke-breathing dragon! By 6pm a new audience was emerging as the Battle of the Bands Finale became set to shake up the crowds with some rip-roaring music from some of the District’s finest young musicians. It was a close vote but by the end of the evening ‘Last Letter Read’ was chosen as the overall winner.
The Horsham Town Centre Festival is now in its 17th year and the event is as popular as ever, attracting thousands of people into town, many of them coming especially for the wide range of entertainment on offer. Horsham District Council would particularly like to thank the Rotary Club of Horsham whose volunteers did a stirling job in organising some great Halloween activities for families which helped to raise funds for a range of local charities.
For further enquiries about this or other events in Horsham please contact the Marketing and Events Manager on 01403 215153 or email leisure@horsham.gov.uk.