Throughout July and August, Warrington is hosting a range of events, from family friendly football skills days to food and drink festivals, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Visitors to the town centre can look forward to a host of exciting spectacles from music, puppetry and street theatre, to art exhibitions and dance displays, with the main launch weekend taking place on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 July, as special events spring up across the town centre.
Funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered in partnership with the council, Culture Warrington, Warrington Market and the Warrington Business Improvement District (BID), a packed calendar of family friendly events will pop up in Time Square and other town centre venues, with more to be added over the coming weeks.
July
12 to 16 July – International Market
Discover edible treats from around the world at a huge outdoor market at Time Square, organised by Warrington Market.
22 July – Go Wild Warrington
Warrington Market goes wild with a range of animals and furry friends.
26 July – Crazy Golf
Come along to Time Square from 12pm to 5pm for a family friendly crazy golf challenge.
From 5pm to 9pm, crazy golf turns into an adults’ zone, so bring your friends or work colleagues for an evening of fun.
29 July – Street Games
Street Games return to Time Square, from 1pm to 4.30pm. Join in with an inclusive and accessible fun day, with games from around the world, and live music and dance with BSL performance and interpretation, hosted by fabulous game hosts and party music sets from EIF Sound.
29 July – Many Hands parade
Many Hands is commissioned by Billie Klinger- creative producer and is premiered in partnership with Culture Warrington and choreographed by Ruth Jones. This vibrant parade will bring people together to explore the shared communicative power and expressive potential of hands. Four professional dance artists will be joined by the Warrington Wolves Foundation, Warrington Youth Zone, Velocity Dance, Mature Movers – and the Warrington community.
The performance starts at 2.40pm at Time Square and will travel past Warrington Market onto Bridge Street and around the Guardians before returning back to Times Square. Here the promenade performers will join the wider community for a en masse dance!
Want to join in? A drop-in workshop is taking place at Time Square between 12pm and 2pm, where you can make your own hand to join the big dance at the end of the parade. Suitable for all the family but children must be accompanied by an adult.
29 July – Wake Me Up Before You Dodo
Tying in with the environmentally themed events in the town centre, this family friendly exhibition at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery is about endangered wildlife, from the smallest insects to the biggest beasts, the importance of biodiversity – and what we can do to help.
As well as taxidermy from the museum’s collection, there will be artwork from two artists – Sculptor Val Hunt, who ‘reincarnates’ rubbish to create animal sculptures with an environmental message, and Warrington’s ‘Mini David Attenborough’, Britain’s Got Talent finalist Aneeshwar Kunchala. The exhibition runs until 5 November.
29/30 July – Out of the Deep Blue
Back by popular demand, everyone’s favourite eco-friendly puppet Eko returns to Time Square. Out of the Deep Blue is a large-scale outdoor performance featuring a sea giant puppet and a contemporary dancer, inspired by the themes of the climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis.
30 July – The Whale: Plastic Ocean at Palmyra Square
Culture Warrington invites bold explorers to encounter an ‘aquabatic’ diver, a shipwrecked pirate with a treasure tale to tell, a real life mermaid with a haunting siren’s song and an intriguing secret alongside a true-to-life 50ft inflatable sperm whale.
With the use of exquisite puppets, comedy and music, explore the tale of sea creatures and their battle to survive in an ocean full of rubbish. Their aim is to leave families feeling empowered that everyone can make a difference.
Shows will be held every half hour in Queens Gardens, in front of the Parr Hall, between 11am and 4pm (last performance 3.30pm).
30 July – Sunflowers performance at Palmyra Square
Culture Warrington presents a new, eye-catching dance, aerial and hand balancing performance designed for children and families by Tuckshop Dance Theatre. A show about self-care and personal growth, there are three opportunities to see Sunflowers at 12.15pm, 2.15pm and 3.30pm.
30 July – Be Kind to Our Planet family workshops at the Parr Hall
Six local artists, chosen by Culture Warrington, will host a programme of free, drop-in workshops themed around the environment, between 10.30am and 4pm. Suitable for the whole family but designed for ages 7+. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
August
5 to 6 August – Hop, Grape and Grain Festival
Some of your favourite Time Square retailers are coming together for a weekend long beer festival in the square, with live music, cocktails and a huge variety of beer.
17 August – Football Skills
In the run up to the women’s World Cup on 20 August, test your football skills in Time Square with Streetwise Soccer.
27 August – Proms in the Square
Bank holiday weekend brings a new event to Time Square – Proms in the Square. Come along for a day full of live music showcasing the fantastic local talent of Warrington and beyond.
Council leader, Cllr Russ Bowden, said: “This calendar of summer events will bring a variety of family-friendly live performances and activities to our town centre for everyone to enjoy.
“There really is something for everyone, with a huge programme of free, diverse events for the whole family. The town centre will be alive with music, colour, performance and much more, showcasing Warrington as a fantastic family-friendly destination.”
Cllr Tom Jennings, cabinet member for economic development and innovation, said: “Warrington is an ever-growing cultural destination through the council and its partners bringing arts, culture and live performance to the town with a large injection of fun and creativity – I encourage all to get involved over the Summer as you certainly won't be disappointed, there truly is something for everyone."
