Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival
Feature by Lizzie Guilfoyle
ON SUNDAY, May 8, 2011, the 36th annual Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival will be held in the garden of St Paul’s Church – the actors’ church – near the spot where Samuel Pepys first saw Mr Punch in England in May 1662.
Punch and Judy professors and puppeteers from all over the country will perform throughout the day, celebrating the art of puppetry on what will be Mr Punch’s 349th birthday.
The programme consists of:
10.30am – Grand Procession around the neighbourhood of Covent Garden starting in the church garden. Led by the Superior Brass Band, it will include a toast to Mr Punch by the commemorative plaque on the church wall in the Piazza.
11.30am to 5.30pm – Punch and Judy and Puppet Shows. Included are puppet workshops, stalls, folk music by The Lost Marbles String Band, Maypole dancing and clowns.
The British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild, The Punch and Judy Fellowship, The College of Punch and Judy Professors, The Puppet Centre Trust and The Union Internationale de la Marionette will all be represented.
There will be stalls run by community groups from all over Westminster and Camden together with the Covent Garden Community Association, and refreshments provided by Coffee Affair and the Food Chain.
Punch and Judy Professors, puppeteers and entertainers attending include:
Professors Geoff Felix, Bryan Clarke, Paul Tuck and Les King, Bill Haslett, Mark Andrews, Justin Tai, Paul Jackson, Julie Peek, Joseph Peek, Jonathan Young, Glyn Edwards, Dennis Patten, Gary Wilson, James Arnott, Clive Chandler, Alix Booth, Chris Gasper, Pete Maggs, David Wilde, Adrienne Press, Mark Poulton, Gingernutt the Clown…
… Jim Barnard, Richard Robinson, Randolph the Remarkable, Gaeten Boyer, James Bradley, Salvo, Len Belmont, Peter Charlton, English Toy Theatre Co, Ossie McLean, Lord Pandrum, Emosh Puppets, Rough Magic Theatre, Fairly Fresh Fish Co, The Lost Marbles String Band, Donna Maria’s Maypole Spectacular and probably many more………
Supported by the City of Westminster, Westminster Arts and Alternative Arts.
Venue: St. Paul’s Church Garden, Bedford Street, WC2.
Admission: Free.
NB: In 2012, Mr Punch’s 350th birthday will be celebrated on May 12 and 13.
For more information visit the Alternative Arts Website