Saturday 11th May
9.30am – Waking Jack & Jill at the Tithe Barn. Help us wake Jack and Jill and their beasts from their year long slumber. Be ready to make lots of noise. See Bathampton Morris Men and Armaleggan perform the festival’s opening dances. Prize Old Mummers will perform their short but amusing Mummer’s play.
2pm – Children are invited to meet Jill in the Green in her secret bower at the Tithebarn Workshops. She’ll also be hosting local dance groups and appearances by hobby horses and beasts. You can watch events unfold from the lovely new Vixey’s Cafe.
5pm – Closing parade in the Riverside Park and Tithe Barn with Jack & Jill, hundreds of dancers, musicians, beasts and bands. Dress in green and join the parade. Map here. Join a mass circle dance to speed Jack and Jill on their way. This is a real spectacle and not to be missed.
5.45pm – Stripping Jack at the Tithe Barn. Traditionally Jack is stripped of all his greenery by everyone present. Keep your leaves safe to ensure we have a good Summer. As always Holt Morris will perform our traditional closing dance the very unusual and ethereal ‘Signposts’.
NEW dedicated festival car park on Poulton Field at the end of Poulton. Sat nav BA15 1EA. It’s well signed on all incoming roads.
Bike lock up free all day.
Vehicles £5 all day (cheaper than other car parks) including a free programme.
The safest walking route into town is marked in blue lines – via the bottom right corner of the field, right along Baileys Barn, along the canal to the Tithe Barn and then follow the river upstream into town – 20 mins. A slightly quicker but busier route turns right at the canal lock and follows the road into town.