Help us make a splash at weekend of family fun

Families are invited to help us make a splash when a weekend of free and fun activities themed around the deep blue sea and protecting our environment comes to Warrington.

Visitors to the town centre can look forward to a host of exciting spectacles on Saturday and Sunday, 29 and 30 July, including the return by popular demand of eco-friendly sea giant Eko, who will be greeting the crowds, and the chance to see a life-sized 50ft inflatable sperm whale where an ‘aquabatic’ diver, a shipwrecked pirate and a mermaid will have stories to tell.

There will also be a parade, culminating in an en masse dance in Time Square where everyone can join in, and an aerial performance by Tuckshop Dance Theatre in Palmyra Square.

Meanwhile, Warrington Museum and Art Gallery will be tying into the environmental themes with the launch of ‘Wake Me Up Before You Dodo’ with new art by Warrington’s ‘Mini David Attenborough’, Britain’s Got Talent finalist Aneeshwar Kunchala, and sculptor Val Hunt.

This weekend of events has been made possible thanks to funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and help from our partners at Warrington Borough Council, Warrington Market and the Warrington Business Improvement District (BID).

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 Time 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 and 30 July – Out of the Deep Blue
Back by popular demand, everyone’s favourite eco-friendly puppet Eko returns to Time Square. Autin Dance Theatre’s Out of the Deep Blue is a large-scale outdoor performance featuring sea giant puppet Eko, controlled by five puppeteers, 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.