THE county's largest village festival kicks off on Friday July 29 - and 30,000 visitors are expected to flock to the event by the end of Sunday, July 31.
THE county's largest village festival kicks off on Friday July 29 - and 30,000 visitors are expected to flock to the event by the end of Sunday, July 31.
The three-day extravaganza will have a special birthday to celebrate this year, with the 40th anniversary celebrations being marked.
Vintage cars, live music, heavy horses, tractors, weaving and spinning demonstrations, terrier racing, a display ring and a soccer tournament will all play their part alongside a series of other attractions.
There will be more than 200 craft, charity and trade stands - the stands have been fully booked for months.
There will even be an appearance from Lord Nelson, along with Lady Hamilton and the Norfolk Militia from 1805, as part of the wider celebrations of the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar.
And the third year of the charity auction looks set to attract yet more interest than before - it has already been hugely successful, raising around £8500 for charity.
Festival administrator Julia West said the auction would feature 105 lots donated by a host of groups, businesses and organisations.
Mrs West said the 10am parade of 1960s working tractors, threshers and harvesters on Saturday and Sunday looked set to be one of the highlights of the event.
“The festival provides more and more every year and personally I think it gets better and better,” she added.
“We are now at a stage that we could not possibly fit in anything more if we tried.”
The popularity of the festival among stallholders was evident because of the 20 to 30 calls a day to the festival office asking for stall space, said Mrs West.
She also reassured people who had heard rumours that the festival might finish soon that the committee were determined to keep the highly successful event alive and well for years to come. Mrs West said the official programme even carried a message in it describing this year's anniversary as the “first 40th” festival.
“In other words, we hope this festival will be here for another 40 years,” said Mrs West.
There will be one extra poignant tinge to this year's event - chairman Gavin Paterson will stand down after 40 years at the helm, although he will continue to be closely involved in future years.
t The festival relies heavily on the contributions of volunteers. Anyone who has some time to spare in preparation for next year's festival can contact the main office to express an interest. The next volunteer information evening will be held at 7.30pm on September 21 in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in Worstead. Reserve your place by calling Mrs West on 01692 535620.
PROGRAMME
Friday
t 9.30am to 5pm - RAF Coltishall junior football tournament
Saturday
t 10am - Parade of working tractors from the 1960s
t 10am - “A Taste of the Sea” - The Sheringham Shantymen
t 11.30am - “Britain's No 1 Lumberjacks” - The Welsh Axe Racing Team
t 12.30pm - Lowestoft Sea Cadets Band
t 1pm - “Television in the Sixties” - presented by Worstead Primary School
t 1.30pm - Sea Cadets display
t 2pm - Sponsors' announcements
t 2.30pm - Lowestoft Sea Cadets Hornpipe and Club Display
t 3pm - “Britain's No 1 Lumberjacks” - The Welsh Axe Racing Team
t 4pm - Heavy horse parade and judging
t 4.30pm - Terrier racing - bring your dog
t 5pm - Vintage tractor parade
Sunday
t Lord Nelson, accompanied by Lady Hamilton, escorted by the east Norfolk Militia, will be in the village on Sunday.
t 10am - Parade of working tractors from the 1960s
t 10.30am - “A Taste of the Sea” - The Sheringham Shantymen
t 11.30am - “Britain's No 1 Lumberjacks” - The Welsh Axe Racing Team
t 12.30pm - Norwich City Pipe Band
t 1pm - “Television in the Sixties” - presented by Worstead Primary School
t 1.30pm - Norfolk carriage display
t 2pm - “Britain's No 1 Lumberjacks” - The Welsh Axe Racing Team
t 3pm - Norwich City Pipe Band
t 3.30pm - Vintage car parade
t 4pm - Heavy horse parade and prizes
t 4.30pm - Terrier racing - bring your dog
t 5pm - Vintage tractor parade escorted by Norwich City Pipe Band
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here