Maudit Sonnants (Celestial Carillon) is a bewitching performance from French company Transe Express. As the day turns to night, the audience gathers along the harbour and the sound of bells begin to chime softly out.

After parading through the crowd an orchestra of bell-ringers and aerialists are lifted skywards to perform their concert, filling the harbour with dream-like harmonies: a magical, musical, human chandelier.

The evening culminates with a dazzling firework finale from pyrotechnic masters, pa-BOOM and marks one year to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

Daytime Activity: 12pm - 4pm

If you're in Whitehaven for the day, head to the Hub at the Harbourside or to King Street between 12pm and 4pm where a captivating collection of street performers will be on hand to add a lively shot of sparkle and laughter to your day. 

At the Hub, you will find music, magic and comedy with performers Mike Hancock, Maynard Flipflap and Turbo Jones & The Temple of Boom (Reckless Invention). A 'beats archeologist', Turbo Jones takes his audience on a musical journey through time, along a perilous path past some of the most dangerous and hideous tracks of the previous decades, transporting the audience back to secret memories of tunes... that rock! Mike Hancock brings his own brand of Juke Box magic, incorporating music and magic in a way like no other and Maynard Flipflap is quite literally, Daft as a Brush!

On the Sugartongue, the Fairly Famous Family's Lifeguards will ensure that no-one has any incidents in the water and also, that proper standards of decorum in a public place are observed. Be warned, there is to be no heavy petting or horseplay!

There will be a Crafty Workshop on the Harbour too for anyone wishing to try their hand at painting and decorating a whole host of wooden and ceramic items, which can be taken away on the day. Families and children are welcome.

And it's not all happening just on the Harbour; on King Street between Market Place and Lowther Street, you will find a curious collection of performers strolling through the Saturday shoppers. The Bo Sisters (Axial Dance), inspired by Little Bo Peep, are 21st century shepherdesses, but they've lost their sheep... can you help them? There's a circus Ringmaster (Artizani) on the loose and Petal (Sophie Stuff), a singing sunflower with attitude. Make sure you press her button to make her sing, she doesn't want to, but she will sing a beautiful tune. 

There are plenty of other things to do in Whitehaven if you are there for the day too. The Beacon Museum and Gallery on the Harbourside has a Walking With Dinosaurs exhibition, which will be staying open until 8.30pm especially for the event. Click here to visit their site and find out more and Click here for a special 2 for 1 offer to the Rum Story on the day of the event.

 

Parking

The Apcoa multi-story car park on Swing Pump Lane will be staying open until midnight on the day of the event, which yellow AA roadsigns will direct traffic to. Its postcode is CA28 7LZ.

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Performance dates and booking information