THE sun may not have shined during much of the weekend, but the rain held off and the people of March kept on smiling as they enjoyed this year’s summer festival.
On Friday hundreds of people gathered in West End Park to enjoy Rock in the Park which this year was chosen by members of Young People March.
The evening included a selection of lively young musicians – The Projectionist, Death Radio, Damaged and Her Dying Regret. The highlight of the evening must have been the eccentric outfits worn by Death Radio!
The Lions Gala occupied many during Saturday morning but by noon thousands lined the streets for the parade, organised by Rob Skoulding and Graham Litchfield.
A huge audience in West End Park then watched the delightful dancing of Dance Mania and Sarah’s Street Style Dance, interspersed with performances by the talented Misty Jones and Dan Austin and the promising young band, Radiowave.
Others wandered around the numerous gala stalls and attractions or enjoyed the new spectacle of pig racing.
It was then time to enjoy mod/ska/reggae band Scooted’n’Booted, the classic rock of Soulweaver and the Celtic rock of The Band from County Hell. They were followed by the UK Beach Boys.
Martin Goodjohn, from Soulweaver, said at the end of the evening that “the lovely festival, lovely sound, fantastic audience… put a lot of other bigger festivals to shame”.
Sunday afternoon followed the usual pattern as hundreds arrived for Picnic in the Park to hear Chatteris Town Band, The Dead Swingers and The Rainmen.
Also on the stage were a number of talented local folk musicians, collectively known as Friendly Fenland Folk, and a performance of old favourites by March and District Amateur Operatic Society.
As afternoon drifted into evening, hundreds of people stayed to enjoy the Last Night of the Proms style performance by the Alan Norris Big Band.
It was the perfect ending for an amazing weekend.
John Whitehead, festival MC, said he was delighted with the event and quoted a couple of cyclists who were travelling through the Fens, who said they had “never seen such a wonderful event put on anywhere else on their travels”.
The committee would like to thank Mr Whitehead, stallholders, the parade participants and the numerous volunteers who helped run the event and businesses who have given help and sponsorship.
Help is always welcome. If you would like to do so, please get in touch via Clive Lemmon at the town hall on 01354 653709.
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