Victorian Festival - Sunday Fete

[vilakins]

This Roman me icon has given me ideas for next year which will include that wig and necklace and should be cooler. The striped jacket I wore was far too hot in the sun.

Sunday was the fete held in the Victorian Precinct which was closed off to cars. I only spent three hours there in the afternoon so I missed a lot of the street entertainment - check out these excellent photos on Facebook to see more than I did (plus more parade photos).

I can offer Morris dancers for watervole, acrobats, and Queen Victoria with a difference.


First up, me as a hypochondriac in a boat - cross-dresser #1


My friend Ayla


Spectators at the stone sawing


Competitors had to saw through blocks of Oamaru stone (a limestone), what our Victorian buildings - and my house - are made of


Women competitors


The explorer, cross-dresser #2, did well but didn't win.


The queen and duke. She's so familiar - I know her from somewhere but it totally escapes me.


And now we come to a magnificent Queen Victoria, cross-dresser #3


Morris dancers


Steampunk Morris dancers


A nice family shot


The Twisty Twinz...


... who did acrobatics on stilts


and managed to fold themselves into that box


Seriously.

Comments

[pebblerocker]

Must have been an amazing event! I can't believe two people fitted into that box, goodness.

[vilakins]

They said they've managed to get three adults in it. I looked and found a video on their site (scroll down about halfway). It was easier with two; they twisted around each other in mirror images and just folded themselves down.

[pebblerocker]

::blinkblink::

[gwendraith]

Great pictures again, what fun (and the facebook page). I love the Queen Victoria cross dresser and the family group is rather sweet :) A marvellous festival to have.

[vilakins]

It was great fun! I'm now looking forward to the steampunk one in June.

[watervole]

Great pics. You have the Nor'West Arch morris dancers (who dance Border and North West). First time I've seen a Border side in straw hats. If they'd been in England, I'd have guessed Cotswold (some Cotswold side have tatter jackets, though not many). https://www.facebook.com/NorWest-Arch-Morris-Dancers-Christchurch-NZ-157808554382087/

No idea who the steampunk side are, unless they dressed up specially for the day.

Impressed by the stone cutters!

[vilakins]

It must be them; I can see they came in previous years, and Christchurch is only 3 hours away. There was another side in red tatters with a small boy in their group but my photos weren't that good. I found them; they're Fiery Peak from Geraldine.

I couldn't find anything about the steampunk side. I think they might be Jack Frost Morris (Mixed, Border, Cotswold) from Dunedin University who have musicians, which the steampunk side did; they provided all the music.

[watervole]

Are you implying that the other teams danced to recorded music!

Speaking with my folk festival hat on - I'd NEVER invite a morris side that used recorded music.

[vilakins]

No, they all used the steampunk musicians, when I was watching anyway. Maybe it was a combined music group with players from all three sides. No recorded music, and all, musicians and dancers, were obviously having a lot of fun.

[vilakins]

BTW the Nor'West Arch side is named after this weather pattern which we also get. Like the foehn, it affects a lot of people (Greg's one who feels invigorated), but doesn't seem to bother me. They say car accidents go up during nor'west arches.

[watervole]

Fascinating! I love the way they've combined the name of their dance style with a local feature.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

Such fun! Queen Victoria didn't look amused ;0)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Possibly because she had to drink her tea out of a thermos cap.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Superb!