• Fri. Feb 14th, 2025

North East Connected

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FIRST LOOK AT THE SUMMER PARADE

FUTURISTIC COSTUMES and a whole host of celestial structures will descend on the North East in July for one of the summer’s most exciting events.

On Saturday 6 July, the annual Summer Parade will once more take over the streets of South Shields as part of the South Tyneside Festival, organised by South Tyneside Council.

And intricately constructed costumes, gravity-defying designs and elaborate headpieces are just some of the ways that South Shields-based carnival company Creative Seed are bringing the Space Fantasy theme to life.

The parade will take inspiration from pop culture references like Mad Max, Star Wars and Doctor Who, along with real life events like the Moon landing and include stilt walkers, marching bands and dance troupes along the route.

And there will be plenty of colour at this year’s event, with five different sections throughout the procession, each with its own colour scheme.

Creative Seed’s Sandy Harris is confident this year will be one of the best yet.

“Working on the Summer Parade is always a lot of fun and this year’s theme has given us a lot of freedom with where we want to take it,” said Sandy.

“The parade grows in size every year which pushes us to get even more creative each time and this year is one of our most ambitious to date, with all sorts of space creatures making an appearance.

“We have people coming from all over the world to participate and it is shaping up to be a really exciting day that people won’t want to miss.”

Councillor Alan Kerr, Lead Member for Culture and Leisure at South Tyneside Council, expects the day will draw a large crowd.

“The Summer Parade is a fantastic day out, with something for all ages to enjoy,” said Councillor Kerr

“I never fail to be amazed at the incredible things Creative Seed manage to pull off and I cannot wait to see what they come up with this year.

“We are looking forward to welcoming people from all over the region and beyond to enjoy the parade, with some excellent acts at Bents Park to finish the day.”

Britain’s Got Talent favourites Boogie Storm, slinky street theatre and Titan the Robot are just some of the performers that will be providing entertainment at Bents Park.

And parade-goers can make the most of the beer tent at the park, with a bar, musical entertainment and space-themed children’s craft activities.

The South Tyneside Festival is organised by South Tyneside Council and supported by BBC Newcastle 95.4FM.

The parade is also supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and sponsored by Port of Tyne, Colmans Seafood Temple, South Tyneside College and The Sea Hotel.

For more information about the festival, visit www.southtynesidefestival.co.uk, search South Tyneside Events on Facebook or follow @STynesideEvents on Twitter.