New spooky festival for all the family comes to town
Yazmin Feek with her pumpkin getting ready for Beccles' first Pumpkin Festival. PHOTO: Nick Butcher - Credit: Nick Butcher
Watch out for some spooky goings on at an old Beccles haunt this Halloween as a new town event makes its debut.
Festival organisers Denise Feek, Yvette Tackley, Yazmin Feek and Annette Tackley with Beccles mayor Graham Catchpole. PHOTO: Nick Butcher - Credit: Nick Butcher
The inaugural Beccles Pumpkin Festival is taking place on Saturday, October 29, at The Avenue, a walkway between the train station and the common.
Large corporate pumpkins decorated by businesses will line the strip, which is about a quarter-of-a-mile long, interspersed with smaller ones carved and lit by children and adults.
The organising team, which is also responsible for running Beccles Carnival, will be donating proceeds to this year’s mayors appeal. During his time in office, Graham Catchpole is hoping to raise £25,000 to re-lay the walkway at The Avenue and tidy up the area. Annette Tackley, who is part of the pumpkin festival committee, said it was something they had been thinking about doing for sometime.
“We just felt it would be something different for children and their families to get involved with,” she said. “The Avenue is perfect and will really look the part with all the trees and shadows and the pumpkins lit up.”
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We actually spoke to the major at carnival weekend and told him what we wanted to do and how we wanted to help his appeal. If it goes well I highly suspect it will return next year. There’s not so much to look forward to in the winter months, events are clumped together in the summer.”
Festival-goers will be able to vote for their favourite corporate pumpkin and there will be a Halloween fancy dress competition for children aged up to 16 and also one for adults who enter into the spirit of the event. Mr Catchpole will judge both competitions and give out prizes to the winners.
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Anyone who would like to enter a pumpkin into the festival can take along their carved pumpkin between 4pm and 5pm on the day along with the entry form printed in this week’s Beccles and Bungay Journal. The entry fee is £1 per pumpkin and the winners will be announced at around 8.30pm when the prizes will be given.
The pumpkins will need to have a battery powered tea light so they can be lit for all to see, but if you are unable to source one organisers can provide them at the cost of £1. At the end of the evening some of the corporate pumpkins will be auctioned for members of the public to buy and use over the Halloween period.
There will also be plenty of stalls including face painting, tombolas and craft stalls.
Entry is £1 per adult and accompanied children are free. The festival will run from 4.30pm to 8.30pm.
If you would like to book a stall or have a corporate pumpkin at the event email becclespumpkinfestival@outlook.com or call 01502 217324.
