Gosport Give It a Go Festival: Giant Fox puppet to lead Hi! Street Fest procession at community event

The event on Saturday, July 22 in Gosport’s High Street celebrates the town’s community and creativity and encourages members of the public to have a go at creative activities as diverse as willow craft and circus skills, jewellery making and felting, all on offer free of charge to anyone who wants to give it a go.

The activities have been inspired by Gosport’s rich social history, fascinating facts and tall tales, including the beast of Haslar Lake and the peculiar Gillicker weevil, which are all featured in a series of specially commissioned postcards by local artist, Emma Paxton.

It culminates in the Hi! Street Fest which is a free procession with community performances, sea shanties, the hornpipe, Samba and Brazilian drumming, which will be led by the giant fox called Farrah who will be welcomed to Gosport by Deeps, a giant diver puppet celebrating Gosport’s maritime heritage.

ALSO READ: Lifeboat charity sees busiest summer over 50 years

Give it a Go takes place on the High Street from 11am to 3pm and from 11am to 3.30pm at Gosport Museum and Art Gallery and the town’s Discovery Centre, with the Hi! Street Fest procession taking place from 3.30pm from the Ferry Gate following a route featuring decorated, sea-themed windows by those businesses participating in Give it a Go – and forming a trail along the high street which goes past St Mary’s Church and leads to Lawrence Square.

Taller than a double-decker bus, Farrah is a five-metre mechanical puppet animated by two puppeteers from the inside. Deeps the diver puppet was made by Em Spoor who ran free activity sessions that accompanied the diving helmet’s local tour, with participants adding messages of their hope for the future of the high street to the inside of the helmet. As the puppets move along the high street, Farrah will be given gifts from different community groups and bring people together in a magical procession Hi! Street Fest is Historic England’s largest and final commission as part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme, the widest-reaching, community-led arts and heritage programme for the public that has ever been organised. It is led by Historic England in partnership with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to revitalise high streets across England.

Ellen Harrison, Head of Creative Programmes and Campaigns at Historic England, said: “Hi! Street Fest in Gosport is going to be a huge event and a fantastic celebration of the town. This joyous community event will bring so many people together in the vibrant performances, or for a day out to see this wonderful spectacle. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the revitalisation of the historic heart of Gosport.”

Daniel Bernstein, CEO of Emergency Exit Arts which created Farrah, said: “We are so excited to bring spectacle in the puppet form of Farrah, but also excited about the development opportunities for local people to put on more events in their place. In each place, we have trained community producers, developed carnival bands and helped each place determine their own special host mascot puppet who we hope will make appearances for years to come.”