Dance and get spooked at Penrith’s Halloween festival

Ghosts, ghouls and witches attending the Penrith Halloween Festival on Saturday 27 October are being encouraged to learn the dance moves for a Michael Jackson Thriller inspired Halloween flashmob taking place at the event. A flashmob is when a group of people, usually out of nowhere, start performing a choreographed dance routine. The dance moves for the Thriller flashmob are being developed by Penrith dance group Razzmatazz and will soon be available on Facebook via the Penrith Halloween Festival page, check out local media next week for more details.

Charlotte Young Principal at Razzamataz Penrith said: “The students at Razz are all so excited to be taking part in the Halloween activities throughout Penrith, it's a great opportunity to dress up, meet new friends, show off their talent and most importantly have FUN!"

From 10am– 4pm on the Spooky Saturday, the town centre will be alive with street acts, music and even headless horseman carriage rides! For families, children can become Ghostbusters, by participating in Penrith’s very own Ghost Hunt! Children can track down small ghosts hiding in local shops, which each have a letter, which when you discover all the ghosts, spells out a scary word or phrase. Prizes will be awarded to successful Ghostbusters!

There are a host of opportunities for everyone to get involved in including fancy dress competitions (for adults and children), mask workshops, cupcake decorating, drumming workshops, face painting, ghostly talks and walks and even more surprises.

Eden District Council’s Town Centres Officer, Annabel Candler said: “Every year the festival has grown and, with the help of many local businesses, it has been enjoyed by so many people. It’s such a nice opportunity to have some family fun and explore the town. Everyone can take part, the more the spookier! We still hope to have more groups, schools and businesses get in the spirit and be part of this annual event.”

We would like to thank the following businesses for supporting Penrith’s Halloween Festival: The Devonshire Arcade, Pirates of Penrith, Cranstons, Tattie Tim, Harper’s Cycles, Penrith Leisure Centre, Rheged, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Eden Arts, Crafty Monkeys, Eden FM, Newton Rigg College, Penrith Players, Eden Local and Afternoon Designs.

For more information about the Penrith Halloween Festival, find us on Facebook or visit www.eden.gov.uk/halloweenfestival or email: town.centre@eden.gov.uk

Picture shows:(left to right) Gail Bibby (Crafty Baker), Kelvin Dixon (Seagraves and Dixon), Annabel Candler (Eden District Council’s Town Centres Officer) and Steph Welsh (Salon Rouge).