Midlothian. Children s Festivals

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2 MIDLOTHIAN S CHILDREN S FESTIVALS 19 MAY 23 JUNE 2018 Saturday 19 May Penicuik Hunter & Lass Family Bike Ride. Assembles am in Beeslack High School car park. Saturday 19 May Penicuik s Got Talent Talent Show Final. Penicuik Town Hall, 6.00 pm. Wednesday 23 May Penicuik Pram Race. Race starts 7.30 pm outside the Cuiken Inn, Edinburgh Road. Thursday 24 May Penicuik Hunter & Lass Installation and Installation of Junior Hunter & Lass, pre-ceremony entertainment from local bands and dance schools and followed by Beating the Retreat featuring local bands. High Street, outside Penicuik Town Hall. Entertainment begins at 6.45 pm, followed by Junior Hunter & Lass Ceremony and then Hunter & Lass Ceremony at 7.30 pm.. Saturday 26 May PENICUIK HUNTER & LASS DAY Features Rideout, Penicuik on Parade with decorated floats, marching bands, fancy dress characters and Penicuik in the Park with lots of stalls, children s entertainers including Pop the Bubbleman, performances by local dance groups, Duck Race, Crystal FM Radio Roadshow and Midlothian s largest annual funfair. Parade moves off from Eastfield Drive at 1.30 pm. Park events in Penicuik Public Park immediately following the parade. Free admission to park

3 Saturday 2 June MAYFIELD & EASTHOUSES CHILDREN S GALA DAY A fun day incorporating a parade through the village followed by an opening ceremony with the Best Boys and Girls from the three primary schools. Followed by fun and entertainment for everyone to enjoy. Parade moves off from Easthouses Miners Club at 1.00 pm. Opening Ceremony in Mayfield Park at 1.45 pm. Free admission to park. Sunday 3 June POLTONHALL COMMUNITY GALA DAY Parade with decorated floats, fancy dress characters and marching bands moves off into Polton Road West at noon, followed by an afternoon of entertainment at Poltonhall Recreation Ground commencing with an Opening Ceremony at 1.00 pm. A wide range of children s activities operating within a wristband scheme. Fairground rides and many stalls. Free admission to recreation ground. poltonhall.galaday@hotmail.co.uk Saturday 9 June NEWTONGRANGE CHILDREN S GALA DAY Parade accompanied by marching bands leaving The Square at 1.00 pm. Crowning Ceremony in Newtongrange Park at 1.45 pm. Followed by an afternoon of family entertainment with a multitude of stalls and fairground rides in Newtongrange Park. Free admission to park. Sunday 10 June Gorebridge Family Fun Day with party games and disco. Provided by Krazee Capers. Arniston Miners Bowling Club, 2.00 pm 4.00 pm. Free admission.

4 Monday 11 June Gorebridge 7-a-side primary school football competition. Gore Glen Complex pm. Entry fee 3.50 per team. Tuesday 12 June Gorebridge 7-a-side senior football competition (for high school children and adults). Gore Glen Complex, 6.30 pm. Entry fee 7 per team. Thursday 14 June Gorebridge Disco for primary school children. Gorebridge Parish Church Hall, 7.00 pm. Admission 1. Friday 15 June Gorebridge Fabulous Friday. Fancy dress parade leaves Arniston Rangers car park at 6.00 pm lead by Borthwick Pipe Band and proceeds to Gore Glen Complex where activities will include tug of war, family races, funfair and children s entertainers until 9.00 pm. Free admission. Friday 15 June LOANHEAD CARNIVAL PARADE Decorated floats and hundreds of characters in fancy dress accompanied by several marching bands. The main body of the parade is preceded by a motorised section comprising a Harley Davidson motorcycle group, Lotus owners group and a selection of vintage and other preserved vehicles. The parade moves off from Church Street at 7.30 pm.

5 Saturday 16 June GOREBRIDGE CHILDREN S GALA DAY Procession accompanied by various bands moving off from Hunter Square at pm, proceeding to the Gore Glen Complex for the Crowning Ceremony at 1.00 pm. Throughout the afternoon there will be a wide range of family entertainment at the Gore Glen Complex including bumper cars, bungee trampolines, pony rides, face painters, zorb balls, quad bikes, laser quest, playbus, pre-school soft play, animal zoo, children s entertainers, massed pipes & drums, dance troupes, live bands, lots of stalls and a large fairground. Free admission to the Gore Glen Complex. Sunday 17 June Loanhead Family Fun Run. Starts from the Memorial Park, Loanhead at am. Enrol from am. Entry is free and all participants receive a medal. Sunday 17 June Performance by Gemini Pom Pom Troupe. Fountain Green, Loanhead town centre at 2.30 pm. Free event with voluntary collection. Monday 18 June Loanhead Novelty Dog Show. Fountain Green, Loanhead town centre, commencing 6.30 pm. Come along with your dog and take part in this free and fun event. Tuesday 19 June Loanhead Jumble Football Competition. Memorial Park, Loanhead, commencing 6.30 pm. Free entry. Open to all boys and girls up to P7. Teams will be selected at the event with a separate section for younger children. Wednesday 20 June Promenade Concert at Fountain Green, Loanhead town centre. Midlothian Community Concert Band will perform an open air concert commencing 7.00 pm. Free event with voluntary collection.

6 Saturday 23 June LOANHEAD CHILDREN S DAY Midlothian s oldest and largest local festival combines traditional pageantry with a huge programme of family entertainment. Preliminary procession with massed bands, Clerk Street at am. Crowning Ceremony on Fountain Green, Loanhead town centre at am. The Grand Procession accompanied by around 15 marching bands moves off from Church Street at 1.00 pm. Afternoon entertainment programme in the Memorial Park, Loanhead from 1.30 pm featuring Traditional Sports; meet the dinosaurs of Jurassic Experience; comedy and mischief from Flim Flamilies, the Elvis Cleaning Company and the Absurdist Pipe Band; music from the Massed Pipes & Drums, the Massed Silver Bands, Commotion Samba Band and other ensembles; children s entertainment from Tricky Ricky, Gordon s Punch & Judy shows and Crackersjaqz; preserved military vehicles in the Broadsword encampment; giant inflatables and slides, fun houses, aquaballs and a large Funfair; performances by various Dance troupes; Craft Fair; Stalls, Sideshows and Trade Stands; Food Court and Tea Room. Free entry to Fountain Green and the Memorial Park.

7 HISTORY OF MIDLOTHIAN S CHILDREN S FESTIVALS During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the principal local festivals and community celebrations in Midlothian involved events such as the Hiring Fairs in Dalkeith and Penicuik, the Carters Plays, Miners Plays and Friendly Society Walks throughout the area and Gymnastic Games, initially at Dalkeith and Roslin, and later extending to virtually every community in Midlothian. These events were all arranged with adults in mind. Towards the end of the nineteenth century the position of children changed, with restrictions on children in the workplace and a much greater emphasis on education. Local festivals reflected these changes and began to incorporate children at the centre of proceedings. treats to celebrate Queen Victoria s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 took place in Penicuik, Loanhead, Lasswade, Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith. These events, each featuring a procession, a distribution of refreshments and a programme of sports, created a template for the Days of subsequent years. The children were again to the fore in the celebrations for the Coronation of King Edward VII in In Loanhead these events proved so popular that a decision was made to establish an annual Day. As a result, Loanhead staged Midlothian s first Day in The idea was soon taken up by other towns and villages, with virtually every community in Midlothian having its own such event by the 1920 s. Another major development occurred at Loanhead in 1904 with the introduction of the crowning of a Queen selected from local school pupils. The crowning of a Queen was subsequently introduced as the central feature of the annual celebrations at most of the other local events with some later adding the crowning of a King. The majority of Midlothian s traditional Day celebrations disappeared during the 1950 s, 1960 s and 1970 s. Although as many as 14 Midlothian communities at one time crowned a Queen, today only three events featuring crowning ceremonies remain, being those at Loanhead, Newtongrange and Gorebridge. Other communities, notably Mayfield & Easthouses and Poltonhall, have developed annual Galas which have become well established in recent years. In 1936 the Huntsman and Lass festival was introduced at Penicuik. Initially operating alongside the established Day, this was an entirely new departure for local festivals in Midlothian. With adult principals mounted on horseback and undertaking ceremonies based on a local legend, the festival mirrored similar events held in the various border burghs. Today Penicuik s Hunter & Lass Day celebrations remain as Midlothian s only equestrian festival. Although Penicuik s festival no longer features the crowning of a Queen, over more recent years it has sought to develop a programme of family events and entertainment and in 2017 introduced the roles of Junior Hunter & Lass selected from pupils at local primary schools. Penicuik therefore has its own unique place in Midlothian s historic children s festivals. Most of the events take place in the period from late May to the end of June, during which period Midlothian comes alive with an extensive programme of family friendly events and children s entertainment linked to the various historic festivals. Admission to the vast majority of these events is free and there are lots of fun filled days out for residents and visitors alike.