40s weekend will bring huge crowds

The 1940s return to Brighouse in one wonderful weekend of nostalgia.

The whole town will take a trip down memory lane to an era of band music, dancing the jitterbug and lindy hop, making your own fashions and being part of a great local community.

Over the weekend June 4/5 the whole town centre will be taken over with 40s memorabilia and re-enactments.

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As many as 100,000 people came to the festival last year and this year visitors will be entertained with singers on two stages, dancing in two areas, an RAF Hurricane fly-past on Saturday afternoon and a Spitfire fly-past on Sunday afternoon, film showings, theatre shows, live music events both indoors and outdoors and there’ll even be dance lessons of the era too.

This year’s event is also celebrating the Queens 90th birthday and the town centre streets will accordingly be bedecked with patriotic bunting and union flags.

The fun starts at 10am on each day and goes on until 10pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday when the grand finale will be held. Saturday at 10am sees the new Calderdale Mayor, Brighouse councillor Howard Blagborough joining up with ‘Neville Chamberlain’ to perform the opening ceremony.

There’s fun for all the family with free entertainment all-round the town and for the children there will be a fun fair, steam train rides, donkey rides and free canal boat trips.

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One of the most popular features, which takes place at 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday, is the big parade. It consists of hundreds of ‘military personnel’ and civilians in 40s dress and is led around the town by a marching band. ‘Winston Churchill’ will be taking the salute. A remembrance service will be held at 10.30am on Saturday and at 1pm on Sunday in Commercial Street.

The fun began last night with a special screening of the new Dad’s Army film at the Assembly Rooms. Over at the Civic Hall you’ll be able to see special performances of the play ‘Allo ‘Allo. This version of the classic BBC sitcom is guaranteed to raise the roof. Performances are Friday night 7.30pm and Saturday, 2.30pm matinee and 7.30pm evening.

40s dance enthusiasts are well catered for by the Calderdale Big Band on Friday night and Nytebeat on Saturday night, both start at 8pm at the Assembly Rooms

For more information see the official event programme, which is on sale in shops around the town for £1. All proceeds go to the cost of running the event. Also see www.brighouse1940s weekend.co.uk or ring 01484 711835. Tickets for dances, cinema and theatre from Harrison Lord, Simply Flowers and Ryecorn Wholefoods in Brighouse or online.