Latest news with #FloraDay
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Thousands expected to attend Helston's Flora Day
Thousands of people are expected in Helston, in Cornwall, for the annual Flora Day festival. The event marks the end of winter and coming of summer, and has been celebrated for hundreds of years. The celebration has remained virtually unchanged for more than 200 years, with about 20,000 to 25,000 attending each year. During the day thousands of formally dressed dancers promenade their way in and out of homes and shops which have been decorated with spring flowers, following the beat from a brass band. The event is celebrated every year on 8 May, unless the date falls on a Sunday, the Sabbath, or Monday, Market Day, in which case it is held on the preceding Saturday. It begins at the Guildhall at 07:00 BST with the Early Morning or First Dance which was, in times gone by, the dance for workers and servants. This is followed by dances from pupils at Helston's four schools and couples dancing. At 17:00, the Evening Dance sees the same participants of the Early Morning Dance return to retrace the route of the Midday Dance. Organisers said Helston Town Centre would be closed to all non-emergency traffic between 05:30 and 22:00 BST. Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ More on this story Related internet links
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Thousands expected to attend Helston's Flora Day
Thousands of people are expected in Helston, in Cornwall, for the annual Flora Day festival. The event marks the end of winter and coming of summer, and has been celebrated for hundreds of years. The celebration has remained virtually unchanged for more than 200 years, with about 20,000 to 25,000 attending each year. During the day thousands of formally dressed dancers promenade their way in and out of homes and shops which have been decorated with spring flowers, following the beat from a brass band. The event is celebrated every year on 8 May, unless the date falls on a Sunday, the Sabbath, or Monday, Market Day, in which case it is held on the preceding Saturday. ADVERTISEMENT It begins at the Guildhall at 07:00 BST with the Early Morning or First Dance which was, in times gone by, the dance for workers and servants. This is followed by dances from pupils at Helston's four schools and couples dancing. At 17:00, the Evening Dance sees the same participants of the Early Morning Dance return to retrace the route of the Midday Dance. Organisers said Helston Town Centre would be closed to all non-emergency traffic between 05:30 and 22:00 BST. Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ More on this story Related internet links
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Thousands expected to attend Helston's Flora Day
Thousands expected to attend Helston's Flora Day Thousands of people are expected in Helston, in Cornwall, for the annual Flora Day festival. The event marks the end of winter and coming of summer, and has been celebrated for hundreds of years. The celebration has remained virtually unchanged for more than 200 years, with about 20,000 to 25,000 attending each year. During the day thousands of formally dressed dancers promenade their way in and out of homes and shops which have been decorated with spring flowers, following the beat from a brass band.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
IN PICTURES: Helston decorates for Flora Day
It's Flora Eve in Helston and the excitement is palpable as the town prepares for its big day tomorrow. With Flora Day 2025 less than 24 hours away, businesses and residents of the town are getting ready to show off Helston at its best. Tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on the town tomorrow (Thursday, May 8), to see the dancing and Hal-an-Tow. Whirlwind Sports gets busy with bluebells (Image: Emma Ferguson/Helston Packet) In preparation for the festivities, the streets, shops and houses are being decorated with greenery and flowers, which was collected yesterday and again this morning. ADVERTISEMENT A team of helpers, made up of dancers, stewards and supporters, were at Tehidy and St Martin last night to cut down greenery with the permission of the landowners. This was then taken back to Helston for collection by those decorating, with a further batch of greenery dropped this morning. With the sun shining over Helston, the mood in town is high – and this year there are even more ways that people can share in the excitement, even if they are unable to attend in person tomorrow. Don't Forget the Hamper and Cloud Nine Creations have a balloon arch ready for your Flora Day selfies (Image: Emma Ferguson/Helston Packet) The Packet will be bringing our usual live coverage of the start of each of the dances and Hal-an-Tow this year, on the Packet Newspapers Facebook page, with an article running throughout the day online at with pictures and updates. But this year that's not all, as the Flora Day livestream is returning this year, with three cameras set up opposite the Guildhall at the top of Coinagehall Street, in Meneage Street and facing the Grylls Monument at the bottom of Coinagehall Street. ADVERTISEMENT Installed by the team at Primary PC Solutions in Helston, with support from the Helston Flora Day Association, the livestream will be available to view from 6.30am on Flora Day via the following YouTube link: Ann Pascoe and her family decorate Manor Fashions (Image: Emma Ferguson/Helston Packet) Dance details The first dance of the day is the Morning Dance, which will leave the Guildhall at approximately 7am. However, before the dance proceeds, Helston Town Band will pause to play two refrains of the Flora Dance tune in memory of former bandmate Mark Williams, who sadly passed away. This year, Ben Head, Natalie Bunt, Ben Autie, and Caroline Spencer are leading the Morning Dance this year. Mel King decorates around the Fishermen's Mission joint Flora and VE Day window display (Image: Emma Ferguson/Helston Packet) After the Morning Dance finishes, the Hal-An-Tow will perform at several locations around the town, including St John's Bridge, St John's Road, Monument Road, Cross Street, and Meneage Street, before culminating outside the Guildhall. ADVERTISEMENT Next is the Children's Dance, led this year by Nansloe Academy students Demi, Charlie, Eloise, and Henry. This year,the Children's Dance will resume its traditional 10am start time instead of the recent 9.50am. These two ladies from Rowe's have 30 years of working Flora Days between them (Image: Emma Ferguson/Helston Packet) Following the Children's Dance is the Midday Dance, which usually sees the largest crowds of the day. Leading this year are Shane Orchard, Sarah Benney, John Barnett, and Leisa Songhurst. The dance will start slightly later at 12.02pm from the Guildhall, preceded by a two-minute silence at midday to honour VE Day and remember those who lost their lives in conflicts worldwide. The council team decorate Helston Guildhall (Image: Emma Ferguson/Helston Packet) The Evening Dance begins at 5pm from the Guildhall, led by the same four dancers from the Morning Dance. The route for the Evening Dance is similar to the Midday Dance and includes dancing through several shops in the town, such as J C Williams and Tech Revive on Meneage Street. All hands on deck to decorate Tech Revive (Image: Emma Ferguson/Helston Packet) Steve and Kim decorate Fatty's Barbershop (Image: Emma Ferguson/Helston Packet) See coverage of all the events on the day online at where we will also bring you photo galleries afterwards and a 16-page photo supplement in next Wednesday's print edition of the Packet.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Helston Flora Day 'more important than Christmas'
Flora Day 'more important than Christmas' for town 15 minutes ago Share Save Lisa Young BBC News, Cornwall Share Save Helston Flora Day Association Flora Day is due to take place on Thursday 8 May Residents of a Cornish town say its annual Flora Day festival, which dates back centuries, is "like Christmas and birthdays rolled into one". Helston's Flora Day has remained virtually unchanged for more than 200 years and these days about 20,000 to 25,000 people fill the town every year. The town council said its origins lay in celebrating "the triumph of spring over winter" but for many Helstonians its true importance is the sense of joy and togetherness it brings to all generations of the community. During the day thousands of formally dressed dancers promenade their way in and out of homes and shops which have been decorated with spring flowers, following the beat from a brass band. Discover Helston Flora Day sees dancers promenade through the streets of Helston Lisa Pascoe, 41, has danced Flora Day since she was six. She said: "It's about friends and family, seeing the town lovely and pretty and being proud of being a Helstonian and Cornish. "It's also about seeing everyone back - if they can't make it for Christmas they'll come to Flora Day." She added the scent of bluebells and lily of the valley across the town was especially evocative for her. 'A real buzz' Having danced at Flora Day for 40 years, her mother Jacquie Pascoe, said she had "an attic full of dresses and hats". Describing the day, she said: "It feels like Christmas and birthdays all rolled into one as people are so happy - the whole of Helston comes together. "For me, the party atmosphere starts the evening before when you walk through the town and all the shops are being decorated and everyone comes out and talks. "You get a real buzz in your tummy." Jacquie Pascoe said the whole of Helston comes together on Flora Day Sean Johnston is in his 40s and said his family has taken part in the celebration for more than 50 years with his father being a band master and one of his cousins a drummer. He said: "A lot of things come and go, but because it's multi-generational it's here to stay. "It's as important or more important than Christmas Day because it brings the people of the town together. "The excitement you have as a kid for Christmas Day - you get the same as an adult about Flora Day." What happens during the day? Helston Flora Day is celebrated every year on 8 May, unless the date falls on a Sunday, the Sabbath, or Monday, Market Day, in which case it is held on the preceding Saturday. The celebrations begin at the Guildhall at 07:00 BST with the Early Morning or First Dance which was, in times gone by, the dance for workers and servants. At 09:50, more than 1,200 pupils from Helston's four schools start dancing their way from Wendron Street in the Children's Dance - which was first included in the programme in 1922. At 12:00, the Midday Dance starts and ends at the Guildhall and sees couples dance through homes and businesses along Meneage Street and some of the town's gardens. At 17:00, the Evening Dance sees the same participants of the Early Morning Dance return to retrace the route of the Midday Dance. Helston Flora Day Association There are seven performances of the Hal-an-Tow held at different places in the town during Flora Day Adding pageantry to the day, there are are seven performances of Hal-an-Tow around the town. This is a dramatic telling of Helston's history featuring Robin Hood, St George and St Michael, the town's patron saint. What do the dancers wear? Helston Flora Day Association Every dancer wears a lily of the valley buttonhole as it is one of the town's floral symbols The ladies dancing in the Early Morning Dance and Evening Dance wear brightly-coloured dresses with short gloves, while the gentlemen wear black trousers, white shirts and the Helston Town green and white striped tie. Every child is dressed in white for the Children's Dance, with the boys wearing their school ties and the girls wearing floral headdresses featuring their school's flower. Sisters Polly, 13, and Kitty, 10, both go to school in the town and said they had danced "since we could walk", and will be doing so once again this year. Polly said: "My great-granny danced in 1924; I dance, my mum danced and my granny danced - so that's over 100 years of dancing in one family." St Michael's school pupils wear cornflowers and lily of the valley in their hair, while Parc Eglos wear red poppies and yellow buttercups, Nansloe Academy wear daisies and Helston Community College wear forget-me-knots. Pupils start learning the steps in March. Helston Flora Day Association Polly and Kitty's great-grandmother Emily Nicholas (fourth lady from the right) danced in Flora Day in 1924 The dancers of the Midday Dance wear formal afternoon dress. The ladies wear floor-length gowns, complete with hats and long gloves; while the gentlemen wear suits with waistcoats, top hats and gloves. As well as following the dress code for the individual dances, every dancer wears a buttonhole of lily of the valley - one of the town's floral symbols. The men and boys wear them on the right-hand side of their chests, with the flowers facing upwards, and the women and girls wear the buttonholes on their left with the flowers facing downwards. What is the music the band plays? As the town bell chimes 07:00, Helston Town Band's bass drummer Ashley Chinn strikes the first beat that sets off the dancers. He told BBC Radio Cornwall: "The first note, it's the big important one!" The band leads the dances playing the furry dance, an iconic tune that has never been shared on paper but instead has been passed down from player to player, according to the town council. The dance steps incorporate a promenade and a twirling polka, and remain the same throughout the day - as does the music. Who can take part in the dances? The Helston Flora Day committee runs a formal application process for people who want to take part in the dances. Applications to dance the Midday Dance have to be submitted in writing in January and the Early Morning and Evening Dances in February. The criteria for all the dances is strict with applicants having to give their full name, address and date of birth along with their address at the time of birth. Only people with a Helston address when they were born are allowed to lead the Midday Dance. What does it take to put on Flora Day? Nigel Pascoe is the chairman of the 50 to 60 stewards that organise Flora Day. He said the event now attracted between 20-25,000 people with about 2,650 dancers throughout the day. It costs about £13,000 to run, paid for by subscriptions from businesses and donations from the public and the dancers. Mr Pascoe said: "It's a lovely time when the people of Helston come together and it's a time when Helston people from all over the world come home."
