Thousands set to flock to Northamptonshire village for popular scarecrow festival this weekend – everything you need to know
Harpole Scarecrow Festival returns this weekend, with thousands of visitors expected to descend on the village for two days of scarecrows, entertainment, stalls and family activities.
The annual event takes place on Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13, with the festival spread throughout the village.
A committee spokesperson said the key message this year is that the event is returning to its village-wide format after last year's festival was held solely at the playing field.
They said: “The main thing is making it clear that it's a whole village event and we're going back to the big events that people have always enjoyed.”
The festival runs from 12pm to 6pm on Saturday and 12pm to 5pm on Sunday.
Entry costs £3.50 for adults, while children can enter for free. The ticket includes access to the full festival, including the scarecrow trail and entertainment.
Visitors will receive a map of the scarecrow trail and details of the entertainment taking place across the village.
This year's scarecrows will be spread across different streets, with each street having its own theme.
‘Street champions’ have been appointed for the first time, with residents helping organise displays on their respective streets.
Themes include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, children's books, celebrations around the world and Monopoly, and more.
There will also be questions and challenges for children to complete as they follow the trail. For example, visitors going through the Monopoly-themed area will be challenged to find the train stations featured on a Monopoly board.
The festival will also feature a range of entertainment and activities across the village.
These include:
- Children's science experiments with local performer Atomic Tom
- Wind bands
- Live musicians
- Children's discos and entertainment from Cha-Cha Chimps
- Alpacas from Water Meadow Farm
- Bouncy castles
- Arts and crafts stalls
- Local charity stalls
- Food and other stalls
- Tea and coffee at the churches and old school hall
The Live and Let Live pub will be open throughout the festival, with entertainment taking place there on both days.
The youth club, churches and school hall will also be open, with toilets available at designated locations around the village. A map will show visitors where facilities can be found.
Each scarecrow will have a number and QR code. Visitors can vote for their favourite scarecrow by scanning the QR code.
Parking will be available at the playing field and, for the main festival, at the strawberry field.
The popular red bus will also run around the village on both days.
The festival weekend will begin with Crow Fest on Friday evening (September 11).
The separate ticketed event will take place at the playing field and will feature a children's disco from 6pm, followed by live bands until 11pm. Tickets cost £10 for adults, while children can attend for free.
Money raised by the festival is put back into the village, supporting local organisations and charities.
This includes groups such as the football club, youth club and school, as well as other nominated local charities and village organisations.
The event relies on volunteers, support from Harpole Parish Council and sponsorship from local organisations to make it possible.
This year's event is the 29th Harpole Scarecrow Festival. The festival began in 1997 and has become a major annual event for the village, attracting visitors from across the area.
The event is run by local volunteers, with some members of the committee having grown up attending the festival themselves and now helping organise it for their own children.
The committee also thanked Harpole Parish Council and the event's local sponsors for their support.
The spokeswoman said: “Without that support, it wouldn't be a viable event because you have to have the sponsorship, obviously, to be able to put all the stuff on.”