Town's Big Day

UCKFIELD came alive on Saturday during the Uckfield Festival's Big Day Out. The High Street was gridlocked and Luxford Field was filled as thousands of people came to enjoy the festivities.

As usual, the street entertainers were very popular and included acts who perform at some of the biggest festivals in the country. Children were delighted with Poles Apart, a trio of cheeky pirates on stilts, while adults were amused by wandering musicians and magic tricks.

Walking puppeteers, Original Mixture, led the Children's Poetry Parade around the town before arriving at the Festival Arena where some of the schoolchildren read out their work. Brightly coloured copies of the poems on the theme of the circus were displayed in the library and in shops, on fences and walls all over the town.

The star attraction of the day, however, was the amazing No Fit State Sci Circus whose troupe of tight-rope walkers, jugglers, acrobats, musicians and trapeze artists kept the audience spellbound throughout the two performances.

'Having No Fit State Sci Circus on the programme was a real coup for the Uckfield Festival,' said Festival spokeswoman Cheryl Brown. 'The circus is taking this show to just 12 venues so we were delighted to welcome them to Uckfield. Some people came from quite a distance to see them perform and everyone I've spoken to really enjoyed themselves.' Earlier in the week, students from local primary schools came to see the circus which gives a dazzling introduction to the world of science.

There was plenty more for people to see and do on the day with entertainment all afternoon in the Festival Arena provided by the radio roadshow, local dancing schools and the UCTC Big Band. Children tried their hands at stilt-walking and juggling at the Splats Circus Workshops, the Anglo-French market made a welcome return and over sixty stands from local organisations offered attractions such as face painting, wine tasting, a bouncy castle and miniature railway rides.

The Festival, which looks to be the most successful so far, continues until Sunday. Still to come is the Battle of the Bands at the Civic Centre tonight at 7.30pm and The Legend of Lake Wood on Sunday at 4pm and 7.30pm at the Civic Centre.