On 26th October, Liverpool witnessed the Northwest’s biggest Halloween Parade wind through its city centre. The theme ‘From Darkness to Light: Where the Worlds Meet’ took steer artistically from Celtic traditions such as Samhain and international festivals like Diwali – which inspired fantastic costumes and the parade finale: an epic battle between darkness and light! Fittingly and a first among the parades through Liverpool, the Katumba Halloween Parade was able to use live fire. Toni the fire-breathing bat, surrounded by fire devils, caused a huge stir!

Liverpool TV shot a short video of the parade in full flow, watch it  here.

We were immensely happy to be part of the organising team! We were involved in writing the funding application to the Arts Council, the planning, writing documentation for the Safety Advisory Group right up to leading the parade. It was a fantastic event with contributing artists and collaborators from Liverpool, Manchester and Lancaster.

The Arts Council funding enabled us to deliver a strong community element as well. We offered people to take part in lantern – and prop-making workshops and walk with their creations in the parade. And on 31st October, we invited the local community in Toxteth to celebrate Halloween with us at the Katumba Hub with Capoeira, circus skills and boomwhacker workshops, free food, drumming and much more.

Our friends at Glassline Media made our video for the Arts Council, check it out here.