Marsden welcomes the cuckoo back to rural West Yorkshire with traditional English dancing, music and sunshine at the Marsden Cuckoo Festival in April.
The cuckoo is a herald of spring and is celebrated in an ancient festival at Marsden – a village set within the steep-sided Pennine Valley within the National Trust’s stunning Marsden Moor Estate. There’s plenty to see, including: a colourful procession; a craft fair; a maypole and morris dancing; a mixture of street entertainment; duck races; storytelling and lots more!
Of course, the highlight is the cuckoo parade, which historically takes place on the final Saturday of April (which falls on 26 April this year). Local residents parade down the high street with colourful ribbons and hand-crafted puppets, backed by musicians and dancers – it’s quite a unique sight!
Elsewhere in Marsden, you’ll find delicious local produce, quirky independent shops, and a great atmosphere. And, once you’ve had your fill of the happy bustle in the village, take a walk on the Marsden Moor estate to find remains of a Roman road and packhorse trails, the Standedge Canal Tunnel and Visitor Centre, plus other reminders of the area’s industrial past.
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage (who was born in the rural Yorkshire village) is working together with Marsden Mechanics, to create the next phase in the venue’s ongoing endeavour to drive forward its mission statement that everybody should have the opportunity to access top-calibre cultural and artistic events and experiences, no matter their location or financial status.
‘Tenterhooks’; is a community arts project led by Marsden-born Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, the band LYR and Marsden Mechanics – a large scale creative endeavour culminating in a day of celebratory performances and viewings to be held as part of ‘Cuckoo Day’ Saturday 26th April 2025
The plan is to create a visionary project which invites the local community to take part in a series of creative storytelling events to uncover untold stories of Marsden. Armitage will take these stories and develop a series of new poems, and LYR will set them to music.
These poems and lyrics will then be returned to the community for interpretation, and local creatives will be supported by Marsden Mechanics in creating brand new art – everything from songs to sculptures, literature to theatre; culminating in a day of celebratory performances and viewings to be held as part of Cuckoo Day on Saturday 26th Apr 2025.
