Do you like Pina Colada?
Well yes, we do, actually (and good luck with getting that song out of your head now); if you didn’t make it to Pina Colada Festival in Northwich Town Centre last year, you missed out.
And it’s making a welcome return for 2023, Saturday 19th August, in your own Northwich Town Centre; however, for those who haven’t heard of it before, we’ve done you a handy round-up of everything you need to know to plan your day.
Firstly, it’s free.
Yes, gratis, zip, zilch, nada, except for the money you want to spend on your pina colada of course. You can expect a Caribbean carnival vibe and plenty of pineapples; think live music and street games and lots of entertainment, including dancing parades and selfie frames and steel bands, all for free. There’s no ticket to buy, you might want to follow our Facebook event so you’re the first to know any updates and to enable to you plan your day, but in case we forgot to mention, this event is totally free to attend.
Why?
Rupert Holmes, the writer and singer of the legendary song from which the festival takes its name, was actually born in Northwich in 1947 and lived here for 6 years until his family emigrated to America. Local Northwich resident, Tom Barrow, discovered this fact and lobbied for a Pina Colada Festival, and the rest is history. The first festival was held in 2021, supported by the Rotary Club and Visit Northwich teams, and it is now an annual event; we hope this continues for many years to come.
Sensory play
Quite frankly Pina Colada Festival is a fantastic assault on the senses. In 2022, the entertainment was centred around three main zones; Apple Market Place was home to live music and DJs, a giant pina colada and a 7-piece reggae band. Over in Witton Quarter, we saw a surf simulator, street games and free popcorn and candy floss all set to the beautiful beat of steel drums; whilst the whole festival was family-friendly, over in Barons Square, you could find family fun such as face painting, salsa lessons and crafting, not to mention the chance to while away a few hours in a deck chair and watch the world go by.
Fun Fact; the local shops, restaurants and bars sold over 5,500 Pina Colada Cocktails, Mocktails, Milkshakes and Smoothies at the 2022 event, and we can confirm we tried one of each, meaning we do like pina colada, and we can’t wait for the Pina Colada Festival to come back this year!
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