Tag Archives: carnival

Sep 26 2022
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Portrait, Stranger, Urban scene

Drum Machine

Sunday 25th September 2022, 12.20pm (day 4,049)

Drum Machine, 25/9/22

Welcome back to the Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade, which graced this blog on an annual basis before being cancelled in 2020 and 2021: one might say, ‘understandably’, at least for 2020, although I would disagree. But let’s move on from that and enjoy the present incarnation: shifted to September, seemingly smaller, but still with plenty of percussion. I like the way this shot captures the drummers concentrating both on their instruments and on the ‘conductor’ walking in front of them — as any good orchestra should. ‘Drum Machine’ is the name of this troupe, by the way.

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Jun 26 2017
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Daily Post, Family Member, Portrait

Joe at the Handmade Parade

Sunday 25th June 2017, 12.15pm (day 2,131)

Joe, Handmade Parade, 25/6/17

Having taken Friday off work because of the funeral Sunday was a day at the desk for me, but at least around lunchtime there was the distraction of the 2017 Handmade Parade, Hebden Bridge’s annual photo-fest. Having featured this event on several occasions before (it’s made it every year from 2012 onwards), let’s add distinctiveness to this year’s entry by featuring Joe in his home-made finery. As ever, hearty congratulations to all who took part, the level of effort and creativity which goes into this totally non-corporate event still amazes me.

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Jun 08 2014
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Portrait, Stranger

Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade, 2014

Sunday 8th June 2014, 12.45pm (day 1,018)

Handmade Parade, 8/6/14

Welcome back to the Handmade Parade, pictured also in 2012 and 2013 — an amazing outpouring of creativity and effort. I just photograph it, taking 319 pictures today in one hour and five minutes. To pick one is not easy (others will go on my Flickr site — link at bottom); with the colours and costumes being almost a given I try to focus on the good faces, and then it’s a matter of hoping the focus is just right. I’m particularly happy with this shot because this was played for and got.

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Jun 22 2013
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Portrait, Stranger

Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade 2013

Saturday 22nd June 2013, 12.50pm (day 667)

Handmade Parade, 22/6/13

It was on this weekend last year that the summer in Hebden Bridge took a decided turn for the worse. The evening of 22/6/12 saw the first of two floods hit the town centre, an event which appeared on this blog only the following morning. The 2012 Handmade Parade did take place, albeit a week later than originally scheduled and produced this picture — that event becoming a kind of gesture of defiance in the face of the damage the town had suffered (though if it was a plea for mercy it was not answered; there was still 9th July to come, but more on that in two weeks’ time). The 2013 Parade could run as planned and became an anniversary celebration, the town still getting together in an amazing burst of creativity that impresses me each year, though I’ll never be part of it; I like photographing it too much.

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Jun 30 2012
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Portrait, Stranger

Handmade Parade

Saturday 30th June 2012, 11.25am (day 310)

Handmade Parade, 30/6/12

This was supposed to happen last weekend. Once a year the populace of Hebden Bridge spend a little while building ephemeral but beautiful costumes and parade down the town to the park. It’s like Carnival in Rio, but shorter, with less naked flesh and in Yorkshire. A lot of fun though. Today it became something of a two-finger-salute to the weather, which for the entire month of June (except maybe for 3 days around the 18th) has been dreadful. Market Street – the main road through the centre of Hebden – has been devastated, with maybe two or three businesses out of about 30 still open, or likely to reopen before September. And it was still raining today – in bursts, but they were heavy bursts.

I took 89 photos of the parade within the 17 minutes it took to pass me; so to pick just one was very difficult. That being the case, interested parties could look at the top 20 pics, on my Facebook site. But I pick this one for here mainly because of the happy smile of the central model and the fact that this was the only picture of all the ones I took which I felt worked despite the fact there was a spectator firmly in the background. For some reason, it just seems to work with him there. We were all in it together, so to speak. And for just a short time we forgot the floods and the rain and just enjoyed the spectacle.

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