It was a glorious day for Weird & Wonderful Wood to celebrate its 30th Anniversary and the crowds came to honour this amazing two day event.
Haughley Park in Stowmarket is a wonderful location to host this event which combines a celebration of wood, free children’s workshops, walkabout entertainment, shows, music and spontaneous happenings in a glorious setting against the backdrop of the stunning manor house over the weekend.
The arrival by car was very smooth, there were plenty of marshals directing the cars to the parking areas and they were quick and efficient considering the numbers.
The main entrance was quaint, we were guided through a couple of gazebos, greeted kindly by the stewards and made our way into the first area which was filled with incredible hand crafted wooden furniture. The show piece was a huge, beautiful dining table, big enough to fit more than twenty people – if only I had a house large enough!
This event is all about wood and there were many stalls where wood workers and crafters were displaying their wares, and many were giving demos which was so delightful to see. The talent of these artisans is off the scale.
Another showpiece in this area are the 100s of panels of raw wood standing on end in full display. These are fresh, untreated planks of wood direct from the tree where potential customers can select their favourite for a custom piece of furniture.
Down towards Market Lane we pass some food and drink stands with a roving drumming band for entertainment, and even more crafted wares. As we move around Busker’s Corner, we get the full impact of the scale of the site, the number of stalls and the incredible atmosphere.
It’s amazing to know what actually goes on at Weird & Wonderful Wood and how it snakes around the site, there is so much to see and do, plus there are many spontaneous happenings.
Let’s break it down: There are over 130 stalls with a range of all kinds of products to purchase including sculpture, art, musical instruments, metal, glass, and crystals. There were lots of food and drink stalls, although the queues were large, they were all working as quickly as possible to feed and water the crowds.
There were demonstrations of instrument making, pole lathing, axe carving, wood turning, steam bending and much more. All the activities and workshops were free and included hula hooping, willow weaving, spoon making, Circus skills, storytelling, aerial skills and many, many more to keep all ages occupied.
Photo Credit: Tony | SixtyTwoThings.com
There were two music areas, however I thought there were three but I think the third was a ‘spontaneous happening’ which is a regular occurrence at Weird and Wonderful Wood. There was Busker’s Corner, with a full programme of artists and the main stage near the barn, with the sound system and bigger area for people to sit and listen. Artists included Aartwork, Niimei, Mark Chadwick, Tim Lee, and Old Time Sailors. The music was a fabulous eclectic mix to suit such an eclectic event.
Now let’s attempt to describe these ‘spontaneous happenings’ basically this is performers doing their ‘thing’ at any time and any place! I’m sure there was a structure but to us, the crowd it was wonderfully random as you walk around a bend and see a giant Willow Viking bounding to the beat of his drum. Or the stunning stilt walkers, or the mechanical bubble blowing dragon, there were plenty of delightful sights and the one I had to look twice at was the giant tortoise and I mean giant!
Weird and Wonderful Wood is an incredible two-day event with so much going on, it is a constant joy to behold and be part of. It is no wonder it has won the East Anglian Festival Network (EAFN) Suffolk Festival of the Year for the third time in a row.
For more photos go here.
Here is a walk through video for you to enjoy the experience.
With thanks to Weird & Wonderful Wood & EAFN.