Preston Vintage Guild Weekend steams in to town on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 September for a jam-packed two day festival of northern vintage. Continuing a centuries-old tradition, Preston Guild dates back to 1179, when it celebrated the local society of craftsmen and women, and is the only Guild still feted in the UK. Held only once every 20 years, the 2012 celebration will be the first Guild in the 21st Century, and will explore fashion, music, film, dance and art through past Guilds from 1922 to the present day. Local boy Wayne Hemingway brings the spirit of his Vintage Festival, which saw retro-styled nostalgics descend on Goodwood racecourse to party like it was simultaneously 1929-1989. Preston Guild looks set to recreate that immersive, nostalgic atmosphere, with music from the Human League and Katherine Jenkins (taking time out from her busy schedule of refuting imagined Beckham affair rumours) plus a Twenties Tea Brunch, Spirit of ’42 ball (pictured), and soul all-dayer. The vintage marketplace will be bursting at the seams with authentic couture, while the fashion and crafts tent will host a preview of the newly revived Horrockses label, the Lancashire brand synonymous with 1940s and 1950s ready-to-wear style. Other highlights include vintage film screenings, Ministry of Craft workshops, the trades procession march, a pop-up hair parlour (offering beehives and finger curls, naturally) and Luminarium, a monumental inflatable structure featuring domes of light and colour up to 10 metres high. It all looks pretty swell – a fine excuse for a day trip, with trains to Preston from Manchester taking just 45 minutes and running about every 15 minutes.
Sat 1 – Sun 2 Sep, Preston Vintage Guild Weekend, Avenham Park, Preston, PR1 3TD, Tel: 01772 253731, various times and prices, www.vintageguildweekend.com
- Words:
- Carole Keating
- Published on:
- Tue 28 Aug 2012
