Burnley summer party a sunshine hit

Thousands of visitors flocked to the town centre on 13th and 14th July to soak up the sunshine and experience this brand new summer event.

Burnley Markets, Burnley Town Centre Management and Charter Walk Shopping Centre joined forces to deliver the two-day extravaganza filled with family focused and mainly free activities.

The event, which ran from 10am – 7pm on both days, transformed Burnley into a summer wonderland. Visitors enjoyed a cosmopolitan street food and drink area while relaxing to the sound of the best of Burnley’s homegrown talent on The Shift Events music and spoken word stage.

Children and families took part in free gardening workshops at Budding Burnley, a pixie and woodland fairy training school, storytelling sessions from the Shed of Stories, fairground rides, performances from exciting acts and characters including a brass band made up of comedy chefs. Even Spiderman swung in for a visit.

There was also Burnley Market’s Street Market, outdoor games, craft workshops, face painting, dance performances and Tai Chi demonstrations.

Alongside the exciting activities lucky visitors who checked into the event on Facebook won special prizes from a variety of Charter Walk Shopping Centre retailers including The Perfume Shop and newly opened Millie’s Cookies, as well as town centre recording studios The Shift Studios.

Debbie Hernon, Charter Walk Shopping Centre Manager, said “We really enjoyed working together with Burnley Markets and Burnley Town Centre Management to bring something unique and really exciting to the town.

"We had so much fun this weekend and it was fantastic to see such so many people around Burnley. We had over 3,500 extra visitors to the town centre compared to last year.”

Catherine Price, Town Centre Manager for Burnley and Padiham, added: “It was brilliant to see Burnley town centre vibrant and buzzing throughout the event.

"We’ve received loads of positive feedback from town centre businesses, traders and visitors.

"I hope this is something we can build on to create a successful annual event.”